Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) & Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

Appetite whetted by the original Lethal Weapon, we watched the first two sequels in quick succession, and for my money they're as much fun as the first, and because there's no setting up of the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh they get straight into the action and comedy. 

Lethal Weapon 2 is the one with the South African baddies, where Patsy Kensit puts on a funny accent and bares her breasts, Riggs' caravan home is riddled with bullets, and Murtaugh finds himself sat on an exploding toilet, in one of the series' best scenes, full of both humour and heart between the two buddies at the centre of it all. This movie also introduced Joe Pesci's equally funny/irritating side kick character, Leo Getz ('whatever you want, Leo gets'), who would be a part of both following sequels. For the most part I like Leo, Pesci plays him juuuuuust about the right side of punchable. There were some amazing action sequences, including the opening car chase, and the collapsing of the house on stilts, while the bad guys are suitable different from those in the first instalment to be satisfying - the Apartheid-era South African villains adding an extra social dimension that is handled with skill.

With Lethal Weapon 3 the certifcate dropped from an 18 to a 15 and the series got a little lighter and less bloody. At the end of LW2 Riggs was stabbed and shot to shit in a grim sequence that original writer Shane Black wanted to end with the character's death, whereas the carnage is not half as graphic in LW3. People still get shot by the barrel-load though, this time by a corrupt cop in a plot that doesn't feel as fresh as it's forebears, but which still delivers thrills and laughs, along with more great action pieces - this time a whole building explodes within the first 5 minutes, and the finale sees a housing development burned to the ground. What makes these sequences impressive is that they were real effects, not CGI fakeries, and it's a shame these large scale real effects are not as prevalent today. 

In LW3, Murtaugh is determined to retire from being a cop - he's too old for this shit - and thankfully, in the avoidance of the usual cliché that spins out from these kind of plots, he lives to kill another day. Leo Getz is back again, and is used sparingly enough that he's effective and not superflous. Riggs gets a love interest this time round, who survives, in the form of Rene Russo's Lorna Cole, a female mirror image of him in terms of scars and fighting technique. She's the Batgirl to his Batman. Or something. Either way, she's a good addition to the growing cast, and she's back for the next instalment. It's interesting to note that there was no love story in LW, and the one in LW2 ended tragically, you'd think that Riggs would see more action. The fact that he's a grieving widower in LW and his lonely life is contrasted with Murtaugh's happy family kept him single then, and the death of Kensit's character in LW2 spurred him on to revenge, so it's nice to see Riggs have a little happiness this time around. 

After a break to explore some other movies, we shall return to the franchise, and hopefully give Loaded Weapon 1 a go again too.