If the current era of action movies makes you feel too old for this shit, then the 4K re-release of Lethal Weapon might be more your style. The first of four movies starring Mel Gibson as the trigger-happy cop Riggs – the titular one-man army – and Danny Glover as his everyman partner Murtaugh, Lethal Weapon came at the height of the ’80s action craze from Superman director Richard Donner and debut screenwriter Shane Black.
It’s a plot featuring many of the tropes that would come to characterise Black’s later work; one Christmas period in LA, two wildly differing detectives team up to investigate the death of a sex worker, which leads them to uncover a far-reaching conspiracy. Which is the same plot as Black’s underrated 2016 movie The Nice Guys.
But Lethal Weapon stands out as the epitome of 1980s shoot-’em-ups, set in a bygone Hollywood fantasy world where cops and guns are great and an action star like Gibson flexing his pecs and martial arts skills would fill up cinemas. It’s not difficult to see why it’s considered a classic – the action is bloody fun and the buddy cop chemistry strong. Plus, the trauma underpinning the near-suicidal Riggs, and Murtaugh’s grounded attempts to appeal to the humanity in his loose-wire partner, add a depth that didn’t transfer throughout Lethal Weapon’s sequels.
While Black has arguably made a better, more modern version of this story with The Nice Guys, for fans of the era, Lethal Weapon remains iconic. And it’s never looked better than in this new 4K remaster, with the bright colours of ’80s LA really popping compared to drabber previous versions. The set includes both the 110-minute theatrical cut and the 117-minute “director’s cut” (which wasn’t actually done by the director and simply adds in a few unnecessary deleted scenes – we recommend you stick to the theatrical).
The extras are rather limited, comprising two new featurettes which are short and self-congratulatory, though it’s nice to see cast and crew fondly remembering Donner, who died in 2021. The steelbook packaging is lovely and the collector’s edition comes complete with poster and photo cards.
Lethal Weapon is available now on 4K UHD disc.
