Lethal Weapon (1987)

The 1980s was the decade in which buddy cop movies became a genre of their very own. They quite often featured a mismatched duo, one usually an unhinged loose cannon, the other bitter, impatient and constantly angry. We've already had 48 Hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop, both of which featured Eddie Murphy and a barrage of wisecracks. Now it's the turn of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover to bicker and banter in their cop car for the first outing of the Lethal Weapon franchise.

Gibson is Sergeant Martin Riggs, a narcotics specialist with suicidal inclinations following the death of his wife. He is partnered with Sergeant Roger Murtaugh (Glover), who is investigating the apparent suicide of the daughter of an old friend Michael Hunsaker (Tom Atkins). It becomes clear that Hunsaker's daughter was poisoned prior to jumping to her death, and the case becomes a murder investigation. But why was she murdered? And why do Riggs and Murtaugh's subsequent leads also get murdered? Well, this is a 1980s film, so it can only be one thing - drug smuggling. That seems to be the go-to plot device for many an 80s film. Even Three Men and a Baby managed it somehow!

Lethal Weapon feels surprisingly dark. It takes itself quite seriously, it's violent and at times nasty, and there is an undercurrent of real sadness in it. But this darkness is balanced with sharp humour and genuine camaraderie between Gibson and Glover. An example of this is how they bond over Murtaugh's wife's bad cooking.

There's also something strangely satisfying about the revenge angle. The bad guys really are bad guys, and you really do want them to feel the wrath of Riggs' fury when he goes into full rage-mode. Yes, I really enjoyed this one.

One thought that kept going through my mind while watching the film was that, it doesn't actually feel old. Ok, so it's clearly 80s in style with its saxophones and synths, neon lighting and baddies in suits. But, the way in which the story is told, the characters are characterised, and the action is portrayed, still feels very current. It's something I've noticed with some other films of this era. It's kind of like we've reached a point where films found their formula.