Lethal Weapon
| Lethal Weapon | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Richard Donner |
| Produced by | Richard Donner Joel Silver |
| Written by | Shane Black |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
Michael Kamen Eric Clapton |
| Cinematography | Stephen Goldblatt |
| Edited by | Stuart Baird |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $15 million |
| Box office | $120.2 million |
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Richard Donner, produced by Joel Silver, and written by Shane Black. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Darlene Love, Ebonie Smith, Gary Busey, and Mitchell Ryan. In Lethal Weapon, a pair of mismatched LAPD detectives – Martin Riggs, a former US Army soldier who has turned suicidal following his wife's death, and Roger Murtaugh, a 50-year-old veteran of the force – become partners.
The film was released on March 6, 1987. Upon its release, Lethal Weapon grossed over $120 million against a production budget of $15 million, and it was nominated for Academy Award in the category of Best Sound. It spawned a franchise that includes three sequels and a television series.
LAPD Homicide Sergeant Roger Murtaugh, shortly after his 50th birthday, is partnered with Sergeant Martin Riggs, a transfer from narcotics. Riggs is a former Special Forces soldier who lost his wife in a car accident two years prior, has turned suicidal, and has been taking his aggression out on suspects, leading to his superiors requesting his transfer. Murtaugh and Riggs quickly find themselves feuding with each other.
Murtaugh is contacted by Michael Hunsaker, an old Vietnam War buddy turned banker, but before they can meet, Murtaugh learns that Hunsaker's daughter, Amanda, apparently committed suicide by jumping to her death from her apartment balcony. Autopsy reports show Amanda to have been poisoned with drain cleaner, making the case a possible homicide. Hunsaker tells Murtaugh that he was concerned about his daughter's involvement in drugs, prostitution, and pornography, and was trying to get Murtaugh to help her escape that life.
Murtaugh and Riggs go to see Amanda's pimp, but find a drug lab on the premises, leading to a shootout. Riggs kills the pimp and saves the life of Murtaugh, who starts to tolerate his new partner. Though the case seems closed, Riggs is aware that the only witness to Amanda's apparent suicide was Dixie, another prostitute who was working away from her normal streets. They go to see her at her home, but it explodes as they approach it. Riggs finds parts of a mercury switch from bomb debris, indicating a professional had set the bomb; children who had been nearby witnessed a man approach the house with a tattoo similar to Riggs', and Murtaugh suspects Hunsaker knows more than he has told him.
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Wikipedia