Lethal Weapon (franchise)

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Lethal Weapon
Directed byRichard Donner
Produced byRichard Donner
Joel Silver
StarringMel Gibson
Danny Glover
Music byMichael Kamen
Eric Clapton
David Sanborn
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
1987–1998
CountryTemplate:FilmUS
LanguageEnglish
Budget$190,000,000 (est.)
Box office$900,237,298

Lethal Weapon is a series of films starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a pair of LAPD detectives. All four films in the series were directed by Richard Donner, and also share many of the same core cast members.

Films

Lethal Weapon (1987)

Main article: Lethal Weapon

Struggling with age and retirement, homicide detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is partnered with young and suicidal narcotics officer Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson). Together, they work the case of the apparent suicide of Amanda Hunsaker, daughter of a wealthy businessman, who served with Murtaugh in Vietnam. Murtaugh and Riggs soon discover that Hunsaker was involved in a heroin-smuggling scheme led by a retired general (Mitchell Ryan) and his lead enforcer (Gary Busey).

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

Main article: Lethal Weapon 2

During a car chase, Riggs and Murtaugh stumble upon a trunk full of illegal South African Krugerrands. This sparks a series of attempts at their lives, forcing them to take a less dangerous case, protecting Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), a loud-mouthed whistleblower. However, they realize that Getz was involved in the same South African illegal activities. As a result, they become tangled in a drug-smuggling operation involving South African diplomats in Los Angeles. Ironically, Riggs encounters the murderer of his wife among the criminals.

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

Main article: Lethal Weapon 3

As Murtaugh, who is three days from retiring, and Riggs investigate the busting of an armored car, they find themselves in the middle of an Internal Affairs investigation led by Sergeant Lorna Cole (Renee Russo). The subject of the investigation is a rogue AWOL cop (Stuart Wilson) who's stealing impounded weapons and selling them on the black market. In the middle of the investigation, Murtaugh shoots and kills a teenager, who turns out to be a friend of his own son, that attacked him and Riggs. This prompts Murtaugh to capture the man responsible for the distribution of illegal firearms and to rethink his retirement.

Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

Main article: Lethal Weapon 4

While both Lorna and Rianne, Murtaugh's daughter, are pregnant, Riggs and Murtaugh must pair with rookie Detective Lee Butters (Chris Rock) to investigate a Chinese immigrant smuggling ring. Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li) is a ruthless enforcer who personally attempts to murder Murtaugh's family by burning them alive in their own home. As the story progresses, Murtaugh discovers that Lee is the father of his daughter's unborn child. Murtaugh and Riggs slay dozens of Chinese gangsters and ultimately manage to catch up with the boss of the smuggling ring.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Spoof

In the episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia airing November 11, 2010, the protagonists of the show (aside from Dee Reynolds) had previously filmed their own version of a fictitious Lethal Weapon 5. The plot concerned Roger Murtaugh (played by Dennis Reynolds in the first half of the film and Mac, in blackface, in the second half of the film) and Martin Riggs (played by Mac in the first half of the film and Dennis Reynolds in the second half of the film) pursuing a corrupt Native American chief (played by Frank Reynolds) who had poisoned the local tap water, killing Murtaugh's wife. Charlie Kelly played multiple henchmen of Chief, the Native American antagonist. Riggs and Murtaugh defeated the henchmen and caught up to the Chief, killing him by throwing a glass of tainted tap water on him while he stood against an electrical transformer. The film was shown, in Paddy's Pub, to a high school drama class, where the students declared it to be "the most awesome film ever made."

Potential fifth film

There has been talk of a fifth Lethal Weapon film, although both Mel Gibson and Danny Glover have expressed disinterest. In 2007, Moviehole.net received word from sources that Warner Bros. are in the early stages of trying to relaunch the Lethal Weapon series sometime in 2009 or later [1]. A spec script treatment has been written by Shane Black [2], leading to rumors that the sequel was on fast track by Warner Bros. with Black in the director's chair. Actor Columbus Short said he was being considered for the role of Murtaugh's son.[3] Director Richard Donner is not involved with these plans, but he has his own ideas for a Lethal Weapon 5. According to the LA Times, Gibson has refused to reprise his role as Martin Riggs for the fifth time, which Donner thinks is out of personal loyalty because Donner is not involved.[4] Joel Silver later confirmed Gibson’s lack of interest in the project. [5] "We talked about it, but it was something that Mel didn't want to do now," he explained. "It doesn't mean that he doesn't want to do it ever, but as of right now, he doesn't." [6].

