Review for Lethal Weapon Collection - 1 - 4 Boxset

Introduction

I swear this is the last time! Actually the last time was the last time, but £10 for a Blu-ray boxset is hard to say no to, even though I don’t have the passion for the Lethal Weapon movies that I had when I was younger. From pan and scan VHS, to widescreen VHS, to DVD, to Special Edition DVD (twice because the first batch succumbed to disc delamination), back to original DVD for Lethal Weapon 2 because the Special Edition was cut whereas the original wasn’t, and I’d sold the original back when second hand DVDs were worth more than pennies, and then wound up kicking myself as the Theatrical Lethal 2 had been reissued in the interim and was now cut as well, and finally getting the US version of Lethal 4 to see it in its uncut glory, as opposed to the hacked to 15 version released in the UK. And exhale... That is more Lethal Weapon than anyone needs. But now I have all four films, plus extras on Blu-ray, and they are all the uncut, theatrical versions, all rated 15 too. I swear this is the last time, until the next time.

Introduction: Lethal Weapon

A prostitute getting high on speed, and diving to her death from a skyscraper ought to be an open and shut case. But the drugs were doctored, and when her father comes to old war buddy Roger Murtaugh for help, now an LAPD cop, Murtaugh is motivated to look a little deeper. What he finds may get him in over his head, a bunch of Vietnam War veterans using their old CIA contacts to smuggle in heroin. Speaking of war veterans, Murtaugh has a new partner, a burned out cop named Martin Riggs, who is borderline suicidal over the recent death of his wife, and who has a straight for the throat approach to policing.

Picture: Lethal Weapon

Weapon gets a 1.78:1 widescreen transfer at 1080p resolution using the VC-1 codec. It offers significantly more detail and richness than the DVD, but isn’t quite as sharp or as well-defined as you might expect from a Blu-ray presentation. It still feels a little flat, soft and lacking in detail, particularly in darker scenes, with flesh tones particularly flat. However, there is a decent level of grain, and brighter, daylight scenes fare a whole lot better, and there’s no visible signs of compression to worry about. The action comes across well enough, and there is enough of an improvement in detail levels to warrant the upgrade from DVD.

Sound: Lethal Weapon

There are eight audio tracks on this film, 23 subtitle tracks but I suppose that it’s the DTS-HD MA 5.1 English track that is most pertinent to this review. Lethal Weapon’s audio experience is pretty front focussed for the most part, the action comes across well, the dialogue is clear enough, and the surrounds do a little work when it comes to the music and a little ambience.

Extras: Lethal Weapon

The biggest extra on this disc is the most disappointing, the Richard Donner audio commentary. Even with a moderator, ostensibly to keep the momentum going, this is a gappy, intermittent and random commentary. You have to wait a fair few minutes for a comment or two, as the director chooses to watch his film rather than talk about it. The shame is that those rare comments are worth waiting for, little oases in a desert of silence. The only subtitles on this commentary are in Chinese.

There is 30 minutes of additional footage, presented in HD on this disc. It’s alternate, extended or wholly deleted footage, and a fair portion of it is already viewable in the Extended Edition. There is some new footage here worth seeing though.

You get the Music Video, Lethal Weapon by Honeymoon Suite presented in SD and lasting just over 3 minutes. You also get the theatrical trailer in SD.

Conclusion: Lethal Weapon

Do you remember the extended edition of LOTR: The Return of the King? That was a film that had a sight too many endings. The Special Edition of Lethal Weapon had the converse problem, too many beginnings. It was cute, and fun to see Riggs do all these crazy insane things, the most crazy of them all the sniper scene, but it really added nothing to the film, delayed the story, and worse, blew Riggs’ introduction (you didn’t know he was actually a good guy until he pulled out his badge and busted the Christmas tree drug dealers). That padding, fun though it may be, is back where it belongs, in the deleted scenes. Lethal Weapon is definitely a film that works best in theatrical form, and that’s what you get here with the Blu-ray.


