X
- 1989
- Unrated
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 54 m
- 1989
- Unrated
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 54 m
Summary Riggs wows the pretties of a hotel spa before getting to Getz. Murtaugh receives bad bodywork news from an auto repairman after his beleaguered station wagon sees some Riggs-piloted street action. Plus, feisty Leo shares a newly included scene in which he recalls a suspect's address by complex spins of numbers that, well, no one can tell...
Directed By: Richard Donner
Written By: Jeffrey Boam, Shane Black, Warren Murphy
- 1989
- Unrated
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 54 m
- 1989
- Unrated
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 54 m
Lethal Weapon 2
70
8.0
Where to Watch
Summary Riggs wows the pretties of a hotel spa before getting to Getz. Murtaugh receives bad bodywork news from an auto repairman after his beleaguered station wagon sees some Riggs-piloted street action. Plus, feisty Leo shares a newly included scene in which he recalls a suspect's address by complex spins of numbers that, well, no one can tell...
Directed By: Richard Donner
Written By: Jeffrey Boam, Shane Black, Warren Murphy
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
70
86% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
14% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 21 Critic Reviews
70
86% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
14% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
But no, Lethal Weapon 2 is no artless, autopiloted waste of precious movie-theater air conditioning. It's fun stuff -- crackling, playfully escapist summer fare that doesn't make you feel taken advantage of later.
Lethal Weapon, that BMW of buddy movies, spawns Lethal Weapon 2, a blacktop-blistering bad-guy-getter that's nearly twice as much fun.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 166 User Ratings
8.0
83% Positive
137 Ratings
137 Ratings
13% Mixed
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
4% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 166 User Ratings
8.0
83% Positive
137 Ratings
137 Ratings
13% Mixed
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
4% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Lethal Weapon 2 made in 1989 by Richard Dinner who's made all four Lethal Weapon movies. Lethal Weapon 2 is by far much better than the original which was good but Lethal Weapon 2 has more magic in it, more action, more style and substance and is genuinely more entertaining than the original. Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Danny Glover (Murtaugh) are back as buddy cops and team up with Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) to bring down a crimeboss and his freaks who are hiding behind diplomatic immunity. The villains are Lethal Weapon 2's weak spot but besides that Lethal Weapon 2 is a great film and Joss Ackland who's the main villain does okay his role. Patsy Kensit gives a sizzling performance but sadly she's killed off later in the film and the action scenes towards the end of the film are simply just fantastic and a beautiful song near the end when the credits are rolling! I give Lethal Weapon 2 a 10/10 rating for being better than the original and by far the best sequel in the series.
Report
Before it skids out of control in the final sequence, the film is so careful to preserve its successful comic-action formula that it follows the most basic law of sequels. If you liked ''Lethal Weapon,'' you'll like Lethal Weapon 2; it's almost as simple as that.
Returning director Richard Donner seems to have smoothed over the few stylistic rough edges remaining from the earlier film to deliver here two hours of pure, breathless, high-impact entertainment.
By concentrating on the often frustrating, funny relationship between the three men, the film gains in humour but loses some of the momentum and panache which distinguished the original.
Lethal Weapon 2 is bang-bang and brain-dead in roughly equal measure. If there's an advantage this time out, it's that the film seems to play the action (and its lead character's psychoses) more for laughs. [7 Jul 1989, p.1D]
That first movie raised the craft of torture to a low art. Expect no less in LW2, directed by Richard Donner and written by Jeffrey Boam. This installment features a surfboard decapitation, death by carpenter's nail gun, a bomb wired to a very sensitive seat ( and reduction of the Afrikaaner diaspora by about one-half. (24July 1989, p.53)
Lethal Weapon 2 is a movie that out bests its prequel and was more action wised than the first one.
Report
Lethal Weapon 2 offers enough to keep fans interested and is a solid sequel but there's too much of a reliance on the action and not a good split of action/drama like the first film. I think there were too overly long car chase scenes in the first hour of the movie and it kind of kills the pacing a bit. And the plot was a bit farfetched for my taste.
The addition of Pesci was also a major plus. He really helped add to the dynamic duo of Gibson/Glover.
Report
effective for a definite amount of time..
Lethal Weapon 2
2 And A Half Out Of 5
Lethal Weapon 2 is not a fresh take on its previous installment and instead goes old book and somehow manages to charms its way out of it. It is very rare of a feature to deliver a better or similar sequel as the expectations always grows bigger than potential, and in here it does deliver unflinchingly but unfortunately it still doesn't suggest that it's a good feature as the bar was set low from earlier. It is short on technical aspects like sound department and editing, but its action packed choreography is something to look forward to. The script is bolder and stronger than its predecessor; despite of not being fresh, as it isn't afraid to visit places which would be least expected by the audience, especially in its last act where things go down pretty fast.
The screenplay by Jeffrey Boam is gripping as it enfolds in each phase of the act and holds the audience on the seat with a decent support from Richard Donner; the director, whose execution isn't something that stands alone but is surely effective whilst creating the anticipated impact. Mel Gibson and Donald Glover's amazing chemistry is what fuels the franchise along with a new additional character of Joe Pesci who is equally good in his portrayal.
Lethal Weapon 2 is effective for a definite amount of time when it is showing off its tricks and turns, but beyond that, it fumbles to offer anything.
Report
I really liked the first movie of the franchise and was very curious to see the rest. So I had some expectations about this film, as is natural and understandable. But what I found is so much weaker that I couldn't avoid feeling disillusioned. Even so, it was a huge success and represented a huge financial income for everyone involved, from the studio to the actors. Mission accomplished!
The problem starts where almost all problems start in cinema: the script, written in a fanciful and absurd way. Again, we'll see Murtaugh and Riggs in a new investigation, betting on eliminating an organized crime group that's strongly associated with South Africa, an ostracized country at this time due to the "apartheid". In the midst of all this, without even being immediately understood by the public, the detectives are removed from this case and are going to babysit an important witness. Understood? Not? In fact, it's hard to understand.
In addition to a confusing script based on an absurd premise (the police cannot act against someone protected by diplomatic immunity... they can, but this requires contact with the diplomat's country, in order for immunity to be suspended), the film totally sacrifices the script for tons of unbelievable action filled with explosions, gunfire and destruction. The opening scene is pretty clear on what we're going to find, and the film's climax includes the destruction of an entire house by a single man. The movie is fun, entertains the audience, gives them a lot of action... but it doesn't make much sense.
Again, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover showed up to the characters they had and give us a happy performance. Is it better than the first movie? No, I felt the two actors were lazier here, but the truth is that you only get to feel that once in a while. Joss Ackland was a more irritating villain than a threatening one, but he gives the franchise the first villain worth noting. Joe Pesci, unfortunately, was left with the painful and arduous task of bringing the movie moron to life, and his performance resented that.
Technically, it's a movie where the bet goes completely back to special, visuals and sound effects. It is completely packed with action scenes, each one louder and more spectacular than the last, with explosions, gunfire, destruction and stunts doing a truly well-done and commendable job. The cinematography is regular, it is within what we would expect from a nineties film, and the sets and costumes fulfill their role with dignity. The soundtrack does not deserve any mention.
Report
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Image Awards (NAACP)
• 2 Nominations
BMI Film & TV Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
