Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh pursue an arms dealer who is a former LAPD officer.

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers:

Shane Black (characters), Jeffrey Boam (story),

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Martin Riggs
Danny Glover	...	Roger Murtaugh
Joe Pesci	...	Leo Getz
Rene Russo	...	Lorna Cole
Stuart Wilson	...	Jack Travis
Steve Kahan	...	Captain Murphy
Darlene Love	...	Trish Murtaugh
Traci Wolfe	...	Rianne Murtaugh
Damon Hines	...	Nick Murtaugh
Ebonie Smith	...	Carrie Murtaugh
Gregory Millar	...	Tyrone
Nick Chinlund	...	Hatchett
Jason Rainwater	...	Young Cop (as Jason Meshover-Iorg)
Alan Scarfe	...	Herman Walters
Delores Hall	...	Delores

Storyline

Martin Riggs finally meets his match in the form of Lorna Cole, a beautiful but tough policewoman. Together with Roger Murtaugh, his partner, the three attempt to expose a crooked former policeman and his huge arms racket. The crooked cop (Jack Travis) thwarts them at every turn, mainly by killing anyone who is about to talk, but Murtaugh has personal problems of his own as his family are brought into the equation.

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Plot Keywords:

police | internal affairs | gun | police officer | lapd | 

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Taglines:

The magic is back again!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arma mortal 3

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$144,731,527 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 121 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marble slabs that were once part of the old city hall destroyed for the film are now used as tabletops at a local outdoor cafe in Orlando, Florida.

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Goofs

As the villains attempt to flee, they and Riggs drive onto a section of freeway that is being newly constructed. However there are already skid marks on the road surface, which is of course impossible. These appear to be from previous takes on the scene as they match the truck's path perfectly.

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Quotes

Captain Ed Murphy: Wait a minute! Look, maybe these guys can contribute something to this case.
Ernie - Detective: From what I've seen of their records, the only thing they do contribute is mayhem and chaos.
Martin Riggs: No, I'm Chaos, and he's Mayhem. We're a double act. What are we, required reading, or something?
Lorna Cole: As a matter of fact, you are. It's a cross between Police Gazette and Mad Magazine.

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Crazy Credits

During the credits you can hear that another bomb has been discovered. When Martin and Roger show up in their car, they have this discussion again whether or not to go in. Just as they stop at the building, the whole building explodes and you can hear Martin saying, while backing up the car, "I hope nobody saw us".

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Connections

Referenced in The Epic of Detective Mandy: Book Three - Satan Claus II: The Elves of Doom (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Latin Lingo"
Written by Lawrence Muggerud, Louis Freeze and Senen Reyes
Performed by Cypress Hill
Courtesy of Ruffhouse / Columbia Records by arrangement with
Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Good, really, really good!

This is a great series! Actually I could stop right here because I have already said what needs to be said but just for people's enjoyment I'll elaborate a little.

The acting is, much like in the two previous films, excellent. Somehow Mel Gibson and Danny Glover never seem to get tired of each other and it shows because their playful banter never seems to get tiring to the audience. Mel Gibson is a class actor and this time around he develops the character of Martin Riggs even further than he did in the second film. He is so good at portraying emotions that the audience genuinely feels with him. When he is angry you feel his anger and when he is sad you feel sad, you get the picture. The fact that he is so versatile shows in the contrasts of the character. He is both great in action-sequences and in romantic sequences. As for Danny Glover he also does a great job in bringing his character further and he really does in this installment because you get to see the more negative sides of the character this time around. In the first two films he was the character who didn't evolve much but took pride in it. This time, because retirement is rearing its ugly head, we get to see, what I must suppose was, the facade stripped away and see Murtaugh in his raw, pure form. Joe Pesci also returns this time for the comic relief and he is still funny. There is just something about the character of Leo Getz that is incredibly entertaining. However, the best performance is perhaps done by Stuart Wilson, an incredibly underrated actor who has sadly never really achieved a commercial breakthrough. He is the villain of this film and is perhaps the best villain of the series simply because he has more depth than any other villain in the series. He is also given considerably more screen time than many of the other villains so he really has a chance to shine. Rene Russo appears in this film as Riggs new romantic interest and she may not be the most gifted actress ever to be on film but her chemistry with Mel Gibson is undeniable and her on-screen presence is pretty amazing considering that she is a new entry to the character gallery.

The story of the film is the weakest out of all the series (yes even the fourth one) and sometimes it kinda drags. Mainly, however, the story is still highly entertaining and funny. The best element of the script is the fact that villain is an ex-cop this time around and that does that the heroes can hate the villain even more because he is, aside from being a mean bastard, a traitor, almost a symbol of the back-side of the medallion.

The action of the film is just like in the two previous movies absolutely brilliant. The action is highly entertaining and well made and Mel Gibson is excellent as an action star as well as many other things.

All in all a great entry to a great series.

7/10