Lethal Weapon 3

The boys are back in town!

I know I should not be using the theme song for 48 Hours but it does fit perfectly for Riggs and Murtaugh (I’m can even picture Danny Glover on stage performing it himself). 48 Hours somewhat help to create the buddy cop genre with Lethal Weapon perfecting it and with every installment these movies seem to keep the awesome they had snice the original.

So I’m paying attention to the credits and I noticed that Eric Clapton is doing songs for the movie. No wonder that fiery intro was so impressive, huh? I’ve always like the theme score the franchise does. This funk based guitar with a sax solo.

As part of the plot Roger Murtaugh is eight days away from retirement (I wonder if that’s where the “2 days from retirement” Joke originates?) , but Danny Glover seems to look better and younger as these movies progress. If I’m not mistaken, he’s actually a few years older than the character he plays. They try to make him look a little older so that he looks like “He’s getting too old for this shit”, but we not buying that.  After all, technically in the first two films the quote was “I’m too old for this shit” but now in Lethal Weapon 3 he’s getting too old. Can’t fool us, he’s still got it and part three shows it.

Bigger and better than the last two Lethal Weapons, they even blew up an entire building twice for this film (sure they were going to blow it up in real life anyway).

It’s a very episodic franchise which I still love today. It’s like someone was creating a Lethal weapon TV show out of the movie as even the smallest cast members are included in this picture. From the continuity of the Murtaugh family to the small cameo made by Maureen McCall,the police head shrink trying to keep the unstable Riggs in one piece only to be made a fool by his hijinks. Small things like this that do not prevent the film from being watched as it’s own induvial thing but makes it cooler when you watch it together (Doing the Cinematic Universe thing before Marvel (even did an end credit scene before Marvel)

I feel the serial like format is Ironically euphuized by the fact that every film introduces a new character.  The last movie gave us Leo Gettz who now works as a real estate broker  (going legit after his other job of mob accountant) . This movie gives us Lorna Cole played by Rene Russo, An Internal Affairs’ officer who’s a perfect match for Riggs

Best known for being an action movie, Lethal Weapon in my book has always been a really good police Drama. In this case Murtaugh takes a personal interest in the bad guys they go after (like Riggs did in the last movie) When his son’s friend is killed because of his evolvement in guns. Then sudden the straight laced  suit and tie man loosens his grip and becomes a  Linebacker for Justice (I use the football reference cause Glover is well built).

Lethal Weapon  3 like any good action film holds up to the test of time (Except maybe, it’s a bit homophobic).