In the original incarnation, it’s a fast paced, edgy, and thrilling action extravaganza, made instantly appealing by its larger than life characters and great dialogue. It’s efficiently edited, lean and never outstays its welcome. It builds to its explosive finale with a relentless energy, leavened with some dry and occasionally goofy comedy. But it also has the dramatic chops behind it that make it rise above its peers. Danny Glover makes a likable family man who has come to terms with his military past, even though it comes back to haunt him here. But it’s Mel Gibson’s intense performance as the burnout Riggs that makes the film.


It’s easy to dismiss Lethal Weapon because of its legacy, the final two sequels of decreasing merit, and all the films that came after that wanted to be Lethal Weapon. The characters and the situations established in this film, burned out cops, cops days from retirement have all become tropes and clichés, but of course they weren’t when it was just this film alone. You didn’t have films like Loaded Weapon 1 colouring your view. As it is, it’s really the villains of Lethal Weapon that are the weak point now, there’s a cheese factor to Mitchell Ryan’s portrayal of the General, and Gary Busey’s Joshua doesn’t quite have the same intensity that he had back when I first saw this film. The lighter scene does nothing but make me smirk now.

Still, Lethal Weapon is still fun to watch, and it looks pretty fair in HD too.

8/10

Introduction: Lethal Weapon 2

A routine drugs bust turns into absolute mayhem when a car chase spirals out of control, the criminals turn on the police with automatic weapons, an armed helicopter, and impenetrable accents. While the villains escape, they leave behind a wrecked BMW spilling gold Krugerrands. Riggs and Murtaugh have stumbled into a chilling criminal conspiracy indeed, one operated from behind the doors of the South African consulate, and the haven of diplomatic immunity. These villains aren’t pleased about the police cutting in on their action, and have no qualms about dealing with the LAPD with lethal intent. After all they’ve done so before. Riggs and Murtaugh have to deal with threats to their lives, assassins, bombs under toilets, Leo Getz, and Patsy Kensit.

Picture: Lethal Weapon 2

Lethal Weapon 2 gets a 2.40:1 widescreen transfer at 1080p resolution using the VC-1 codec. It’s definitely a step up from the first film, in terms of clarity, depth and resolution. While it still may not represent the peak of the Blu-ray format, with the odd moment of softness still, it does offer a very agreeable viewing experience, rich in detail, with great colour reproduction, and unlike the first film, great contrast, black levels and shadow detail. It looks just as filmic as it should, without any evidence of the DNR type post-processing done to films to get them ‘HD ready’.

Sound: Lethal Weapon 2

With the same audio and subtitle options as the first film, and with a “Stereo in Selected Theatres” caption at the end of the credits, you might expect a similar experience to Lethal Weapon, but Lethal Weapon 2’s sound design is a little more robust than the first film, and the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track gets a little more involved in throwing the action and effects around the soundstage. The helicopter attack sequence on Riggs’ trailer is a case in point.

Extras: Lethal Weapon 2

It’s the same again really, repackage the DVD extras and thrown in an audio commentary. Lethal Weapon 2 is presented on this disc with a static menu.

The video extras on this disc are presented in SD, beginning with that 4 minute Stunts and Action featurette again. The theatrical trailer is on here, and there are 3 additional scenes, all of which were in the Extended Edition DVD.

Richard Donner and friend return for the audio commentary, and it’s an interesting and engrossing collection of anecdotes about the film, and observations about Hollywood, probably about twenty minutes in total, but spread out across 2 hours with lengthy gaps of dead air. Dull, dull, dull!

Conclusion: Lethal Weapon 2

A sequel that’s better than the original. It happens a lot now, but back in 1989 it would have been unprecedented. But Lethal Weapon 2 really is an improvement over the first film, something I reaffirmed last night as I watched it again. Incidentally, it turns out that first DVD release I had of Lethal 2 was cut as well, as a broken neck and a car door repeatedly slammed on a head attested to. All that lamentation over nothing!


