Thirty-five years ago, Richard Donner’s Lethal Weapon exploded into theaters and quickly established itself as a rip-roaring action classic. Starring then rising stars Mel Gibson — who had made a name for himself from his strong work in Gallipoli, The Road Warrior, The River, and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome — and Danny Glover, whose appearances in hits such as Witness, Silverado, and The Color Purple drew a plethora of critical acclaim, Lethal Weapon followed in the footsteps of buddy cop comedy/dramas 48 Hrs., In the Heat of the Night, and The French Connection, managing to take its premise further than its predecessors by injecting a healthy dose of wit into its dark subject matter.
Penned by the great Shane Black, Lethal Weapon pits two very different LAPD detectives together — one’s suicidal, the other a jovial family man on the verge of retirement — and follows their budding friendship amidst a case involving hookers, drugs, and a mysterious organization dubbed Shadow Company.
While the action and mayhem on display are certainly top-notch, it’s the terrific chemistry between Gibson and Glover that really raises the film above others of its ilk, establishing the movie as a beloved classic. Now that Lethal Weapon has just passed its 35th Anniversary, we thought it would be fun to relive our favorite moments between the detective duo.
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MURTAUGH MEETS RIGGS
Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh’s relationship gets off to a rocky start after the latter mistakes the former for a criminal and proceeds to charge him in the middle of a police station. Luckily, Riggs is something of a martial arts expert and uses his skills to easily knock his new partner to the ground.
We then cut to the characters’ first interaction in which Riggs reveals his precarious situation: people believe he’s either a suicidal cop or he’s faking his suicidal tendencies. Either way, he’s screwed.
MURTAUGH LAYS OUT ALL THE CARDS
After a routine patrol that sees Riggs casually prevent a man from jumping off a ledge by forcing him to, well, jump from a ledge, we get a terrific interaction between the pair in which Murtaugh lays all the cards on the table: he hands Riggs a gun and practically begs him to pull the trigger. It’s an excellent scene that perfectly captures the characters’ distinct personalities.
DINNER AT ROGER’S HOME
Later, the odd couple head to Murtaugh’s home for dinner. Riggs gets a dose of his partner’s family, including his wife Trish (Darlene Love), who can’t cook, and kids Rianne (Traci Wolfe), Nick (Damon Hines), and Carrie (Ebonie Smith). This moment really establishes Riggs and Murtaugh’s partnership in a fun way and presents a familial situation far removed from the violent world the pair of detectives deal with on a daily basis.
TARGET PRACTICE
No scene better illustrates Riggs and Murtaugh’s contrasting sensibilities (and skills) more than this bit in which the pair try to outdo each other at a gun range. While Murtaugh is certainly no slouch when it comes to gun skill, Riggs is obviously in a class by himself.
DESERT SHOOT-OUT
Towards the end of the film, Murtaugh’s daughter Rianne is kidnapped by the bad guys, leading to a tense gun battle in the desert. The action is a little dated, but the scene illustrates how far Riggs and Murtaugh have come as partners as the latter puts his life (and the life of his daughter) firmly in Riggs’ hands.
HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD CHASE
The best scene of Lethal Weapon, however, takes place during the climactic shootout on Hollywood Boulevard, where Riggs and Murtaugh each get their moment to shine. Riggs uses his elite athleticism to pursue Gary Busey’s Joshua while Murtaugh takes down Mitchell Ryan’s The General in pure Murtaugh fashion. This one’s an all-timer.
RIGGS V JOSHUA: DAWN OF JUSTICE
Of course, Lethal Weapon doesn’t stop there. Following the big chase scene, Donner sets the stage for a hand-to-hand fight sequence between Riggs and Joshua that’s violent, gritty, and undeniably awesome. What’s more, we see Riggs and Murtaugh’s relationship come full circle as they ultimately work together to take down Busey’s violent baddie.
