Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop style film, Lethal Weapon in Spain, Lethal Weapon in Latin America, directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a pair of Los Angeles Police Department detectives, and Gary Busey as their main adversary. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Sound in 1987. This film is the first in a saga that includes three other films, all starring Gibson and Glover, and released in 1989, 1992, and 1998. The saga, according to estimates from Forbes went on to sell 116,457,100 tickets in the United States alone.
Plot
The film takes place in December 1986 in Los Angeles. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), Police Department detective), an old friend with whom he served his country during the Vietnam War, knowing that he hasn't seen him in 12 years. Before meeting him, Murtaugh is called to investigate a suicide, and is horrified to learn that the victim is Amanda Hunsaker, Michael's daughter. Meanwhile, young LAPD detective Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), who has become suicidal after the death of his wife in a car accident, nearly kills an unarmed suspect after going into a psychotic state of rage for a forfeiture. Tired of the situation, Riggs's superiors transfer him to Murtaugh's unit, resulting in the two initially not getting along.
During Amanda's autopsy, drugs mixed with drain cleaner are found in her body. Although she jumped to her death, she would still have died in a matter of minutes, making her death a homicide. After informing her disturbed father, who says he tried to contact Murtaugh to wean Amanda out of her drug and pornographic habits, Riggs and Murtaugh go to question a pimp who is known to have connections to Amanda.. Finding a drug lab in the process, they get into a brief shootout with the pimp (who is killed in the process), where Riggs saves Murtaugh's life, leading them to respect each other. With the pimp dead and the drugs found, Murtaugh concludes the case is closed, but Riggs finds it suspicious that the only witness to Amanda's suicide was a prostitute named Dixie, who worked far from her usual location. They both deduce that Dixie was the one who poisoned Amanda and acted as an alibi witness to hide her actions.
The next morning, Riggs and Murtaugh go to Dixie's house to question her, but her house explodes just as they arrive. Investigating the location, Riggs, who served in the United States Special Forces during the Vietnam War, finds a mercury switch, knowing that only a professional would use such a device. A neighborhood boy remembers a man who broke into Dixie's house, claiming that he had a tattoo similar to Riggs's. Seeing the connection, the detectives conclude that Michael Hunsaker knows more than he admitted and Murtaugh confronts him at Amanda's funeral.
Hunsaker confesses that he is involved in a heroin trafficking operation led by former Special Forces troops during the conflict in Vietnam, known as the Company of Shadows. The ringleaders of the operation are a ruthless retired general, Peter McAllister (Mitchell Ryan), former commander of the Shadow Company and his boss, Mr. Joshua (Gary Busey). Hunsaker laundered the proceeds through his bank. McAllister ordered Amanda's murder when Michael unsuccessfully tried to alert Murtaugh to the plot. When Murtaugh tries to get Hunsaker to reveal the entirety of the operation, Joshua makes a surprise helicopter attack and shoots Hunsaker dead.
When Riggs and Murtaugh try to investigate the Dixie connection, the increasingly violent members of the Shadow Company try to kill Riggs (which they believe to be successful, but Riggs was nevertheless wearing a bulletproof vest) and they then kidnap Murtaugh's daughter, Rianne. Using Riggs' presumed death to her advantage, Murtaugh agrees to go to the desert to meet with the Shadow Company to trade with Rianne, knowing that the Company will kill them both. While Riggs takes cover as a sniper from a distance, Roger tries to make Rianne run away, but in the end all three are captured. McAllister tortures Murtaugh by beating him and throwing salt in his wounds to extract information; McAllister demands which assignment he was compromised on, threatening Rianne when Murtaugh isn't cooperating, refusing to believe Hunsaker didn't tell them. Riggs, brutally shocked, breaks free and rescues Murtaugh and Rianne. The couple escape from their prison, finding themselves in a nightclub in the Los Angeles skid row. Riggs chases Joshua and tries to catch him on the freeway, but Joshua manages to get away. Murtaugh finds McAllister fleeing in his vehicle, killing the driver of the vehicle. Murtaugh watches as the car hits Hollywood Boulevard and is exploded by a grenade (along with the heroin shipment). The detectives go to Murtaugh's house, knowing that Joshua is going there to attack his family, which is absent. As Joshua is arrested without incident, Riggs, seeking revenge, challenges him to a fight, which Joshua accepts. Penalized by Murtaugh, Riggs battles Joshua in a hand-to-hand fight on the front lawn of Murtaugh's house. After a brutal fight, Riggs defeats Joshua with a submission hold. He lets go and tells him "You're not worth it." Upon being arrested, Joshua grabs a pistol from a police officer and attempts to shoot Riggs, but the detectives react and shoot Joshua to death.
Murtaugh and Riggs are now friends, and Riggs spends Christmas at the Murtaugh residence with Roger's family; Riggs brings his dog Sam his to be friends with the Murtaugh family cat, Burbank (which ends up being a disaster). Riggs also gives him a symbolic gift: the bullet Martin had planned to commit suicide with, since he doesn't need it anymore.
Cast and dubbing
| Character | Original Actor | Folding actor (Mexico)  | Folding actor (Spain)  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Riggs | Mel Gibson | Guillermo Sauceda | Salvador Vidal |
| Roger Murtaugh | Danny Glover | Carlos Segundo Bravo | Camilo García |
| Jack Joshua | Gary Busey | Juan Alfonso Carralero | Jordi Boixaderas |
| Peter McAllister | Mitch Ryan | Álvaro Tarcicio† | José Luis Sansalvador |
| Trish Murtaugh | Darlene Love | Rocío Garcel | María Dolores Gispert |
| Narrator | N/A | Raúl de la Fuente |
Aftermath
Lethal Weapon 2
In this 1989 film, the enemies are drug dealers and members of the South African diplomatic corps. Martin Riggs becomes involved with a young woman from the diplomatic service who is later murdered. It is also discovered that his first wife did not die accidentally, but that she was killed by the South Africans thinking it was Riggs who was driving. The character of Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) is introduced, who laundered money from mobsters and traffickers, and must be protected by Riggs and Murtaugh.
Lethal Weapon 3
A corrupt police officer is stealing ammunition and confiscated weapons. Riggs and Murtaugh get involved in the case, even though Murtaugh thinks of leaving him. The character of Internal Affairs Agent Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) is introduced, who becomes romantically involved with Riggs. In a shootout, Murtaugh shoots in self-defense and fatally wounds one of his son's childhood friends, so he decides to find who is putting the weapons in the hands of the young people. Leo Getz this time is a real estate agent who tries to sell Murtaugh's house, but in the end Murtaugh doesn't retire from the police, nor does the house sell.
Lethal Weapon 4
This time, Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh take on the Chinese mob, who are counterfeiting money to buy the triad's freedom. Lorna Cole is pregnant by Riggs and Murtaugh's daughter, Rianne, is also pregnant by a policeman, Riggs and Murtaugh's co-worker, named Lee Butters (Chris Rock). The "villain" of this installment is Wa Sing Ku (Jet Li), who will do everything possible for his older brother and member of the triad. Leo Getz is now a private detective. In the end Cole and Riggs get married and have a son, and Captain Murtaugh becomes a grandfather.
TV series
In September 2016, the Fox network premiered a television series based on the saga starring Clayne Crawford as Martin Riggs and Damon Wayans as Roger Murtaugh.