Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers:

Shane Black (characters)
Jeffrey Boam (story)

Release Date:

15 May 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

The magic is back again!

Plot:

Martin Riggs finally meets his match in the form of Lorna Cole, a beautiful but tough policewoman. Together with Roger Murtaugh...

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Rookie Cop | Internal Affairs | House Trailer | Attack Dog

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Martin Riggs
Danny Glover	...	Roger Murtaugh
Joe Pesci	...	Leo Getz
Rene Russo	...	Lorna Cole
Stuart Wilson	...	Jack Travis
Steve Kahan	...	Captain Ed Murphy
Darlene Love	...	Trish Murtaugh
Traci Wolfe	...	Rianne Murtaugh
Damon Hines	...	Nick Murtaugh
Ebonie Smith	...	Carrie Murtaugh
Gregory Millar	...	Tyrone
Nick Chinlund	...	Hatchett
Jason Rainwater	...	Young Cop (as Jason Meshover-Iorg)
Alan Scarfe	...	Herman Walters
Delores Hall	...	Delores

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

118 min | USA:121 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #31813) | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Ireland:15 | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 (director's cut) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Century Freeway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Silver Pictures

Trivia:

Body count: 17

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Murtaugh turns from the motorcycle wreck/explosion, the last several frames of the shot show the cable supporting the motorcycle.

Quotes:

[Travis is coming at Riggs with a tractor]
Jack Travis: Killed in the line of duty, Riggs!
[pause]
Jack Travis: Get a good funeral from the department, Riggs!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

Soundtrack:

Latin Lingo

Good, really, really good!

This is a great series! Actually I could stop right here because I have already said what needs to be said but just for people's enjoyment I'll elaborate a little.

The acting is, much like in the two previous films, excellent. Somehow Mel Gibson and Danny Glover never seem to get tired of each other and it shows because their playful banter never seems to get tiring to the audience. Mel Gibson is a class actor and this time around he develops the character of Martin Riggs even further than he did in the second film. He is so good at portraying emotions that the audience genuinely feels with him. When he is angry you feel his anger and when he is sad you feel sad, you get the picture. The fact that he is so versatile shows in the contrasts of the character. He is both great in action-sequences and in romantic sequences. As for Danny Glover he also does a great job in bringing his character further and he really does in this installment because you get to see the more negative sides of the character this time around. In the first two films he was the character who didn't evolve much but took pride in it. This time, because retirement is rearing its ugly head, we get to see, what I must suppose was, the facade stripped away and see Murtaugh in his raw, pure form. Joe Pesci also returns this time for the comic relief and he is still funny. There is just something about the character of Leo Getz that is incredibly entertaining. However, the best performance is perhaps done by Stuart Wilson, an incredibly underrated actor who has sadly never really achieved a commercial breakthrough. He is the villain of this film and is perhaps the best villain of the series simply because he has more depth than any other villain in the series. He is also given considerably more screen time than many of the other villains so he really has a chance to shine. Rene Russo appears in this film as Riggs new romantic interest and she may not be the most gifted actress ever to be on film but her chemistry with Mel Gibson is undeniable and her on-screen presence is pretty amazing considering that she is a new entry to the character gallery.

The story of the film is the weakest out of all the series (yes even the fourth one) and sometimes it kinda drags. Mainly, however, the story is still highly entertaining and funny. The best element of the script is the fact that villain is an ex-cop this time around and that does that the heroes can hate the villain even more because he is, aside from being a mean bastard, a traitor, almost a symbol of the back-side of the medallion.

The action of the film is just like in the two previous movies absolutely brilliant. The action is highly entertaining and well made and Mel Gibson is excellent as an action star as well as many other things.

All in all a great entry to a great series.

7/10