Lethal Weapon (franchise)
| Lethal Weapon | |
|---|---|
Lethal Weapon collection Blu-ray cover
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| Directed by | Richard Donner |
| Produced by | Richard Donner Joel Silver |
| Screenplay by |
Lethal Weapon: Shane Black Lethal Weapon 2: Jeffrey Boam Lethal Weapon 3: Jeffrey Boam Robert Mark Kamen Lethal Weapon 4: Channing Gibson |
| Story by |
Lethal Weapon 2: Shane Black Warren Murphy Lethal Weapon 3: Jeffrey Boam Lethal Weapon 4: Jonathan Lemkin Alfred Gough Miles Millar |
| Starring |
Films: Mel Gibson Danny Glover Joe Pesci TV series: Clayne Crawford Damon Wayans |
| Music by |
Michael Kamen Eric Clapton David Sanborn |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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1987–present |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $215 million |
| Box office | $955,237,243 |
Lethal Weapon is an American buddy cop action comedy franchise created by Shane Black that focuses on Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives, Martin Riggs, Roger Murtaugh, and their fast-talking sidekick Leo Getz (who debuts in the second film). The franchise consists of four films released during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as a television series in 2016. All four films in the series were directed by Richard Donner and also share many of the same core cast members, while the television series recast the main roles with younger actors instead.
Anxious with age and retirement, homicide detective Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is partnered with young and suicidal narcotics officer Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson). Together, they work the case of the alleged suicide of Amanda Hunsaker, daughter of a wealthy businessman who served with Murtaugh in Vietnam. Murtaugh and Riggs soon discover that Hunsaker was involved in a heroin-smuggling scheme led by a retired general (Mitchell Ryan) and his lead enforcer (Gary Busey).
During a car chase, Riggs and Murtaugh stumble upon a trunk full of smuggled South African Krugerrands. This sparks a series of attempts at their lives, forcing them to take a less dangerous case, protecting Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), a loud-mouthed whistleblower with whom they gradually form a bond. However, they realize that Getz was involved in the same South African illegal activities. As a result, the three men become entangled in a drug-smuggling operation involving South African diplomats in Los Angeles, using their immunity as a shield. Riggs kills the murderer of his wife who is among the criminals.
As Murtaugh, who is one week from retiring, and Riggs investigate a robbery committed using a duplicate armored car, they find themselves in the middle of an Internal Affairs investigation led by Sergeant Lorna Cole (Rene Russo). With assistance from Leo, they learn that the subject of the investigation is a rogue AWOL cop (Stuart Wilson) who is stealing impounded weapons and selling them on the black market. During the investigation, Murtaugh shoots and kills a teenager who attacks him and Riggs; he turns out to be a friend of his own son. This prompts Murtaugh to capture the man responsible for the distribution of illegal firearms and to rethink his retirement.
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Wikipedia