Lethal Weapon Collection

Action

Comedy

Thriller

Crime

Lethal Weapon 3

Silver Pictures

Warner Bros. Pictures

St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commision

United States of America

English

Mel Gibson

Danny Glover

Joe Pesci

Rene Russo

Stuart Wilson

Steve Kahan

Mary Ellen Trainor

Darlene Love

Traci Wolfe

Ebonie Smith

Damon Hines

Thomas A. Geas

Gregory Millar

Nick Chinlund

Alan Scarfe

Delores Hall

Mark Pellegrino

John Cenatiempo

Pete Antico

Sven-Ole Thorsen

Paul Tuerpe

Veronica Alicino

Miguel A. Núñez Jr.

Philip Moon

Vince Howard

Paul Hipp

Lauren Shuler Donner

Marian Collier

James Oliver

Jan de Bont

Mic Rodgers

Stephen Kay

Norman D. Wilson

Anthony Johnson

Jason Rainwater

J. Mills Goodloe

Jack McGee

Michael Klastorin

Danny Wynands

Andrew Hill Newman

Kenneth Tigar

Henry Brown

Eric Briant Wells

Bobby Wynn

Sylvia Webb White

Danny 'Big Black' Rey

Michael George Miller

Henry Kingi

Adam Klineberg

Michele Landry

Scott Bryce

Del Emory

John Harms

Selma Archerd

Harvey Fisher

Edward J. Rosen

Jay Della

Steve Luport

Anthony T. Pennello

Jay Byron

Germain Williams

David Lee Bynum

Steve Psaros

Paul Ganus

Don Stanley

Maryellen Aviano

Gene Williams

Richard Donner

Jeffrey Boam

Robert Mark Kamen

Joel Silver

Eric Clapton

Michael Kamen

David Sanborn

Robert Brown

Battle Davis

Marion Dougherty

James H. Spencer

Greg Papalia

Richard C. Goddard

Janet Brady

Michael Alan Kahn

Tony Epper

Michael Runyard

Sandy Berumen

Tim Trella

Tommy J. Huff

Cheryl Wheeler Duncan

Bobby Bass

Steve Boyum

Steven Chambers

Jadie David

Shane Dixon

Sparky Edmonston

Roy Farfel

Bill Hart

Billy Hank Hooker

Matt Johnston

Cher Meier

Bennie Moore

Frank Orsatti

Paul Picerni

Steve Picerni

Chad Randall

Danny Rogers

Chris Tuck

Shane Black

Kane Hodder

Chuck Picerni Jr.

Alexander B. Collett

Jennie Lew Tugend

Steve Perry

Michael Muscarella

Ciro Vuoso

John Schacht

Cary Conway

Mark Poll

Cal Roberts

Michael J. Coo

J. Neil Bloomer

Gregory Lundsgaard

Stephen Vaughan

Nick Scarano

Dino Ganziano

Paul Abascal

Richard Snell

Frank B. Davis

Lonnie Craig

Martin Glover

Geno Escarrega

Michael Papac

Michael Denering

Jon G. Belyeu

James Grayford

Charlie Picerni

Gregory J. Barnett

Dan Romero

Jack Lietzke

Anne S. Reilly

Richmond G. Cogswell

Trudy Ramirez

Kenny Schneider

E. Christopher Reed

Owens Hill

Michael J. Burmeister

Karyn Fields

Joseph F. Brennan

Eric Reasoner

Bub Asman

Thomas Causey

Robert G. Henderson

Matt Sweeney

Tony Brubaker

Jim Barr

Manny Perry

Tim A. Davison

John C. Meier

Jeff 'JJ' Dashnaw

Stephen McLaughlin

Buddy Joe Hooker

The public get what they want.

In this third instalment of the popular Lethal Weapon series, Murtaugh is counting down the days till he finally hangs up his badge, but he and Riggs run into an ex-cop who is dealing in special cop-killing bullets.