But Lethal 2 really is better, the story is better, the action raises things up a notch, going to scope makes the movie feel a lot more epic and glossy, Riggs and Murtaugh have an established bromance thing going that brings a lot more humour into the movie without detracting from the drama and intensity. It’s balanced just perfectly in Lethal 2. Also, the villains are so much better in the second film. After all this time, I just can’t take the General and Mr Joshua seriously, but if you want villains, apartheid era white South Africans are second only to Nazis and in 1989, Indiana Jones had a monopoly on those. Joss Ackland gives great bad guy, and when the villains declare war on the police, you get invested in seeing the good guys triumph even more.


There wasn’t that much added to make the Special Edition that much more special, but without those extra four minutes, the film is lean and fast-paced as it should be. Even Leo Getz doesn’t outstay his welcome here, an integral part of the plot, and while certainly supplying much levity, there is dramatic intent to his character arc too. The only weak point for me in the film is Patsy Kensit who lacks screen presence and charisma, and has zero chemistry with Mel Gibson. Otherwise the second film is more polished, more entertaining, and more intense than the first. It’s definitely the highlight of this collection, and for the first time in the UK, uncut.

9/10

Introduction: Lethal Weapon 3

There’s only so much ‘wild and crazy’ a man can take, and Roger Murtaugh is eagerly counting the days to his retirement, despite Riggs’ attempts to remind him of what he is missing out on. Especially the kind of fun that gets them both busted down to patrolmen when they decide not to wait for the bomb squad. But by stopping an armoured car heist in its tracks, they uncover a plot that will get them back into the thick of it. A dirty, ex-cop named Jack Travis is using his inside knowledge of the LAPD to raid its stores, steal confiscated weaponry and make a bundle selling them back to the criminals. Into the mix comes armour piercing bullets, and an Internal Affairs investigation where Riggs may have finally met his match, in the hard hitting Det. Lorna Cole.

Picture: Lethal Weapon 3

It’s much the same deal as Lethal Weapon 2 here, a little glossier, a little shinier, a smidge of softness but good in terms of detail, contrast, and with enough grain to make it feel proper filmic. The 2.40:1 widescreen transfer is 1080p VC-1 like all the others. It’s a more consistent experience through the film, and it’s very much a step up over the DVD.

Sound: Lethal Weapon 3

“Grab the cat!” BOOOMMM!!! Oh yes, the DTS-HD 5.1 English audio track is going to give your speakers a workout. It’s a nice immersive surround track that enhances the film’s action sequences, makes the most of its music soundtrack, and has the dialogue clearer than ever. I was picking up little bits of dialogue that I could never make out on the DVD, and all in all it’s a very pleasing, and explosive experience. In terms of subtitles and other audio options, you have the same here as with the other films in the collection.

Extras: Lethal Weapon 3

A static menu presents the film’s options and extra features here too. You have the teaser and the theatrical trailer in SD, you have the “It’s Probably Me” music video with Sting and Eric Clapton, again in SD, and you have three bits of additional footage running to just under 4 minutes, the same three scenes that were restored for the Special Edition release.

And once again, Richard Donner and friend return for an audio commentary where they just watch the film, and mostly not bother talking about it.

Conclusion: Lethal Weapon 3

Lethal Weapon 3 is fun. From the first moment right to the end, this is a film to revel in, hop aboard the thrill ride when it comes to the action, chuckle at the perfectly paced comedy, the character interactions, the bromance in full flow between the two leads. As an exercise in drama, it is a damp squib though. When it comes to uncovering the truth behind the crimes, piecing together the evidence that will lead to the villains getting their just desserts, it’s hard to care. And once again, the villain may as well be nonexistent when it comes to matching the main cast. Jack Travis is an ephemeral criminal who shows up, snarls a bit, and then sticks around long enough to be a suitable target for our heroes.


It’s Lethal Weapon 2 that begins with a quick burst of Looney Tunes over the Warner Brothers logo, but it’s Lethal Weapon 3 that feels more like a cartoon. From the moment that our protagonists escape an exploding building, with cat, with just 3 seconds on the clock, then this becomes a movie that you cannot take seriously. There’s no point in the film where you sense that there is any real peril. You’re not concerned over whether the good guys will make it to the end, and with Riggs having gotten over his reasons for grief in the first two films, his craziness now becomes a personality quirk rather than a powder keg about to explode. The story does temper this, having Murtaugh going a little off the deep end when he winds up shooting dead a gang member who’s also his son’s friend, but it never quite feels as edgy or dangerous as it should.


