Movie
franchises usually don't fare well when it comes to the third installment.
Just the mention of Rambo III or Beverly Hills
Cop III will be more than enough to make many a film fan
shudder. So it is a surprise to find the mother of all buddy cop
franchises surviving its third go around, be it just barely.
With Roger Murtah (Danny Glover) near retirement and struggling
to cope with the death of his son's friend by his hand, his partner
Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) teams up with tough internal affairs officer
Laurna Cole (Rene Russo). Together they most stop a former cop named
Jack Travis (Stuart Wilson) who is selling weapons stolen from the
Los Angeles Police Department and armed with armor piercing bullets.
The chemistry between Gibson and Glover is still fresh and the main
reason why the Lethal
Weapon series works so well. Once Joe Pesci is
thrown into the mix the results are often hysterical as the three
create some funny slap stick scenarios.
Gibson is solid as always as Riggs while Glover gives his best performance
in the series thanks to an interesting sub-plot which gives his
character more depth compared to the previous films in the franchise.
Joe Pesci continues to prove his worth as a great comedic performer,
and Rene Russo provides the perfect female counter part to Gibson
in what would be her star making role (the scene where Gibson and
Russo compare battle scars one of the films highlights).
Yet while the introduction of new characters and character developments
work well the one element that was sorely needed to make Lethal
Weapon 3 a better film was the lack of a great villain, with
Stuart Wilson just not cutting the mustard, his performance as an
arms dealing ex-cop desperately in need of a shot of charisma to
make him a baddy worth remembering after the credits roll.
Ultimately what we are left with is a good buddy cop movie made
by people who know how to make a good buddy cop movie. The action
scenes are big and loud (the highlight being a great chase scene
involving Gibson on a motorbike falling off a bride his mullet flapping
in the wind) and the jokes are right on the money.
In short, Lethal Weapon 3 is good popcorn Hollywood fare.
It won't change your life but at least it will keep you entertained.