In total there were four Lethal Weapon films, regardless of quality (they declined in quality with each release) each film made gargantuan amounts of money. Who could blame those involved for milking it for all it was worth if the paying public demanded it eh? Made for $35 million, part 3 went on to make Worldwide $321 million, thus ensuring that a part 4 was inevitable. But is Lethal Weapon 3 actually any good? Was the loyal paying public rewarded for their time?.

Well yes, chances are that if you were already a fan of the series then this does deliver all you wanted and hoped for. Director Richard Donner and his team of writers shrewdly cottoned on to the basic fact that the ante had to be raised. It's a pretty light plot in truth, but enter more explosions, more action and make Riggs more comically reckless than usual, well it's a successful formula - even if Riggs and Murtaugh are now in essence just a comedy double act (one man love sequence not withstanding that is). Into the mix comes karate-kicking Internal Affairs female sergeant Lorna Cole (a more than agreeable turn from Rene Russo), who simultaneously gives Riggs more scope for gags and a love interest, and love him or hate him, Joe Pesci again pops in with mirth as the whiny Leo Getz. Stuart Wilson gets to play the bad guy with relish, and just to show it's not all about slam bangery and japes, the film also boasts having an affecting strand about kids with guns on the streets - and of course the scum who put those guns into those hands.

It's all very simple and disposable in the world of the popcorn actioner, and yeah, it's not as good as what came before it in the series, but it's still an entertaining viewing for the series fans regardless. 7/10

**_More fun and dynamic police action with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover_**

Riggs & Murtaugh (Gibson and Glover) team-up with a kick-axx internal affairs officer (Rene Russo) to take down an ex-cop (Stuart Wilson) who’s smuggling confiscated guns to L.A. gangs. Joe Pesci is also on hand.

"Lethal Weapon 3" (1992) is more-of-the-same in the successful series helmed by Richard Donner. Like the first two, it’s an over-the-top cop thriller with amusing camaraderie and rapid-fire banter. You have to roll with the outrageousness in order to enjoy it, just as you do with similar cop thrillers, like "The Gauntlet" (1977), although that one’s superior, as are the Dirty Harry flicks IMHO.

Of the first three, I marginally prefer the second one (1989), but this one is entertaining enough.

The film runs 1 hour, 58 minutes, and was shot in the greater Los Angeles area with some stuff done in Florida (like the building blowing up at the end, which was shot in St. Petersburg).

GRADE: B-

CinemaSerf

With barely more than a week to go until “Murtaugh” (Danny Glover) retires, he and his now uniformed (and pony-tailed) partner “Riggs” (Mel Gibson) thwart an armoured car robbery and arrest the culprit. Before he can be rigorously interrogated, though, his brains get splattered against the walls of the interview room and our intrepid duo are charged by “Murphy” (Steve Kazan) to work with the IAD detective “Lorna” (Rene Russo) and track down the perpetrator. It takes them all of five minutes to work out that they have to track down rogue “Lt. Travis” (Stuart Wilson) who is involved in a nefarious gun-running enterprise. Finding him might have got a little easier when realtor “Getz” (Joe Pesci) reckons he has seem him somewhere so that starts them on a trail of the usual pyrotechnics, shoot ‘em ups and car chases which, along the way, sees “Murtaugh” enter a depth of despair that only his pal can drag him from as “Travis” has now made everything just a little bit more personal. It is at it’s best when it is just Gibson and Glover, the pithy script and some wise-cracking but I found the burgeoning romance between “Riggs” and “Lorna” a bit of a drag and the only highlight from the downright annoying Pesci is on his head. It’s a solid story well executed by a director who keeps the pace moving whilst letting the two stars clearly have some high-octane fun. I reckon it is the weakest of the three so far, but it’s still watchable escapism.

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Lethal Weapon 3

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Cast

Mel Gibson

Danny Glover

Joe Pesci

Rene Russo

Stuart Wilson

Steve Kahan

Mary Ellen Trainor

Darlene Love

Traci Wolfe

Ebonie Smith

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