Lethal Weapon 3 reminds me more of films like Smokey and the Bandit, the Cannonball Runs, and Cactus Jack, which were more often put together, a loosely assembled plot and a star cast having fun, mostly to showcase the art of the stuntman. Lethal Weapon 3 really is a succession of exciting set pieces, with stunts that continue to push the envelope, and with good guy versus bad guy set pieces that grab you viscerally, and have you rooting for the heroes. What makes Lethal Weapon 3 stand out above this really is the central pairing of Riggs and Murtaugh, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, who have the buddy cop pairing down pat, and whose every interaction is a delight. Rene Russo as Lorna Cole is a nice addition to the mix, but the only brake on this action juggernaut’s relentless pace is in the form of Leo Getz, who returns simply because his shtick appealed to fans of Lethal Weapon 2. He’s a sidekick in Lethal 3, not a dramatic element to the plot, a gimmick whose triple blast of ‘Okay’ is more tiring than funny now.


Other than that, Lethal Weapon 3 is fun! The dramatic intensity of the first two films may be gone, but it makes up for it in terms of comedy. This would have been the perfect place to wind up the franchise... the perfect place only...

8/10

Introduction: Lethal Weapon 4

Has age and responsibility caught up to our two reckless heroes? Murtaugh’s about to become a grandfather, Riggs is about to become a father, and even he’s worried that he’s becoming too old for this s***. A peaceful and relaxing fishing trip (as relaxing as it can be with Leo Getz catching sharks) shakes the duo from their impending dotage, when a gun battle with a freighter results in them finding a hold full of illegal immigrants. Someone in Chinatown is smuggling modern day slaves, but the Triads have an interest in one particular family on the ship, a family that a warm-hearted Roger takes into his own home, putting his own family in danger.

Picture: Lethal Weapon 4

The best transfer is saved for last, as Lethal Weapon 4’s 2.40:1 widescreen 1080p transfer is fantastic. Detail levels are high, colour reproduction is excellent, and the film has the requisite depth and pop that you expect from recent films transferred to Blu-ray. Contrast is good, as is shadow detail, without excessive crushed blacks. The action looks great in the final movie.

Sound: Lethal Weapon 4

The same goes for the audio. You get the same options as before, and once again, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 English track really does stand out. Made in 1998, Lethal Weapon 4 was the first and to date only Lethal Weapon movie to go to cinema with a surround sound design. That translates directly to home media with explosive and enveloping action, the trademark Lethal Weapon music soundtrack given an oriental spin, and the quick fire dialogue here getting clarity beyond what even the DVD could manage.

Extras: Lethal Weapon 4

Only some of the extras from the DVD make it to this Blu-ray disc this time, and in SD format you’ll find the theatrical trailer, and the 30 minute Pure Lethal documentary presented by Danny Glover. It’s a humorous retrospective, with a few interviews and copious amounts of outtakes and bloopers.

There is also the audio commentary with Director Richard Donner and co-producers J. Mills Goodloe and Geoff Johns. Unlike the commentaries for the first three films, recorded specifically for this Blu-ray release in 2010, this commentary is taken from the 1998 DVD release of the film. Richard Donner here leads the commentary track, is voluble and interesting, and indeed barely lets his co-commentators get a word in.

Conclusion: Lethal Weapon 4

Technically, it may be the best disc in the collection, but it’s the worst movie of the franchise, and it becomes ever more disappointing the more I watch it. The formula really is tired at this point. Mel and Danny certainly have fun recreating their screen double act, but the script is loose and indulgent, and it’s really a matter of rehashing past glories, putting in those nods and winks to the earlier films as touchstones for the audience and adding little that is new.


