THE MAGIC IS BACK!

After a car chase, Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh (Mel Gibson, Danny Glover) find a big stash of illegally imported gold Krugerrands, setting them up for a showdown with the South African consulate in Los Angeles.

A sequel that is just as good as the original, only more intense – and quite political, with Joss Ackland memorable as the smug, evil American representative of the South African Apartheid regime of the time. The story is far from believable, but great action scenes and a terrific sense of humor (often combined) makes you ignore that fact.

The two stars are even more likable than in the first movie; Joe Pesci got a breakthrough as a chattering mob accountant.

1989-U.S. 113 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Richard Donner. Screenplay: Jeffrey Boam. Music: Eric Clapton, David Sanborn, Michael Kamen. Song: “Cheer Down” (George Harrison, Tom Petty). Cast: Mel Gibson (Martin Riggs), Danny Glover (Roger Murtaugh), Joe Pesci (Leo Getz), Joss Ackland, Derrick O’Connor, Patsy Kensit. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Donner. Shane Black first wrote a script that was rejected due to its violent nature; the story had Riggs killed. Followed by Lethal Weapon 3 (1992). 

Last word: “You do a lot of changes on the Lethal Weapon movies because Donner is very spontaneous and always wants something new the day he shoots the scene. He’ll call me up around seven in the morning saying ‘We’re about to shoot this scene, I have this idea, what do you think? Can you fax it to me?’ So we were constantly altering the script as we went along.” (Boam, Go Into the Story)