If you watch Lethal Weapon for the first time today, you’d probably think it was riddled with action movie cliches; however, when it was released in 1987 it was actually on the ground floor helping lay the foundation for what action movies would attempt to replicate to this very day. I find that one of the hardest things to do as a cinephile is to make a “Top 10 All Time Favourites,” yet any time I attempt to do so Lethal Weapon finds its way in because it’s just so damn good at everything is does.
It’s not even a generational thing, as I was six when Lethal Weapon came out, and while I’d eventually see Lethal Weapon 4 in theaters multiple times when it came out in 1998, the first three films were done by the time I was 10, so that was a series I fell in love with via VHS and visits to the good old video store. While the film shows its age through technology used, clothing and certain dialogue, the themes, action and character motivations are timeless. Add on the absolutely incredible chemistry between Danny Glover and Mel Gibson and even going on four decades later Lethal Weapon is still the quintessential buddy cop flick.
The movie was written by Shane Black (who’d go on to write one of my other favourite films, Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, the top tier buddy movie, The Nice Guys, and my favourite of the Iron Man franchise, Iron Man 3), though it’d get some significant rewrites by Jeffery Boam to add in more humour and reduce some of the violence at the request of the film’s director Richard Donner. While one can never say for sure how the film would’ve performed without rewrites, as hindsight is always 20/20, these changes helped set the tone for the franchise which, while they got a bit sillier and lighter by the third and fourth films, all had a solid mix of laughs to balance out the grittier action and darker themes.
We’re here to talk about the first film though, which is where the franchise is at its darkest, with narcotics Sergeant Martin Riggs (Gibson) still dealing with the loss of his wife who died three years earlier in a car accident. This loss has put Riggs on the edge, contemplating suicide and taking chances on the job that put his life in danger without a second thought. Meanwhile, Homicide Sergeant Roger Murtaugh (Glover) starts the movie by celebrating his 50th birthday with his family, all while contemplating retirement. Their captain, believing Riggs is faking his depression in hopes of being awarded early retirement, assigns him to partner up with Murtaugh – much to Murtaugh’s dismay.
Of course, it’d be boring if they just went about doing every day cop stuff so something has to up the ante, and in this case that something happens when Murtaugh is contacted by an old war buddy who hopes Murtaugh can help his daughter escape a life of drugs and prostitution. Upon heading out to do so Riggs and Murtaugh find themselves mixed up in a drug-smuggling operation that’s bigger than anyone could’ve anticipated, and only these two coming together can bring it down.
I mean, that’s just me giving a brief taste of the story for those who may not have seen it and are wondering what it’s about, but the true power of the film comes from the interactions between Riggs and Murtaugh and again, the flawless chemistry between Gibson and Glover. It’s the type of chemistry that every movie hopes its lead characters will have, as it alone could carry the movie even if the script was weaker or the action was less intense. Luckily, neither of those things are true as the script is powerful, dark, gritty and violent, while also full of heart, witty banter, and the ability to take darker themes and help bring them into the light. They don’t brush off the depression that Riggs is suffering from, but instead embrace it and shine a light on it, with it becoming a major part of his character growth and a bonding element between these two partners who begin with completely opposing mindsets with how to handle things.
This 4K restoration does come with both the Theatrical Cut and the Director’s Cut of the film, which is 7-minutes longer. In rare fashion the Director’s Cut is actually not Donner’s preferred cut, as it was created without his permission as a selling point for the film’s home releases. While it’s nice that both versions received the full restoration I’d personally stick with the Theatrical Cut, especially if it’s your first time watching. See it how it was meant to be seen instead of with some random additional scenes that don’t do much outside of slow the pacing of a perfect film.
To be blunt, Lethal Weapon is one of the best action movies ever, and while we could get into semantics about the action genre in general (no it’s not as action-packed or intense as Mad Max: Fury Road or The Raid), we’ll be here all day if we’re breaking things down into subgenres on top of it all. So, I’ll just stand by my saying that it’s one of the best and there’s a reason why it’s often been imitated, but very rarely properly duplicated after all these years. It does feel weird to say it, but hey, there are some old classics that I’ve still yet to see so I guess I’m one to talk, so if you’ve yet to see Lethal Weapon do yourself a favour and check it out. If you have seen it, well, let’s get into why this 4K release is a no-brainer purchase.
Overall Movie Score: 5/5
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
It shouldn’t be surprising that the 4K release of Lethal Weapon surpasses its 2012 Blu-ray predecessor in every way imaginable, both from a visual and an audio standpoint. The film’s 2160p/HDR10 transfer showcases a beautiful restoration that may not top lists of the best restorations ever, but it takes this film to new home video heights and brings the viewer as close to its theatrical counterpart than ever before. Details have never been sharper, cleaner or more apparent in your living room, and it’s wonderful to see a movie as influential as this get the restoration treatment. There’s a film grain that remains, yet some may argue that adds a filmic quality that they love and expect from a movie coming out of this time period. It helps that the grain isn’t distracting or abundant, and it’s clearly been worked on as best it can be, so again, it leaves the movie with more of a filmic feel than something that should be viewed as a knock in the restoration process.
On the audio side of things we’ve got an incredibly Dolby Atmos mix that shines even brighter than the explosions in the film. The action blasts through beautifully from all angles in a surround sound setup, with voices and dialogue being delivered front and center without battling it out with the effects that constantly fill the room around them. For those who want to go old school and stick with the film’s original 2.0 track, that’s also here and sounds just as phenomenal as ever. It delivers effects closer to the original release’s intentions and holds up just as well, so the choice is yours for audio afficionados, and in the end choice is always the best route to go with these releases.
Special Features:
We get a pair of new, yet brief, featurettes with this release. Sadly (and somewhat surprisingly) we don’t get any of the legacy features from the Blu-ray release, which hasn’t been the case with most Warner Bros. 4K releases of late. Maybe they’re saving them for an eventual franchise box set, but it’s still unfortunate not to find them here. That said, let’s get into what we do have:
A Legacy of Inspiration: Remembering Richard Donner – This piece comes in at 7-minutes in length and sees various cast and crew members return to talk about the late, great director. Glover speaks, as does Black, and the featurette is filled with behind-the-scenes photographs. While short, it’s a nice homage to such an influential artist.
“I’m Too Old for This…: A Chemistry That Became Iconic – This featurette comes in at just over 6-minutes and focuses on, you guessed it, the chemistry between Riggs and Murtaugh/Gibson and Glover. I spoke about this multiple times in the review and the topic having its own featurette (as short as it may be) just shows how strong this bond between these two characters became because of the chemistry shared on screen. The same people who spoke above return here to talk about how Gibson and Glover created one of the most iconic on-screen partnerships ever.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Lethal Weapon. Directed by: Richard Donner. Written by: Shane Black. Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Mitchell Ryan. Running time: 117 Minutes. Rating: R. Released on 4K Blu-ray: June 24, 2025.
About Brendan Campbell