Cast

The series is notable as having great continuity within its cast, with every recurring character in each film being played by the same actor or actress throughout. Even relatively minor characters, such as Roger Murtaugh's younger family members and his LAPD co-workers, are played repeatedly by the same people (although some of these characters are killed off as the series progresses).

Character Film
Lethal Weapon Lethal Weapon 2 Lethal Weapon 3 Lethal Weapon 4
Martin Riggs Mel Gibson
Roger Murtaugh Danny Glover
Leo Getz   Joe Pesci
Lorna Cole   Rene Russo
Lee Butters   Chris Rock
Trish Murtaugh Darlene Love
Rianne Murtaugh Traci Wolfe
Nick Murtaugh Damon Hines
Carrie Murtaugh Ebonie Smith
Captain Ed Murphy Steve Kahan
Dr. Stephanie Woods Mary Ellen Trainor

Reception

Box office performance

Film Release date Box office revenue Box office ranking Budget Reference
United States Foreign Worldwide All time domestic All time worldwide
Lethal Weapon March 6, 1987 $65,207,127 $55,000,000 $120,207,127 #795 $15,000,000 [7][8]
Lethal Weapon 2 July 7, 1989 $147,253,986 $80,600,000 $227,853,986 #190
#172(A) 		#323 [9]
Lethal Weapon 3 May 15, 1992 $144,731,527 $177,000,000 $321,731,527 #199
#189(A) 		#189 $35,000,000 [10]
Lethal Weapon 4 July 10, 1998 $130,444,603 $155,000,000 $285,444,603 #255 #236 $140,000,000 [11]
Total $487,637,243 $412,600,055 $900,237,298 $190,000,000(E)
List indicator(s)
  • A dark grey cell indicates the information is not available for the film.
  • (E) indicates an estimated figure based on available numbers.
  • (A) indicates the adjusted totals based on current ticket prices (calculated by Box Office Mojo).

Critical reaction

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Overall Cream of the Crop
Lethal Weapon 90% (40 reviews)[12] 88% (8 reviews)[13] 67 (14 reviews)[14]
Lethal Weapon 2 82% (34 reviews)[15] 100% (5 reviews)[16] 70 (13 reviews)[17]
Lethal Weapon 3 59% (39 reviews)[18] 43% (7 reviews)[19] 36 (17 reviews)[20]
Lethal Weapon 4 54% (61 reviews)[21] 55% (11 reviews)[22] 37 (21 reviews)[23]
Average Ratings 71% 72% 53

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ Gibson and Glover Up for Lethal Weapon 5?
  3. ^ Lethal Weapon 5 Exclusive
  4. ^ Richard Donner says 'Lethal Weapon 5' is 'dead in the water'
  5. ^ Joel Silver & Susan Downey on Sgt. Rock & More
  6. ^ "Lethal Weapon 5" is NOT Dead
  7. ^ "Lethal Weapon (1987)". Box Office Mojo.
  8. ^ "Lethal Weapon - Production Budget". The-Numbers.
  9. ^ "Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)". Box Office Mojo.
  10. ^ "Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)". Box Office Mojo.
  11. ^ "Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)". Box Office Mojo.
  12. ^ "Lethal Weapon". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  13. ^ "Lethal Weapon (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  14. ^ "Lethal Weapon (1987): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  15. ^ "Lethal Weapon 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  16. ^ "Lethal Weapon 2 (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  17. ^ "Lethal Weapon 2 (1989): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  18. ^ "Lethal Weapon 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  19. ^ "Lethal Weapon 3 (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  20. ^ "Lethal Weapon 3 (1992): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  21. ^ "Lethal Weapon 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  22. ^ "Lethal Weapon 4 (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  23. ^ "Lethal Weapon 4 (1998): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
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