Cheap Lethal Weapon (Director's Cut) (DVD) (Mel Gibson, Danny Glover) (Richard Donner) Price

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Customer Reviews of Lethal Weapon (Director's Cut)

Action at its best
When I was walking around my local Media Play store a while ago, I was looking through the letterbox section, and I found "Lethal Weapon." At first, I thought it was just the original version, but then I noticed how wonderfully shiny the box was. So I figured, maybe it's just because it's the widescreen version, but then I saw the words "Director's Cut," and I was surprised. I had no idea that there was a director's cut of this movie or its sequels (except for number four). Needless to say, I was not the least bit hesitant in buying this version of the movie. It's great. "Lethal Weapon" is already one of my favorite movies of all time, so this was very cool to me. It's got a few new scenes in it, one of which gets into how reckless and "on the edge" Mel Gibson's character, Martin Riggs, really is. Gibson does an excellent job as the suicidal cop who's ready to die at any given moment, which makes his new partner Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) rather nervous. "Lethal Weapon" is one of those action movies that's actually got a plot, along with good character development. Not to mention, it's pretty funny, which really adds to the enjoyment of the movie. The action in the movie is very exciting as the cops go after drug dealers trying to make one big shipment of heroin. It's a classic "buddy movie," and cannot be missed.

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A good film gets better
The recent release of the director's cut of Lethal Weapon add depth to the film by the inclusion of approximately 7 minutes of new scenes. The additions are in the beginning of the film when the characters are still being developed. In one scene, Gibson's character walks into the line of fire of a sniper, and in another he has a rather violent reaction to a commercial on TV. In the context of this portion of the movie, it further establishes the pain Gibson's character is going through and his mental state...is he crazy or just not caring what happens to him? Additional scenes also establish Glover's character's concern at growing old...does he still have it?

The balance of the film is pretty much unchanged. Lethal Weapon is a fun buddy action/comedy movie, but shines more than the sequels, which emphasized comedy and cartoonish action. Gibson and Glover actually act here, Gibson in particular in the scenes where he is struggling with his wife's death. The interplay between the actors makes this movie a cut above the standard action movie.

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Lethal Weapon (1987)
Director: Richard Donner
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, Tom Atkins, Darlene Love.
Running Time: 105 minutes.
Rated R for cop violence and language.

The ultimate in the cop-buddy action flicks, Richard Donner's "Lethal Weapon" is still an essential part of the action-drama genre to this day. Mel Gibson stars as the unstable, suicidal cop who is still grieving the tragic death of his wife, but finds purpose when he is teamed with over-the-hill Sergeant Danny Glover to investigate the mysterious death of a small-time hooker that jumped/was thrown off a building.

As the duo dives deeper into the case, they realize they are in the middle of a tense, big-time drug traffic arrangement and they are up against some tough cookies (namely Gary Busey and Mitchell Ryan). Gibson is great as the reckless Martin Riggs, using his insane tendencies as adrenaline throughout the film, but often also showing a sofer, tender side that produces a lot of laughs. Glover is his equal as Murtaugh, who feels that he is at his last stand as a police officer, but tags along because he feels his duty as a cop is unfinished. An excellent script by Shane Black and an explosive, taut directorial effort from Donner. Has lost some of its mustard due to numerous sequels and imitations ("Rush Hour" anyone?), but still an extremely fun action-adventure that will delight all those who are Gibson fans and love to laugh and gasp.