This is the quintessential buddy cop duo. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is a suicidal disturbed cop suffering with his wife's death. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is the veteran unlucky enough to be assigned to partner up with Riggs. Murtaugh's Vietnam war buddy had a daughter who was killed. They investigate and find a conspiracy of drug smugglers.

Mel Gibson does great crazy. Only years later do we see him do it real life. Mel has interior intensity that serves him well over the years. This one is no exception. Danny Glover plays the opposite. Murtaugh's catch phrase "I'm too old for this sht!" says it all. Together they form a great Hollywood cop team. Certainly they have enough chemistry for countless sequels.

Although I am not a huge action film fan, I am surprised that it took me 32 years to finally see "Lethal Weapon". After all, it's a rather iconic 80s film...the sort insane film buffs (like me) have likely seen. So, to correct this oversight, I'm finally seeing the picture...and fortunately just in time for the holidays since the film is set around Christmas.

The film is the first of four "Lethal Weapon" films starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover...and there's also a 2016 remake starring an all-new cast.

When the story begins, Riggs (Gibson) is living a pathetic life. Following his wife's death, he spends his time drinking heavily and feeling sorry for himself. He also is suicidal--and takes all sorts of insane risks as a cop. After all, if he dies, he really wouldn't mind it at all. Because he is so unstable, he's just been assigned a new partner, Sergeant Murtaugh (Glover). While this pairing might seem like a bad thing for Murtaugh since his new partner is so unhinged, it turns out to be a blessing. After all, Riggs is an amazing cop...and Murtaugh needs all the help he can get with a new case involving an old friend's daughter who kills herself at the beginning of the film. Why does he need so much help? Because the death is somehow related to a vicious gang of heroin dealers...and they're more than willing to kill anyone who learns of their operation.

"Lethal Weapon" is definitely a turn off your brain and enjoy sort of movie--especially the final third of the film. Too often, the film relies on explosions, giant fight scenes and crazy stunts...and this is why I enjoyed the set up for the story but overall could only give the picture a 6. With scenes such as crashing a police car into Murtaugh's house, cars that explode and the insane (and rather stupid) fist fight at the end, the movie chose again and again to offer stunts and explosions at the expense of logic and the story. Now I am NOT saying it's a bad film...but it's an excessive one whose violence doesn't enhance the picture (unlike in "Die Hard"...where the excesses MAKE the movie). Worth seeing but far from a must-see.

'Lethal Weapon' may have spawned three sequels and a TV series, but even 30 years later shines heads and shoulders over the rest of the films. It is not a perfect film, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it was hugely influential in the development of the buddy-cop film and to this day is one of the better examples of it.

Yes, it is implausible to the maximum and sometimes overblown, but the overblown nature to me and many others was part of the entertainment and wasn't that distracting. The implausibility is not quite as forgivable, with 'Lethal Weapon' being at its weakest in the script. Not that the script is terrible or anything, a lot of it is smart, very funny and crackles with wit, especially in the chemistry between Gibson and Glover, but sometimes the convolution and repetition reaches fever pitch.

Mitchell Ryan is the other weak link. Despite being the head villain, the character is forgettable somewhat and Ryan is both pantomimic and dull (that may sound oxymoronic but both extremes together are possible, indicating an inconsistent performance). Look at other reviews of the film, and one gets the sense that Mr Joshua, the henchman, is far more memorable (which he is) and sees near-unanimous praise for Gary Busey for good reason, who is at his villainous best here being ruthlessly cold and chilling.

It's not just Busey that makes 'Lethal Weapon' such a pleasure. As good as he is, he isn't even the best thing about it. Those three best things are the action, the chemistry between Gibson and Glover and the performances of the two.

The action is slick and bursts with excitement and tension, some of it is overblown but deliciously so. It is very easy to see why the chalk and cheese chemistry of the polar opposite characters of Riggs and Murtaugh became so popular, very rarely in a buddy-cop film has this kind of chemistry been so entertaining and perfectly pitched.

Gibson's performance here as the loose-cannon of the two is one of his best, a performance of wit, melancholy and great intensity. Glover has the no-nonsense and by-the-book character and is just as spirited while being more subtle. The story may seem familiar by today's standards and is not exceptional structurally, but back then there were not many films with the kind of story 'Lethal Weapon' had and the film was so influential that the number of buddy-cop films increased and the film was parodied a fair bit (like in National Lampoon's 'Loaded Weapon 1', one of those films that has seen me going against the grain and enjoying despite its faults).

As said, there are parts of the script that work well, while Richard Donner directs with an assured hand and the way 'Lethal Weapon' is shot and designed screams slick and stylish, still looking good 30 years on. Was expecting Michael Kamen and Eric Clapton's music to jar considering their other work (style-wise that is) and reading up on how it was orchestrated and used, but actually it added a lot to the atmosphere and had an atmospheric groove.

In conclusion, great fun and magic in the case of the action, the buddy-cop chemistry and the two lead performances. 8/10 Bethany Cox