Film

Lethal Weapon 2

Name: Lethal Weapon 2
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Released: 1989
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O'Connor

A '80s action film where mismatched cops chase South African diplomatic criminals. Riggs is reckless and traumatized; Murtaugh is weary and by-the-book. They bicker, they explode things, they nearly die. It's funny and brutally violent in equal measure—less concerned with plausibility than with the pleasure of watching two actors genuinely enjoy each other's company while the world burns around them.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love buddy action where the bickering partners are the real engine and the explosions are just punctuation, with Gibson's reckless energy bouncing off Glover's weary decency.

Skip it if you want a tight, modern thriller with grounded stakes; this is loud, jokey and cheerfully unbothered by plausibility, and the comedy lands unevenly at times.

What it asks of you: It runs about two hours of brisk, scrappy set-pieces and banter, so you need to be happy to let the silliness wash over you rather than hunt for logic.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

48 Hrs.1982

The template for the buddy cop film: a convict and a cop forced together, their antagonism slowly becoming trust. Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte have the same crackling chemistry Riggs and Murtaugh do, and the action is just as inventive.

But It's rawer and meaner than Lethal Weapon, with less of the explosive spectacle and more standing around talking. Moves at a detective's pace, not an action hero's.

Die Hard1988

Released the year before this. Bruce Willis trapped in a building, cracking wise while solving a seemingly impossible problem. The template for every action film that followed: smart dialogue, real stakes, a hero who bleeds and limps and barely survives.

But It's a single location thriller, not a sprawling chase. If you're here for car crashes and explosions across the city, you'll feel claustrophobic.

Beverly Hills Cop1984

Eddie Murphy in his prime, playing a Detroit cop in Los Angeles. It's funny first, action second—the humour comes from character, not one-liners. The plot matters less than watching Murphy improvise his way through stuffy situations.

But The action sequences are brief and sometimes dated. It's a comedy that happens to have a crime plot, not an action film with jokes.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Lethal Weapon 2

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Johnny Handsome1989

Both are 1989 films where two men are forced together and discover they work, but where the story is less important than watching good actors play characters with real damage. Both balance violence with moments of actual humour and warmth.

Walter Hill directing Mickey Rourke as a disfigured career criminal given plastic surgery and a chance at redemption. It's noir-drenched and genuinely strange—beautiful cinematography, terrible choices, no sentimentality. Ellen Barkin and Lance Henriksen as criminals with real menace.

But It's dark and pessimistic where Lethal Weapon is buoyant. The plot is pulpy to the point of absurdity. Rourke's performance is mannered. It's a cult object, not a crowd-pleaser.

The Long Good Friday1980

Bob Hoskins as a London crime boss watching his empire collapse in a single day. It's tense, clever, genuinely violent without being flashy. One of the best performances ever given in a genre film, and the ending is perfect.

But It's British, smaller, and slower than you might want. The violence is sudden and shocking rather than choreographed for pleasure.

Under Siege1992

Steven Seagal on a battleship, fighting terrorists. It's Die Hard on a boat: simple, efficient, and genuinely entertaining. Gary Busey is magnificent as the villain. The action is clear and you can always tell what's happening.

But Seagal's limited range shows when the script asks him to do anything but fight. The dialogue is perfunctory. It's comfort food, not art.

Blue Steel1990

Kathryn Bigelow directing Jamie Lee Curtis as a rookie cop. It's pulpy and stylish, with a real female perspective on genre conventions. The action is visceral and the thriller mechanics actually work.

But It's more serious and less fun than Lethal Weapon. Some of the plot turns strain credibility. It hasn't aged into cult status the way its peers have.

Predator1987

Schwarzenegger and a unit of commandos in the jungle hunted by an alien. John McTiernan directing action at its clearest. Every set piece is inventive, the banter is excellent, and it builds toward a duel that earns its weight.

But The second half is less interesting than the first. Once you know what you're hunting, tension evaporates. Some find the machismo exhausting rather than fun.

Tequila Sunrise1988

Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell as childhood friends on opposite sides of the law. It's slower and more romantic than Lethal Weapon, trading explosions for moral ambiguity and genuine regret. Robert Towne wrote and directed—it's a thinking person's crime film.

But It's a downer about compromise and age. There's very little action. If you're here for spectacle, you'll find it meditative and sad.

Turner & Hooch1989

Tom Hanks as a cop paired with a messy dog instead of a partner. Charming, funny, surprisingly touching. It's lighter than Lethal Weapon but hits some of the same beats about men learning to live with someone chaotic.

But It's a family film masquerading as action. The stakes are low and the dog's scatology jokes wear thin fast. Basically a vehicle for Hanks's appeal.

Thief1981

Both feature men trying to live outside the law while remaining human. Riggs and Murtaugh learn to trust each other; Caan learns he can't escape himself. Different registers, same question: what does it cost to survive?

Michael Mann directing James Caan as a master thief trying to build a life and failing beautifully. The action is precise and silent; the emotional weight is in the quietness. Tangerine Dream score. The best heist film ever made by someone trying to make a tragedy.

But There's almost no gunfire or explosions. It's a film about stillness and dread. If you're watching Lethal Weapon for the noise, this will feel like sitting in a museum.

City on Fire1979

Lethal Weapon's buddy-cop energy owes everything to Hong Kong action cinema. City on Fire is where that particular alchemy was invented: two men pressed together, personal and professional bonds tangled, the action serving character rather than ego.

Alain Delon and Scott Newman in a Hong Kong action film that's technically not very good but somehow hypnotic. It's a rough translation, the plot is nonsense, the action is chaotic. But it moves like a fever dream and influenced every action film after, including Lethal Weapon's DNA.

But The print is often poor. Dubbing is rough. The story doesn't track. It's a historical curiosity more than a pleasure—you're watching where the template came from, not the template perfected.