Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats who are using their immunity to engage in criminal activities.

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers:

Jeffrey Boam (screenplay), Shane Black (story)

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Martin Riggs
Danny Glover	...	Roger Murtaugh
Joe Pesci	...	Leo Getz
Joss Ackland	...	Arjen Rudd
Derrick O'Connor	...	Pieter Vorstedt
Patsy Kensit	...	Rika Van Den Haas
Darlene Love	...	Trish Murtaugh
Traci Wolfe	...	Rianne Murtaugh
Steve Kahan	...	Captain Murphy
Mark Rolston	...	Hans
Jenette Goldstein	...	Meagan Shapiro
Dean Norris	...	Tim Cavanaugh
Juney Smith	...	Tom Wyler
Nestor Serrano	...	Eddie Estaban
Philip Suriano	...	Joseph Ragucci

Storyline

Riggs and Murtaugh are trying to take down some drug dealers but the they turn out to be not run of the mill drug dealers; they have automatic weapons and helicopters. Eventually they grab one of their vehicles and find a million dollars worth of gold coins or Krugerrands in the trunk. Later Murtaugh is threatened by the men they're pursuing. That's when the Captain reassigns them to protect a man named Leo Getz who is suppose to testify in a big case. When they get to where Leo is, someone tries to kill him and that's when they learn he laundered half a billion dollars worth of drug money. He then takes them to a place he once went to and that's when the people there start shooting at them. Later when they come back with back up they learn that the men work for the South African consulate and have diplomatic immunity. They deduce that they are the ones they were looking for, but because of they have diplomatic immunity they can't do anything.

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Plot Keywords:

krugerrand | shoulder | holster | squad car | squad | 

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Taglines:

The magic is back!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeanette Goldstein and Mark Rolston have both appeared in Aliens (1986) and both have appeared in multiple films directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Goofs

At the end of the opening chase, the BMW hits an oncoming police car and flips. There is clearly no one in the patrol car upon impact.

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Quotes

[At the South African Consulate]
Roger Murtaugh: How you doin'?
[his handshake is ignored by the Envoy]
Consulate Envoy: I think there must be some mistake.
Roger Murtaugh: Say what?
Consulate Envoy: Listen to your friend here, he knows what he's talking about. I don't think you want to go to South Africa.
Roger Murtaugh: Why not?
Consulate Envoy: Because you're black!
Leo Getz: [to Murtaugh] You are.
[to Envoy]
[...]

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Crazy Credits

We miss you, Jay Engel

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Alternate Versions

The newly released Director's Cut has over 3 minutes of extra footage - Riggs gets attention from some women at a hotel spa, the exploding toilet sequence is lengthened and Murtaugh sees it hit his car, Murtaugh gets information about bodywork on his car from an auto repairman, Leo recalls a suspects address in a very unusual, humorous way.

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Connections

Referenced in Grijpstra & de Gier: Kat en muis (2007)

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Soundtracks

Still Cruisin' (After All These Years)
Performed by The Beach Boys
Produced by Terry Melcher
Courtesy of Capitol Records, Inc.
Written by Mike Love and Terry Melcher

User Reviews

Pure Magic

The first one was hard core. It was all about drugs, intrigue and Vietnam. It was also about Riggs' suicidal tendencies. It was serious. Too serious. That was awesome. This one is about a lighter, gentler Riggs. The same Murtaugh I'm afraid but a lighter gentler Riggs-for a while that is. Reasons why this film is better than the original: 1. Leo Getz, 2. Same chemistry but with a tighter bond, 3. Comic relief, 4. Truly despicable villains, 5. Revenge story that pops out of nowhere really (this is quite surprising for a Gibson flick mind you). This one's the best of the series. Part three was a joke. Part four...I dunno what the hell that one was. Part one was pure setup baby. This is the one. >

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Afrikaans

Release Date:

7 July 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Play Dirty

Filming Locations:

Fox Plaza - 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,388,800, 9 July 1989

Gross USA:

$147,253,986

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$227,853,986

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 108 min (cut) 118 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) (4 channels) Dolby Digital (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1