Lethal Weapon is a masterpiece of the “buddy cop” genre, but from plot holes to over-the-top acting to problematic humor, there are some parts of the movie that stand out on a rewatch today. When it was first released in 1987, Lethal Weapon was well-received by critics and became a big hit at the box office. It was so successful, in fact, that it launched a franchise comprised of three additional movies and a TV show.

There’s been a fifth Lethal Weapon movie in development for a while now. Hopefully, this legacy sequel will eventually get made, but in the meantime, the original films will always be there for a rewatch. There’s a lot to enjoy in a rewatch of Lethal Weapon today – Mel Gibson and Danny Glover’s on-screen chemistry is still just as sharp – but there are also plenty of flaws that stand out in the cold light of 2024.

10

Almost Everything In Lethal Weapon Has Since Become A Cliché

When Lethal Weapon hit theaters, the “buddy cop” genre was only just being established. Stray Dog and Freebie and the Bean had introduced the concept, and 48 Hrs., Running Scared, and Beverly Hills Cop had begun to round out the tropes. Shane Black’s Lethal Weapon script continued to define the genre with its story of mismatched police partners gradually overcoming their cultural and behavioral differences to become best friends over the course of an investigation.

While it was revolutionary in its time, almost everything in Lethal Weapon has since become a cliché. From the pairing of a straight-laced, by-the-book detective with a reckless maverick cop to the now-it’s-personal twist in which Murtaugh’s daughter is kidnapped, Lethal Weapon has been ripped off so many times that it plays as unoriginal today. It’s a classic case of a movie’s widespread influence overshadowing the movie itself.

9

Mel Gibson’s Performance Is Really Over-The-Top

Black’s script features one of the most well-rounded action movie protagonists ever written, with a lot more dramatic depth to be explored than the average invulnerable action hero played by Stallone or Schwarzenegger at the time. Martin Riggs is the archetypal wildcard cop who doesn’t play by the rules, but he’s also shown to suffer from severe mental health issues. He’s deeply depressed following his wife’s death and he’s seen contemplating suicide early in the film.

But Mel Gibson’s performance is too over-the-top for those emotions to land. Riggs’ wackiness was inspired by Gibson’s love of the Three Stooges. This colored Gibson’s portrayal of the character with a lot more silliness and absurdity than the script called for. He plays a suicidal cop in the slapstick style of Moe, Larry, and Curly, and it doesn’t really work.

8

Lethal Weapon Has A Few Plot Holes That Stand Out On A Rewatch

One of the harshest realities of rewatching any movie is noticing plot holes and contrivances and story beats that don’t make any sense. Lethal Weapon isn’t exactly riddled with plot holes – the plot, by and large, holds up to scrutiny – but it does have a handful of inconsistencies that stick out on a rewatch today. For example, early in the film, Michael Hunsaker begs Murtaugh to find the people who killed his daughter. But when Murtaugh presses Hunsaker for details about the killers, he clams up and refuses to talk about them.

The kid who saw the perpetrator planting a bomb at Dixie’s house claims he was hiding under the porch. But when the movie shows the house before it explodes, there’s no porch. And why did the bad guys kill Dixie at all? Her killers have no reason to believe she’s a police suspect, and killing her will just bring more unwanted attention from the police. These fridge-logic problems stand out on a rewatch.

7

Roger Murtaugh Wasn’t Actually That Old In The First Lethal Weapon

Roger Murtaugh’s iconic catchphrase goes, “I’m too old for this s***.” When Riggs gets him into a dangerous situation where he has to flee from bad guys or take cover from gunfire, Murtaugh pulls out this old chestnut. In the first Lethal Weapon movie, it’s established that Murtaugh is on the brink of retirement – another Lethal Weapon plot point that would become an overused cliché – because he thinks he’s getting too old for shootouts and foot chases.

Murtaugh was supposedly “too old for this s***” from the very beginning of a four-movie, decade-spanning franchise. On a rewatch of the original movie today, it becomes apparent that Murtaugh wasn’t actually that old when he coined his catchphrase. He turns 50 at the start of the movie and Danny Glover was 40 at the time of filming – that’s not that old.

6

A Lot Of Lethal Weapon’s Humor Hasn’t Aged Well

Like most comedies from the 1980s, a lot of the humor in Lethal Weapon hasn’t aged well. It hasn’t aged quite as horribly as Porky’s or Revenge of the Nerds, which play more like a horror movie than a comedy in today’s climate, but there are plenty of jokes in Lethal Weapon that simply wouldn’t fly today. Despite being a love story between two men, Lethal Weapon indulges in ‘80s-era gay panic. Riggs calls Murtaugh a homophobic slur the second his hands get anywhere near him.

