Director: Richard Donner
Genre(s): Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Runtime: 114 minutes (theatrical version), 118 minutes (director’s cut)
MPAA Rating: R
While it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first entry in the film series, Lethal Weapon 2 is still a worthy action-comedy with the charming chemistry between actors Mel Gibson and Danny Glover intact. This time our two heroes have to protect a federal witness, Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), who’s the target of apartheid-era South African goons. As you might expect, things soon get out of hand, resulting in piles of bodies and mass destruction.
The second Lethal Weapon flick isn’t as furiously paced as the first one, but it still moves along at a speed that staves off boredom. While Lethal Weapon (1987) orchestrates an ever escalating series of set pieces, Lethal Weapon 2 starts big right off the bat, with a high-octane car chase (personally, I found that particular scene a bit difficult to follow at times). The action sequences certainly don’t get smaller as the picture moves along. As comedic as the movie is, it still packs some brutal violence and large-scale demolition of property.
Lethal Weapon 2 seems to be a bit more humor-oriented than its predecessor, with many of the laughs coming from series newcomer Joe Pesci. Perhaps his most memorable moment is his drive-through speech. Gibson and Glover’s characters find Pesci’s character obnoxious at first, and the former’s behavior towards the latter could be considered bullying. Martin Riggs (Gibson) is no longer suicidal in this sequel, meaning some of the potentially combustible edge from the first one is lost here (although he still acts like a madman). There is a romantic subplot for Riggs, which doesn’t add a whole lot to the film, but whatever.
Like many (perhaps most) sequels, Lethal Weapon 2 doesn’t top the original, but that certainly doesn’t make it bad. It largely follows the winning formula from Lethal Weapon that made it an action classic. It’s less tightly wound, but it still provides some of the moments that made the Lethal Weapon series a fan favorite. I’d recommend watching the director’s cut.
My rating is 7 outta 10.
