Lethal Weapon 2

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

Director: Richard Donner

Writers: Jeffrey Boam (screenplay), Shane Black (story), Warren Murphy (story)

Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O'Connor, Patsy Kensit, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Steve Kahan, Jenette Goldstein, Dean Norris, Nestor Serrano

Synopsis:

LPAD odd couple Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) are back as they investigate a drug-smuggling ring operated by corrupt South African diplomat Arjen Rudd (Ackland). However, despite the growing evidence against Rudd and his cronies, Riggs and Murtaugh are powerless to arrest him due to his diplomatic credentials. The pair are assigned to protect Leo Getz (Pesci), a witness turning state's evidence against the drug smugglers. When Riggs and Murtaugh start getting too close to the operation, Rudd sends his top lieutenant, Vorstedt (O'Connor) to put an end to the cops meddling. Violence ensues.

First Impressions:

I saw this film in my teens, not long after I saw the first one (I may have actually viewed them one after the other) and I remember enjoying it but perhaps not as much as the first one. At the time, I thought the film had suffered from the inevitable drop in quality experienced by most sequels. As a result, I generally viewed this one as the black sheep in the Lethal Weapon family (that is until the fourth one came out). It's been a while since I've seen it, so maybe a critical viewing will bolster my opinion of it. 

Story/Direction:

"I'm gonna die on a toilet, aren't I?"

There is a definite tonal shift in this movie compared to its predecessor. While the first movie was relatively dark, this one is played much more for laughs, although it still retains a bit of a dark edge. I think that perhaps the inconsistent tone is what lost my younger self back upon that first viewing and, honestly, my older self still struggles with it a bit. I'm not averse to putting humor in an action flick, in fact, I think humor is a vital part to any good action movie but in this case, it was clumsily handled. for example, in the opening scene of the movie, we see Riggs and Murtaugh in pursuit of a drug dealer. During the chase, Riggs is having the time of his life as he hoots and hollers like a kid set loose in a toy store. Conversely, just a few scenes later we see that same drug dealer be executed in cold blood by Rudd for his failure. That's basically how the film goes, the scenes with the villains are dark and gritty, while the scenes with Riggs and Murtaugh are peppy and light-hearted. It pains me to say that because I love Richard Donner as a director but this was not one of his best efforts, at least from a storytelling standpoint. Although, I must say I do still find the scene where Murtaugh and Leo cause a commotion at the South African Consulate quite funny. 

As far as the overall story goes, it's not that dissimilar from the first movie. Riggs and Murtaugh are investigating a shadowy organization smuggling drugs into LA, which eventually turns personal as the pair gets too close. While it worked in the first film, it doesn't here and that's due to pretty much due to two little(ish) words: "diplomatic immunity." The central part of the plot revolves around the fact that Riggs and Murtaugh can't touch Rudd and his crew because of his status as a diplomat. Now, I've never been a stickler for "realism" in movies, particularly action movies, I think suspension of disbelief is important when watching any piece of entertainment. However, in this instance, the film's writers so thoroughly misunderstood how diplomatic immunity works that it really impacts the story in a negative way. Couple that with the inconsistent tone and the story really just falls flat for me.

Acting:

Despite having less good material to work with in this sequel Gibson and Glover still hit it out of the park as Riggs and Murtaugh. As I mentioned in the previous review, the chemistry between these two actors is solid gold and even though the story is this movie isn't as good, watching these two work their craft is worth the price of admission.

I wish I could say the same for Joe Pesci. His character Leo Getz is about as annoying a creature as God has placed on this earth. Don't get me wrong, Pesci is a fine actor and has played some fabulous roles but in this movie, he's just so irritating. I suppose the whole point of the character was to be someone who irritated the heroes, so in that respect, Pesci does a good job, but MAN that schtick gets old quickly.

Conversely, I thought Derrick O'Connor did a great job as the film's primary heavy, Vorstedt. He played the role in such a way that just made the audience hate him, whether it was his manner of speaking or his overt racism towards Murtaugh, he just made the audience loathe him. Plus, he seemed to do a fairly passable South African accent, which I've read is very difficult to pull off for many actors. 

Visuals:

Much like the first film, the visuals in the sequel are pretty good. There's of course the obligatory explosions and gunfire, which all look and sound solid and Donner still works his magic by accentuating the seemingly bright optimism of LA during the day and the cold, hard world of LA at night. It remains a good contrast and makes the film a pleasure to look at.

Score/Music:

Michael Kamen and Eric Clapton returned to do the music for the sequel and basically provide us with the same score. I don't have much of a problem with this as the score from the first film is pretty good and goes a long way to underscore the characterization of Riggs and Murtaugh. All in all, the score still works but it might have been nice to see a little variety.

Action:

Much like its predecessor, the action in this film is pretty great and Donner has a knack at giving the audience new set pieces to marvel at. In this film, we're treated to a few decent car chases, an aerial shootout at a trailer park, and a well-choreographed fight in the third act. As always, Donner gives us a clear view of the action and whats happening, which makes it all that much more enjoyable.

Final Verdict:

Well, I certainly didn't enjoy this film nearly as much as the first one. There's still some good stuff in here whether it's the score, the action or just the chemistry between Gibson and Glover. It's watchable for a good mindless action movie but it's down near the bottom on the list of good action movie sequels.