1992 Directed by Richard Donner
Archetypal buddy cops Riggs and Murtaugh are back for another round of high-stakes action, this time setting their collective sights on bringing down a former Los Angeles police lieutenant turned black market weapons dealer. Lorna Cole joins as the beautiful yet hardnosed internal affairs sergeant who catches Riggs's eye.
Mel Gibson Danny Glover Joe Pesci Rene Russo Stuart Wilson Steve Kahan Mary Ellen Trainor Darlene Love Traci Wolfe Ebonie Smith Damon Hines Thomas A. Geas Gregory Millar Nick Chinlund Alan Scarfe Delores Hall Mark Pellegrino John Cenatiempo Pete Antico Sven-Ole Thorsen Paul Tuerpe Veronica Alicino Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. Philip Moon Vince Howard Paul Hipp Lauren Shuler Donner Marian Collier James Oliver Show All…
Tony Brubaker Kane Hodder Charlie Picerni Dick Ziker Jeffrey Bornstein Cheryl Wheeler Duncan Gregory J. Barnett Chuck Picerni Jr. James Grayford
Brennpunkt L.A. – Die Profis sind zurück, Arma Letale 3, Smrtonosno oružje 3, Surmarelv 3, Smrtonosno orozje 3, 리쎌 웨폰 3, Смъртоносно оръжие 3, Arma letal 3, Smrtonosná zbraň 3, Dødbringende Våben 3, Lethal Weapon 3 - Die Profis sind zurück, Φονικό Όπλο 3, Arma Mortal 3, Tappava ase 3, L'Arme fatale 3, נשק קטלני 3, Halálos fegyver 3., Arma letale 3, リーサル・ウェポン3, 리썰 웨폰 3, Mirtinas ginklas 3, Dødelig Våpen 3, Zabójcza Broń 3, Máquina Mortífera 3, Arma Mortífera 3, Armă mortală 3, Смертельное оружие 3, Smrtonosno orožje 3, Смртоносно оружје 3, Dödligt vapen 3, ริกก์ส คนมหากาฬ 3, Cehennem Silahı 3, Смертельна зброя 3, Vũ Khí Tối Thượng 3, 致命武器3
Literally half the plot of this one is “And then the crooks do more crimes 50 feet from Riggs and Murtaugh in broad daylight.” It happens over and over! The heroes get busted down to patrolmen, then stumble on an armored car robbery on their very day walking the beat. They go to get a hamburger and Riggs finds a gang of teenagers with automatic weapons. Better yet, the two cases are connected! Inspector Clouseau could have solved this mystery.
By far, my favorite part of Lethal Weapon 3 are the tasty guitar riffs by Eric Clapton and the even tastier sax licks by David Sanborn every time Riggs and Murtaugh do something wacky — which happens constantly. We’re talking…
"No, I'm chaos and he's mayhem. We're a double act."
I sincerely love this cartoon because not only are they the worst police officers on earth (pulling a gun on the jaywalker is an all-timer), but in this one they're also idiots. It'ss like a relatively incredibly polished Terence Hill/Bud Spencer movie.
But oh man the attempt, even clumsier and more po-faced here than in part 2, to lend these films some kind of social conscience is just poison. It's a hypocritical buzzkill apology for all the fun excessive force and Riggs the Dog Whisperer.
You know how they recklessly blow up that building at the beginning? Well they show up when a second building explodes after the end credits, and I've always imagined the other LETHAL WEAPON movie about the pursuit of a mad bomber that was happening parallel to this one. I don't care how lazy or stupid these are, I could watch a hundred of them.
100-word review: Three films in I'm beginning to notice the trend of these Lethal Weapon movies growing more and more hyperactive; Martin and Roger are even more unhinged than in the previous movies, and their unhealthy coping mechanisms (which this entry seems to focus on in particular) become worse too. Like, what's up with that scar-comparison-leading-into-fade-to-black-sex-scene? Or the random character of Dolores? Or anything featuring Joe Pesci who they brought back for some godforsaken reason... Also, that sultry sax and occasional acoustic guitar soundtrack starts to become a parody of itself at this point.
Part of my August 2022 80s & 90s Cop Franchises challenge; 17th out of 18 films.
The dynamic duo of Riggs and Murtaugh return for another adventure, and by this point you can feel the Lethal Weapon formula wearing a bit thin, despite Richard Donner's best efforts to keep things fresh. The complete absence of any story input from Shane Black doesn't really help either.
