Richard Donner's filmography has some crackers among it. From The Omen which still ranks among my favorite Horror films, to The Goonies that almost everyone of a certain age loves, to Scrooged and what I refer to as the original Superman, he's been both critical and box-office gold. Lethal Weapon cemented his place back in 1987 as the director who helped bring back the buddy-cop film in spectacular style. That movie also made Mel Gibson a household name and a Hollywood A-lister, before infidelity, alcohol, and a run-in with the cops made him a pariah. Back in 1992 however he was still an action man with clout but this third installment of the popular franchise was in danger of getting a little stale and needed a new dimension.
Danny Glover stated in Lethal Weapon "that he was getting too old for this shit", and by this film he wasn't the only one. Bringing back Joe Pesci after his turn in film number 2 was proof that these two needed a little help with the comedy side of things. The action of course was never a problem as Gibson's Riggs always liked a ruck, but this film felt forced as the studio clamored for another big box-office take. The story is nothing new with Danny Glover's Murtaugh days from retirement when they all get caught up in a gun case that involves crooked cops and a chance for Riggs to hook up with a female who doesn't end up dead. It's patchy both in plot and script, but there is some decent chemistry between Gibson and Rene Russo and a few impressive stunt sequences which had become the staple of the franchise's success. Not a patch on the first film or even the second, this should have been the end of the line for a series that started brilliantly and then inevitably dipped in quality.