Lethal Weapon 3
Sergeant Robert Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and Sergeant Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) are back again and they start off with a bang. I'm being very literal about that, because Riggs has this great idea of trying to defuse a bomb and end up blowing up a building, (don't panic; they saved the cat) and bet busted down to beat officers. Murtaugh is none too happy because he is only a few days away from retirement and this was not how he imagined his last week on the force. After scaring the crap out of a jay walker they witness a fake armored truck stealing money from a bank and jump in the real armored truck and give chase. One of the guys is captured but the other gets away. The guy they caught was sporting a new kind of bullet dubbed 'cop killers' because they can pierce bulletproof vests.
While on their way to question the perp, they guys meet up with Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) from Internal Affairs. While they are arguing over who gets to interview they guy first he is killed by the villain of the movie Jack Travis (Stuart Wilson). Murtaugh and Riggs are reinstated as detectives and are assigned to help Cole.
On some down time the two guys are caught in a firefight and Murtaugh shoots and kills a friend of his son and goes into a downward spiral. After that Riggs confronts Cole and she tells him what they are up against. Travis is an ex-cop who deals in weapons, but weapons that he steals from the police, including 'cop killers'. The two end up in a fist fight with some henchmen and Riggs in very impressed with Cole ability to kick ass. Then the two have sex.
Afterwards Riggs confronts Murtaugh, saying that it wasn't his fault and whatnot, during the argument Riggs lets it slip that he feels abandoned by Murtaugh retiring, that he is Rigg's only family and that he doesn't want him to leave the force. That kicks Murtagh back into work mode right about the same time their captain, Captain Murphy (Steve Kahan) is kidnapped. Apparently Travis was running out of weapons and needed Murphy to get him into the police depot. Travis and his gang escape, but they track him down to his headquarters and the three of them go in with guns blazing and take them down in a awesome sequence. At the end, Cole and Riggs fall in love and Murtaugh decides he isn't ready to retire just yet.
This was perhaps my favourite of all the Lethal Weapon movies. It was funny and witty with fantastic action and drama and even a bit of romance thrown in that was actually believable. I have no complaints about the plot of the movie or any of the acting. I have a slight problem with Riggs' character. He's changed way too much, way too fast while Murtaugh has more or less stayed the same from one film to the next.
There were tertiary characters that I could've done without and Joe Pesci's role as Leo Getz seemed force and inconsequential to the film. It was almost as if they threw him in as an afterthought. In saying that his character was enjoyable and funny.
Grade: 8/10