When a movie is successful, it is common for one or more sequels to be made. I do like to see sequels when I enjoyed the first movies. I do usually enjoy seeing characters again. Unfortunately, too many sequels that are made really aren't that good. Lethal Weapon 2 was one of the good sequels.

Roger and Martin were in a high speed chase in Trish’s new car. Once they finally caught the other car, they discovered gold from South Africa in the trunk. The chase ended up causing a lot of damage - including to the new car - and Roger and Martin were assigned to guard Leo Getz, a man set to testify in a drug case. Roger and Martin kept looking into things connected to the case and eventually discovered a lead. They were thwarted when they tried to follow up because the people turned out to be diplomats from South Africa who have diplomatic immunity. That didn’t stop Roger and Martin from continuing to dig in the investigation. Things were made a bit more complicated for Martin because he was interested in Rika, a woman who worked for Arjen Rudd, the man that Martin and Roger were after.

I don’t know how much time had passed between the end of Lethal Weapon and the beginning of Lethal Weapon 2. Enough time had passed for Martin and Roger to have a much better working relationship and their friendship was firmly established. Martin was even like a member of the family with Trish regularly doing his laundry. It was nice to see the two of them getting along so well and to see how Martin fit in with the entire Murtaugh family. The plot for the movie was separate from the first movie. Something did come out late in the movie that tied back into something that had happened shortly before the first movie started. Even though there wasn’t a continuing story line, I do think it is best to watch the movies in order. Certain things will make more sense that way. If this movie is watched first, there could be a few spoilers for the first movie.

Lethal Weapon 2 was a fun action movie much like the first movie was. This movie was more light hearted overall even though there were some very serious moments included as well. Humor was blended into many of the scenes, including some that should have been more serious, like when a bomb was planted in Roger’s house. That situation was made funny by the fact that the bomb was put in the toilet. The chase that the movie began with was also made humorous by the fact that Roger and Martin were driving Trish’s new car. I never did figure out why Roger had his wife’s new car. The action scenes were well done. Violence was used in some of the scenes without it getting too graphic or extreme even though several people were killed throughout the movie. There was swearing in the movie as well, especially by Leo, that included the word that rhymes with luck. The movie was rated R because of the language and violence, so this isn’t a movie for young children to see.

The plot for Lethal Weapon 2 was fairly straightforward. It was mostly focused in on Roger and Martin trying to figure out a way to bring down the diplomats and how they responded to knowing that the police were watching them. There was only a little bit of suspense in a few scenes, but that didn’t keep me from thinking the movie was very entertaining. There was a bit of a twist in how something connected back to a previous event that was surprising but still made sense. The situation with Leo seemed to just be a subplot to help fill in some time at first, but that aspect of the movie actually became more important as the movie progressed. The situation with Leo did add a lot of entertainment to the movie.

Martin ended up providing most of the humor in Lethal Weapon 2 through the things he said and did. He had gone from being crazy on the verge of suicide in the first movie to just being a bit wacky in this movie. He loved to do little things to irritate or provoke Roger. Martin thought it was hilarious when the other cops decided to play a little joke on Roger related to a commercial his daughter had been in. That was very funny. Martin and Roger had some fun interactions throughout the movie, like when they were in the high speed chase in Trish’s new car, that also added laughs. Once Leo turned up, he added more humor as well. There was more humor in this movie than there had been in the first movie. I enjoyed the humor, though some viewers could feel that some aspects of the movie were too silly.

There was a romantic subplot added to Lethal Weapon 2 involving Martin and Rika. She worked for Arjen who didn’t want her to even talk to Martin let alone get personally involved. The two met right after the police realized that Arjen was a diplomat. There did seem to be a connection between them and Martin ended up pursuing her when they ran into each other at a grocery store. Their relationship did progress fast and added a sex scene to the movie that wasn’t really explicit even though it did add a little bit of nudity. The relationship wasn’t the main focus of the movie and didn’t detract from the other things going on. I thought it was nice to see Martin actually willing to start a new relationship.

Once again, Roger and Martin were the main characters. Since they were returning characters, they were more developed characters. The two had a very strong friendship. Martin had mellowed out a bit from the first movie and he was no longer dangerous or contemplating killing himself. He had lost some of his edge, though he was still a likable character. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover were really good in the parts. They had great chemistry together. Roger’s family did briefly turn up again without much to do. Trish probably ended up in more scenes than any of the others. A few of the police offices, like Captain Ed Murphy, also turned up in a few scenes.

Leo Getz played an important part in the movie since Roger and Martin were assigned to watch him. Leo had been involved in laundering drug money and was set to testify about that. He seemed to be eager to help and get acceptance. Joe Pesci was good in the part, though the way he played the character could be irritating to some viewers. Martin developed an interest in Rika even though she was working for Arjen. She wasn’t in as much of the movie, so she wasn’t that developed. Patsy Kensit was fine in the part. Joss Ackland was good as Arjen and made him a good villain.

Main Cast

Joss Ackland - Arjen Rudd
Mel Gibson - Martin Riggs
Danny Glover - Roger Murtaugh
Damon Hines - Nick Murtaugh
Steve Kahan - Captain Ed Murphy
Patsy Kensit - Rika
Darlene Love - Trish Murtaugh
Joe Pesci - Leo Getz
Ebonie Smith - Carrie Murtaugh
Traci Wolfe - Rianne Murtaugh

Richard Donner - Director

DVD Information

Lethal Weapon 2 is available on DVD in a few different versions. I have it on a DVD that came with the first and second movies as well. There were only a few extras connected to this movie. There was a short featurette on how one chase scene was filmed. That was interesting, but it wasn’t very long.

Lethal Weapon 2 was a fun, entertaining movie that is worth watching. It is one of the better buddy cop movies made. People that liked Lethal Weapon will probably also like this one.

Lethal Weapon Movies
Lethal Weapon ~ Lethal Weapon 2 ~ Lethal Weapon 3 ~ Lethal Weapon 4 ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD