Watch Lethal Weapon 2 For Free

Why so much hype?

Admirable film.

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

One of my friends parents rented "Lethal Weapon 2" when we were having a sleep over and actually called my parents to make sure it was OK that I watched it with them.I was shocked by the phone call.My father was shocked by the phone call. Of course I could, it's a children's movie...or at least back then it was kind of looked at as a kids flick.I mean, I had already seen it on the big screen with mom and dad.Anyway...this movie is about Leo.It was about Leo when I first watched it all those years ago and it's still about Leo today. 1, 3, and 4 are about Martin and Roger, but 2 was all about Leo.He stole the show and ran with it.All the parts you remember--before watching it again--are the Leo parts. The sort of physical three stooges routine he had with Riggs and how the duo treated him like a child.Something about South Africans and Leo, and Drugs and Leo, and Diplomatic Immunity and Leo, and a bomb on a toilet and Leo.Aside from the revocation of the Diplomatic Immunity and the toilet bomb, the movie is all Leo.And it is hysterical, not as dark as the first, and that's fine, because it's funnier.

Released in 1989, "Lethal Weapon 2" stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as L.A. cop team, Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. In this sequel they team up with a witness (Joe Pesci) to take down big-league South African drug dealers who have diplomatic immunity. In the meantime Riggs romances an employee of the consulate (Patsy Kensit). Jenette Goldstein is on hand as a fellow cop.I wasn't impressed by the first 30-40 minutes, but the three main characters drew me in from there with their warm camaraderie mixed with a bit o' comedy. Like the original, this is an over-the-top, cartoony cop thriller with ludicrous James Bond-isms. You have to accept the outrageousness in order to enjoy it, just as you do with the Bond flicks and similar cop thrillers, like 1977's "The Gauntlet," although the latter's superior IMHO, as are the Dirty Harry films. While some aspects are predictable, there are a couple original and impressive parts, like the toilet sequence and the money-explosion scene. The film also scores pretty well on the babe front with Kensit and Goldstein, plus a couple others. Anyway, I marginally prefer this one to the original.The film runs 118 minutes (Director's Cut) and was shot in the greater Los Angeles area.GRADE: B

Lethal Weapon was just the beginning. It sets up the relationship between Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Murtaugh (Danny Well) well, with a strong story to boot. The second has the cops in a tight knit, their banter brushing off each other with satisfying effects. Murtaugh is still angry, and Riggs is still crazy, just less suicidal. They're the cop duo others try to replicate. LW2 carries over LW's best bits, while adding extra bonuses for all to revel in. Newcomer Joe Pesci ('I'm Leo Getz, and whatever you want, Leo gets.') is great but does grate, repeating 'ok' so many times I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The only drawback to LW2 is too much time and effort's spent on character development, as the South African criminals they face have no personalities. This is made up for by a shocking twist involving a key character's past.

Lethal Weapon 2 doesn't recycle ideas and plot points from the first movie, but instead expands on the first movie by developing Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh's personal lives, the introduction of new villains, and the addition of a third sidekick which adds plenty of moments of humour. The action is still just as good, and there is still plenty to enjoy about Lethal Weapon 2.Lethal Weapon 2 wastes no time getting started as we see LAPD Detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) in the middle of a police pursuit through the streets of Los Angeles with an unidentified suspect driving a red BMW which turns out to be transporting a trunk full of gold Krugerrands. There is an illegal smuggling operation which is being spearheaded by South African consul-general Arjen Rudd (Joss Ackland) and his chief enforcer Pieter Vorstedt (Derrick O' Connor) however they are blatantly doing so while hiding behind the fact they have "Diplomatic Immunity". Captain Harris (Steve Kahan) assigns Riggs and Murtaugh to babysit the irritating, obnoxious and overeager Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), a federal witness who is going to testify against the South African smuggling operation. Riggs also finds himself a love interest, Rika Van Den Haas (Patsy Kensit) who is also Rudd's secretary at the South African Consulate. Rudd and Vorstedt continue to deceitfully continue their smuggling operation while hiding their diplomatic credentials and Riggs and Murtaugh vow to take them down.Lethal Weapon 2 adds a lighter comedic element with the introduction of Joe Pesci as Leo Getz. It's hard to believe upon seeing Leo Getz that Joe Pesci would later net himself an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as the volatile Tommy De Vito in Goodfellas (1990). Here in Lethal Weapon 2, Pesci's Leo Getz is nothing more than an irritating annoyance but enhances the comic relief to counterbalance the violent action scenes.It was great to see Mel Gibson and Danny Glover continue their dynamic partnership as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. Lethal Weapon 2 is a perfect example of a sequel that continues the story and introduces more elements rather than rehashing the story from the first movie. Joss Ackland and Derrick O'Connor were excellent as the chief villains of the movie. Patsy Kensit adds sex appeal as the beautiful Rika Van Den Haas who finds herself caught up in the war between the LAPD and the South African criminals.Keep an eye out for Dean Norris (TV's Breaking Bad), Jeanette Goldstein (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) and Mark Rolston (The Departed) in small roles.Director Richard Donner has continued to weave his magic as a director and has struck box office gold with the success of Lethal Weapon 2 as one of the biggest movies of 1989.What can you say about Lethal Weapon 2? There's never a dull moments with plenty of action-packed scenes along with plenty of humour. A definite must for all Lethal Weapon fans as well as fans of action.9/10.