Lethal Weapon: Critic Reviews

What does it say that I loved it as a boy of fourteen?

Yeah, I know, I know: It's considered an action classic and routinely pegged as one of the best "buddy cop" films, but it's always held just marginal appeal for me -- besides, compare it to Die Hard, and its "classic" status seems even more ludicrous.

Mismatched cops spar in violent '80s action hit.

A phenomenally successful, noisy, violent buddy movie.

the best buddycop film ever

The pace never slows, the jokes never miss and the stunts never disappoint in this macho-dream of an actioner.

Gibson is truly frightening as the cop about to go into orbit, and Glover is a standout as the down-to-earth lawman with very much to lose.

Granted, the film doesn't feature the most interesting story-line to come across a movie screen, but that doesn't matter all that much because we're having a whole bunch of fun watching the chemistry between Glover and Gibson...

In this classy all-action thriller, Mel Gibson oozes charm the way his victims ooze blood.

Admittedly, it pretty cool to see Martin Riggs burst through the door the second the bad guy says "There's no more heroes left in the world" despite having just recieved brutal electric shock torture that will leave you cringing with shooting discomfort.

[VIDEO ESSAY] Screenwriter Shane Black's approach to creating unconventional characters for "Lethal Weapon" created a new template for the buddy movie genre, which dates back to the silent era of Laurel and Hardy.

The best in an overrated series thanks to Gibson's intense performance as a suicidal cop.