Lethal Weapon 4 works as a series of moments. The action set pieces are great, the Riggs and Murtaugh moments are fun, there are odd moments of comedy, little bits of heart that do sparkle, do remind you of what is so great about the Lethal Weapon movies. But taken as a whole, the film is lacking. The story is somewhat inept and overlong, for a movie series about a couple of cops, this has the least actual police work in it, the villains fail to impress, and Jet Li is wasted in a single note role, cast for his kung fu abilities, not his acting talent. As for the sidekicks, I don’t know who’s worse, Chris Rock as Lee Butters, loud, obnoxious and grating, or Joe Pesci reprising Leo Getz, loud, obnoxious, grating and schmaltzy. Oddly enough though, Leo Getz and Lee Butters in a scene together, pretty funny.


There’s also an unsavoury undercurrent in this film which was never apparent in the first three films. Although, you could say that there was always a tacit and comic homophobia in the franchise. It wasn’t such a big deal in an 80s action movie, a stray line in the first movie is forgivable, while the worried looks that Riggs and Murtaugh might throw at each other when their buddy cop bromance threatened to get too intense was actually funny. But in the fourth movie, the understated and implicit becomes obvious and explicit with Murtaugh getting the wrong end of the stick with Lee Butters. By this time it’s 1998, this stuff belonged in the past even then.


Then there’s Riggs’ ‘comic’ asides about having a “Bad Chinese”, “Enter the drag queen”, and “Flied lice”, which weren’t funny then, and feel borderline xenophobic now. You can’t blame the actors for the lines they speak, that fault lies with the screenwriters, but given hindsight, I can’t help but wonder if this movie was written not for Mel ‘Mad, crazy but lovable’ Gibson, but Mel ‘Sugartits, for the love of God take two steps out of the limelight’ Gibson.


Lethal Weapon 4 is sporadically fun. There are some great bits, some good bits, some disappointing bits and some god-awful bits. It’s also a film with the weakest villains in terms of drama and emotion, leaving it to the main cast to carry the film. As such it’s even more of an indulgence that it could have been. Parts of it I enjoy, but increasingly it leaves a sour taste in my mouth, making me think that three films were enough for this franchise.

6/10

The Bonus Disc

We get a whole extra bonus disc with four featurettes on, presented in 1.78:1 1080i. You get English audio and subtitles in fourteen languages.

Psycho Pension: The Genesis of Lethal Weapon (24 mins)
A Family Affair: Bringing Lethal Weapon to Life (30 mins)
Pulling the Trigger: Expanding The World of Lethal Weapon (30 mins)
Maximum Impact: The Legacy of Lethal Weapon (22 mins)


Filmed in 2010, Danny Glover, Mel Gibson, and Richard Donner get together to talk about the movies, and there are also interviews with some of the rest of the cast and crew, as well as clips from the films, and vintage interview clips as well, dating back all the way to 1986. Notable contributors include producer Joel Silver, and writer Shane Black. The first featurette looks at how the idea of the film came about, and how it was pitched, while the second looks at the production of the film, while the third and fourth featurettes look at the first two sequels and the last movie respectively. There’s a lot of interest to be had here, and the longer form documentary format allows for some critical evaluation of the films. Having seen the final documentary, I’m tempted to be more forgiving of Lethal Weapon 4, seeing as they were pretty much making it up as they went along.

In Summary

The best looking film in this collection is Lethal Weapon 4, which is a shame as its suffering from the cinema equivalent of progeria, aging at an accelerated rate. The first three films on the other hand are eighties action classics that stand the test of time well. It turns out that Lethal Weapon was shot pretty much as a low budget film, which explains why it doesn’t make the transfer to Blu-ray as strikingly as the sequels. It’s watchable enough though, and it did actually spawn one of the few eighties sequels that were better than the original film in Lethal Weapon 2. Technically Lethal Weapon 3 isn’t an eighties movie, but it holds onto that action movie style very well, and slots right in with the first two. And watching the first three Lethal Weapons reminds me of just why I loved this series so much twenty-odd years ago. For catalogue movies, they look pretty good on Blu-ray, and best of all, Lethal Weapons 2 and 4 are finally uncut in the UK. The retrospective documentaries on the bonus disc are very useful too, which makes it an easy decision to double dip, especially given the bargain buckets in which this collection usually resides.