Lethal Weapon (1987)
It shows my youth, but the Lethal Weapon movies were before my time. For Danny Glover’s week on Hot Toasty Rag, I attended history class and rented them. Mel Gibson’s mullet, once his crowning glory, just seems funny today. It flops around behind him as he runs, as wild and crazy as the rest of his personality. But once I had my good laugh, I was able to sit back and really enjoy these movies.
In the genre of buddy cop movies, these are so much fun! The first of the four establishes each character’s backstory and motivation: Danny Glover is a devoted family man entering his senior years on the police force, and Mel Gibson is grieving over his dead wife. In the first movie, he seriously considers suicide and takes ridiculous risks on the job because he doesn’t really care what happens to him. He’s extremely reckless (which I’m sure made all the women in the audience swoon), but in a pretty dangerous and scary way. He shows his guns, he shows his buns; what else is there? Now ladies, don’t forget there’s more to true love than just that. There’s a great smile and bright eyes – Oh, he has those, too.
Now, onto Danny Glover. He’s funny, too, in his own way. He loves his wife and kids, and whenever Mel pushes him out of his comfort zone, he begrudgingly ends up enjoying the ride. Both leads get to show off their acting chops in these movies, which make them a step above the usual buddy cop flicks that just focus on comedy. There are some very tense action sequences, interesting characters that you want to keep watching, and a sweet blossoming friendship. The start of the movie shows Danny Glover’s house decorated for Christmas (this came out the year before Die Hard). Mel is without friends or family, but if you want to take bets on whether or not he’ll find both before Christmas dinner, the odds are good.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The first five minutes and the last ten minutes have handheld and swirling camera movements, and it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Danny Glover movies here!
More Christmas movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1989's Lethal Weapon 2 here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1992's Lethal Weapon 3 here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1998's Lethal Weapon 4 here!
In the genre of buddy cop movies, these are so much fun! The first of the four establishes each character’s backstory and motivation: Danny Glover is a devoted family man entering his senior years on the police force, and Mel Gibson is grieving over his dead wife. In the first movie, he seriously considers suicide and takes ridiculous risks on the job because he doesn’t really care what happens to him. He’s extremely reckless (which I’m sure made all the women in the audience swoon), but in a pretty dangerous and scary way. He shows his guns, he shows his buns; what else is there? Now ladies, don’t forget there’s more to true love than just that. There’s a great smile and bright eyes – Oh, he has those, too.
Now, onto Danny Glover. He’s funny, too, in his own way. He loves his wife and kids, and whenever Mel pushes him out of his comfort zone, he begrudgingly ends up enjoying the ride. Both leads get to show off their acting chops in these movies, which make them a step above the usual buddy cop flicks that just focus on comedy. There are some very tense action sequences, interesting characters that you want to keep watching, and a sweet blossoming friendship. The start of the movie shows Danny Glover’s house decorated for Christmas (this came out the year before Die Hard). Mel is without friends or family, but if you want to take bets on whether or not he’ll find both before Christmas dinner, the odds are good.
Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to violence, I wouldn’t let my kids watch it.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The first five minutes and the last ten minutes have handheld and swirling camera movements, and it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Danny Glover movies here!
More Christmas movies here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1989's Lethal Weapon 2 here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1992's Lethal Weapon 3 here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1998's Lethal Weapon 4 here!