After stupidly attempting to disarm a bomb and knocking a whole building down, LAPD detectives Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh (who is a week away from retirement) are demoted to patrol as punishment. After foiling an armored car theft, the two stumble upon an arms-trafficking plot run by former LAPD lieutenant Jack Travis. As Riggs and Murtaugh are returned to their original positions, they do their usual stuff to try and…
I got back from the theater and this is starting on tv! Every time any of the Lethal Weapon films pass on tv I just can't resist. Is stronger than me! I've seen them all a thousand times and I never get tired.
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are my favorite buddy cop team in cinema, they will always be! Their chemistry are absolutely amazing! And Joe Pesci always hilarious every single time.
For me the Lethal Weapon films are my childhood, I thank to my parents for letting a 8/9 year old children watch this kind of action films with them. I will always feel a special affection for all the four. They might not be perfect but for me they definitely are a part of the reason why the love for cinema started to grow inside of me even at that age.
In March 2007, I excitedly wrote the following after watching Lethal Weapon 2, "L.W. 3 & 4 are up next!"
Well, folks, I'm just getting around to "L.W. 3" now. I was sort of afraid that the series was already tapped out, so I did not pursue it further...until now.
So, it starts off way better than expected. Then Rene Russo shows up. She's great, but Mel Gibson starts exhibiting chauvinism at the thought that a woman is in charge at his police department and he can do nothing about it...his male pride is hurt and he starts acting really ridiculous. I guess sexism in the '90s was alive and well. I'd say no one thought anything of it, but the…
1992 Ranked
Non-2021 First Time Watches Ranked
Directors Ranked: Richard Donner
Ranked: Lethal Weapon
This one starts off a little silly with Mel Gibson literally blowing up a skyscraper. Well, he didn't plant the bomb but his Riggs type shenanigans caused the skyscraper to explode. But it still has that wonderful chemistry between it's two leads (and Pesci) as well as adding Rene Russo into the mix as well. I think the four characters are balanced pretty nicely; not an easy feat.
I was quite surprised to see a few low scores for this one and it's last on quite a few Lethal Weapons rankings I saw as well. Now, obviously something has to be last but I think this…
"Riggs! Riggs! RIGGS!" - this entire franchise
No one ever shouts "Murtaugh!" Like, probably not even once across 4 2-hour-long movies, though I wasn't keeping track. They hardly ever even shout "Rog!"
By all accounts part 3 is the downturn for the series, but watching them all again lately, I think it's got more going for it than part 2. Though still rough with the violence and interested in exploring then-timely crime issues (first movie was drug smuggling, second was apartheid, this one introduces armor-piercing bullets and L.A. street gangs, and if I recall the fourth deals with human trafficking), they've shaved off the grit and domesticated the tone into more of a sitcom-friendly family affair. I prefer to look…
Obviously not as good as the first two, but the magic between Gibson and Glover hasn’t faded a bit, and Rene Russo is a welcome addition as an IA investigator who sort of abandons any sort of guarded nature once Riggs charms the pants off her (by, much like he did with Murtaugh, reigniting her love of violence - the JAWS-aping bullet wound comparison scene becoming a weirdo panty dropper in this heightened cop movie universe). Plus, when you have Jan de Bont shooting the absolutely ludicrous final stretch - which includes a subway-to-foot-to-motorcycle chase that ranks with the best set pieces of the series - it’s kinda tough to deny. So, while all of the gun control gangland moralizing…
"Close is a lingerie shop without a front window"
Thanks to my skills as a channel surfer I have had the pleasure of watching the opening bomb/armored car chase scene to Lethal Weapon 3 countless times.
As for the rest of the film, I kind of dig Riggs and Cole’s romance, especially the scene where they argue over who has the gnarliest scars.
Leo Getz is also back and as funny as ever, plus the real highlight has to be Murtaugh’s subplot surrounding the drug bust shootout as it brings a more serious tone to an otherwise funny film.
Lethal Weapon 3 sees the return of these two policemen acting, like, well, policemen. Yes they still kill way too many people but at least they do some policing and act like policemen. Murtaugh shows that he is a human being again after a fatal error leading him to a grief and shame spiral. The Murtaugh of Lethal Weapon 2 wouldn't have dared reacted like this. Lethal Weapon 3 brings the humanity back to these fun action movies, and I am very pleased. And in doing so we lose nothing. Riggs is still off the wall, the partnership is still in tact and works and the wit, charm, comedy, action and set pieces are all here. In my opinion the best Lethal Weapon movie, an unpopular opinion I know, but one I still hold.