When Riggs starts hanging out with Murtaugh’s family, Murtaugh is worried that Riggs will seduce his teenage daughter, Rianne. This became a running gag that would persist throughout the entire series, and it’s problematic on two counts. Murtaugh is the problematic overbearing father policing his daughter’s sexuality and Riggs is the problematic middle-aged man flirting with a teenager.

5

Riggs & Murtaugh Are Actually Really Bad Cops

Like many protagonists of ‘80s police thrillers, Riggs and Murtaugh are really unprofessional cops. In the first Lethal Weapon movie, they wave their guns around everywhere they go (including a police station crawling with other cops), they rarely bother to identify themselves as police officers, and they shoot first and ask questions second. The joke is that Murtaugh is a good cop and Riggs is a bad cop, but the reality is that they’re both bad cops.

In the climactic sequence, rather than arresting the villain and letting the judicial system decide his fate, Murtaugh hands him over to Riggs for a death match on his front lawn. And all their colleagues from the police force just stand around and watch Riggs beat their perp to death. Riggs and Murtaugh’s antics are a disciplinary hearing waiting to happen.

4

The Incessant Saxophone On The Soundtrack Becomes Grating After A While

Director Richard Donner filled the soundtrack of Lethal Weapon with jazzy saxophone orchestrations. This did a great job of establishing Lethal Weapon as a modern-day noir, bringing the moody cinematic atmosphere and complicated cop characters of classic film noirs into a contemporary setting. But the saxophone score is so overbearing that, after a while, it becomes grating – and it’s hard to ignore.

This is one of the many aspects of the Lethal Weapon franchise that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia got absolutely spot-on in its spoof of the series. All throughout Mac and Dennis’ Lethal Weapon 5 and Lethal Weapon 6, a saxophone can be heard blaring on the soundtrack. It’s slightly exaggerated in the Always Sunny version, but it’s pretty close to how irritating and overdone the saxophone score is in the actual movies.

3

Lethal Weapon Is Much Darker Than People Remember

It’s easy to look back on Lethal Weapon as a fun, lighthearted action comedy with plenty of banter between its lead actors and plenty of explosions with no deadly consequences. But Lethal Weapon is a lot darker than people remember. In an early scene, Riggs sits in his lonely trailer in the middle of nowhere, gun in hand, and contemplates taking his own life.

The Lethal Weapon sequels would get much lighter than the original. They brought in Joe Pesci as Leo Getz for additional comic relief, and later brought in Chris Rock as Lee Butters for even more comic relief. By the time Lethal Weapon 3 and Lethal Weapon 4 rolled around, the franchise had completely eradicated the dark exploration of Riggs’ mental health seen in the first movie. So, it can be shocking to go back and rewatch Lethal Weapon and see just how dark it got.

2

Mr. Joshua Is A Totally One-Note Villain

‘80s action cinema is full of unforgettable villains. Die Hard’s Hans Gruber is a cold, calculating sociopath; he’s charming, he’s eerily calm, and he’s unsettlingly sinister when he wants to be. First Blood’s Sheriff Will Teasle frames himself as the hero in his own mind. Blade Runner’s Roy Batty is an artificial being who fears his imminent death, does everything in his power to extend his life, and accepts his bleak fate with grace. These are all three-dimensional, fleshed-out characters.

The main villain of Lethal Weapon, on the other hand, is just a one-note psychopath who likes to hurt people. Mr. Joshua is certainly a memorable character and a powerful screen presence, thanks to Gary Busey’s typically manic and engaging performance. But this character has no depth beyond his sadistic streak and his seemingly limitless capacity for violence.

1

Lethal Weapon Takes A While To Set Up Its Main Conflict

Since the attention span of the average moviegoer keeps getting shorter, movies keep getting more and more fast-paced. There are a lot more cuts than there used to be and movies get to the inciting incident of their plot a lot sooner. As a result, it can be jarring to go back and watch an old movie like Lawrence of Arabia or The Best Years of Our Lives, which have patient pacing and take a really long time to get going.

It takes a surprisingly long time for Lethal Weapon to get Riggs and Murtaugh together and set up the story’s main conflict. If it was made today, all that stuff would be established at a breakneck speed in the first 10 minutes. But the movie takes its time setting up its plot, and it’s pretty noticeable on a rewatch today.