Lethal Weapon 2
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Lethal Weapon 2 is a 1989 American buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O'Connor, and Patsy Kensit. It is a sequel to the 1987 film and the second installment in the Lethal Weapon film series.
Plot
South African smugglers find themselves being hounded and harassed by Riggs and Murtaugh, two mismatched Los Angeles police officers. However, the South Africans are protected by diplomatic immunity, and so the two are assigned to witness-protection duty in an attempt by their captain to keep his job. It is only when this witness reveals to them that he has already dealt with the smugglers that the trouble starts.
Why It Rocks
- It's a great follow-up to the first film.
- The acting is still great from Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.
- Richard Donner still has great directing skills.
- New characters get introduced in this film:
- Joe Pesci as Leo Getz, the funny, talkative comic relief with his catchphrase: "Okay, okay okay".
- Joss Ackland and Derrick O'Connor as Arjen Rudd and Pieter Vorstedt as two South African diplomats and the villains of the movie and are very terrifying.
- Patsy Kensit as Rika Van Den Hass who is the secretary to Rudd and became the girlfriend of Riggs until her death by Vorstedt.
- It puts more comedy into the film and does the same in the next two films. Such as Leo being comical and talkative and when Riggs fakes being dead after being shot at by Rudd.
- It reveals that Vorstedt was responsible for the death of Riggs' wife Victoria Lynn and Riggs gets his revenge and avenges both his wife and Rika and moves on with his life.
- Memorable lines:
- "It's just been revoked!"
- "Whatever you need, Leo Gets!"
- "You are not dead until I tell you!"
- Amazing soundtrack, such as "Cheer Down", "Still Cruisin'", and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".
- Lots of action scenes just like the original film, such as the truck chase and Riggs shooting at the helicopters.
- Heartwarming moments when Riggs starts a relationship with Rika and brings her home, until its downfall when Rika gets killed and when Riggs and Murtaugh rescue Leo and start a friendship with him, despite him annoying them at first.
Reception
Lethal Weapon 2 holds an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 45 reviews and has an average rating of 7.00/10. The consensus reads: "Lethal Weapon 2 may sport a thin plot typical of action fare, but its combination of humor and adrenaline, along with the chemistry between its leads, make this a playful, entertaining sequel." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.
Awards and nominations
It was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing, and Image Awards for Outstanding Motion Picture and won the award for BMI Film & TV Awards.
