Lethal Weapon 3
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
Writers: Jeffrey Boam (screenplay), Robert Mark Kamen (screenplay), Shane Black (characters)
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Stuart Wilson, Steve Kahan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Damon Hines, Ebonie Smith, Alan Scarfe
Synopsis:
Riggs (Gibson) and Murtaugh (Glover) are busted down to patrolmen after an incident with an explosive device caused the destruction of a building. While on patrol, the pair of foil and armoured car heist is linked to an arms dealing outfit with LAPD connections. As Riggs and Murtaugh investigate the connection, they run afoul of Internal Affairs detective Lorna Cole (Russo), who is currently investigating the case. Eventually, Cole agrees to let Riggs in on the investigation, while Murtaugh deals with his son Nick's (Hines) friend's death while trying to make it to retirement. Violence ensues.
First Impressions:
I missed this one in the theatres but managed to catch it on video when I was 16. I'm not sure, but I believe this may have been the first Lethal Weapon film I saw in its entirety uncut. I remember quite enjoying this film and it has always been my second favourite in the series. It's been quite a while since I saw it last (probably when I bought it on DVD about 15 years ago), so hopefully, it holds up well after all that time.
Story.Direction:
"Riggs, everyone else is outside. Only me, you and this cat are dumb enough to be in here."
I definitely prefer the story in Lethal Weapon 3 to its predecessor because it's a bit more grounded like the series' first entry. One of the things I've noticed about this series is that the stories tend to revolve around important issues during the time they were shot. The first film deals with the war on drugs; the second deals with apartheid, and this one is rooted in gang violence plaguing Los Angeles at the time. At first, I thought this dated the movies a bit, but the themes explored are still pretty relevant today as I thought more about it. I mean, opioids are probably more of an issue now then they were in the 80s, racism is sadly still alive and kicking, and inner-city violence is still an issue for many major urban centers. Have no illusions though; these films don't take a serious look at these issues, but rather use them as a backdrop to set all the action. Does that make the movies less enjoyable? Absolutely not, and as I mentioned earlier, I quite enjoyed the story in this installment.
As for directing, I'm not sure there more about Donner I can say that I haven't already said. He's a pretty great action director, and this was a bit of a return to form for him after the disappointing Lethal Weapon 2. One thing in particular that I did want to touch was the series' sense of continuity. Donner sprinkles callbacks to previous entries in the franchise like the bomb under Murtaugh's toilet in the previous film and ensures that he casts the same actors in even the minor roles. It would be easy to recast minor roles like those of Murtaugh's children or some of the other cops working with the main duo, but Donner stuck with the same actors even for the bit roles. This really makes the series seem more like a long-running television show, rather than a blockbuster movie series, as we get to see many characters grow and evolve over several years. It's one of those little things that make me respect Donner even more.
Acting:
Riggs, Murtaugh, Gibson, Glover. I've spent the last couple of reviews talking about how good these guys are in these roles, and, honestly, there's nothing different in this film. Likewise, Joe Pesci's Leo Getz also returns, and he's still just as annoying, So instead of talking about existing actors and characters, I'll touch on a couple of new ones.
First among these is Sgt. Lorna Cole played by Rene Russo. Sgt. Cole is definitely a notable entry in the short list of strong, compelling female characters in action movies and Russo was the perfect fit for the role. Russo really steals the show for the second and third acts of the film, going toe to toe with, and at times outshining, Riggs. This is a great thing to see because too often in action movies, the female lead is just there to fawn over the hero and get rescued in the second half. The addition of the character also mixes up a dynamic that could have easily gotten stale at this point. Top marks all around. Great character, great performance.
The other new addition to the cast was Stuart Wilson as the evil ex-cop Jack Travis. Wilson was a staple in many action movies in the 90s flitting between baddies and not-so-baddies. He plays Travis by chewing more than a fair amount of scenery by making the character appear more than a tad unhinged. It can be a bit cringy at times but it's effective in that he really makes the audience hate the character and I suppose that what you want to do in an action film.
Visuals:
Once again, we're not treading over any new ground here. It's a Lethal Weapon movie, so that means lots of explosions and lots of gunfire. However, despite my long-standing belief that you've seen one explosion, you've seen them all, there is one explosion at the beginning of the film that is particularly notable. Without giving too much away, the scene sees an entire building getting blown up. Most films would use a miniature or maybe CGI if it was made in this day and age. What did Donner and Company do? Well, they blew up an actual building. According to DVD extras, during production, the crew made some inquiries and found that a city in Florida had a planned demolition of a civic building. Naturally, producers asked if they could use it in the movie and they did. So, when you see a building get absolutely jacked in this film, it's not faked. That is indeed a real building getting destroyed. Movie magic at its finest.
Score/Music:
As with the previous section, there's not much new here. Michael Kamen returns for the music, along with Eric Clapton, and the two pull together another solid effort. One difference is the addition of an opening song, "It's Probably Me," featuring the talents of both Clapton and Sting. It's a pretty good song and I had forgotten about it in the run-up to my viewing, so I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it.
Being a Lethal Weapon movie, there is of course a fair amount of action. In this entry, we see numerous chases, gunfights and fistfights. They're all shot and choreographed well, but there really isn't much new here, except for a couple of scenes of Rene Russo kicking ass, which is always fun.
Final Verdict:
I still really dig this movie. It's a fun romp through the 90s and remains my second favourite in the series. Anybody who has enjoyed the first two in the franchise will likely also enjoy this one.
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