FAQ

Riggs and Murtaugh and some other members of their team were performing a drug bust on Hans (Mark Rolston) and his crew. They likely saw a chance to bolt and the police started chasing them. What actually happened is unknown but likely Hans' crew were on their way to purchase narcotics with the krugerrands in their trunk.

After engaging in a high speed chase with South African smugglers and recovering a trunk full of krugerrands, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are assigned to the less dangerous job of protecting federal witness Leo Getz (Joe Pesci). Soon, however, they learn that Getz is involved in the same smuggling ring, laundering money made by South African diplomats hiding under their diplomatic immunity status.

Lethal Weapon 2 is the second movie in the Lethal Weapon series, preceded by Lethal Weapon (1987) and followed by Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). It is based on a story and screenplay by American screenwriters Shane Black (who created the characters in the first movie), Warren Murphy, and Jeffrey Boam.

Krugerrands are a South African monetary unit made mostly of solid gold (with a little copper thrown in). The chief monetary unit of South Africa is called the "rand". "Kruger" comes from the face depicted on the coin of Paul Kruger, president of the South African Republic from 1883 to 1900.

They aren't anymore. However, during the 1970s and '80s, they were outlawed because of South Africa's position on apartheid.

Apartheid is a system of racial segregation in South Africa that limited the rights of black South Africans and kept them "apart" from white South Africans. Apartheid existed in South Africa for decades until it was abolished in 1994.

In southern Africa, "kaffir" is a ethnic slur referring to a black person.

No. The scene requires a serious amount of suspension of disbelief but it really makes for a fun action sequence. Riggs is driving a large, heavy-duty GMC Sierra (a 1989) that likely has a V8 engine and also has a heavy duty rear suspension setup— he uses it to tow the trailer he lives in. However, Riggs wraps the chain he uses to pull out the stilt near the base of the stilt where it's bolted to the concrete post. The bolts, plus the weight of the house on the stilt would make it impossible to yank out with Riggs' truck. In reality, depending on where Riggs had secured the chain to his truck—it looks like it's been attached to the rear axle assembly—the force would have either bent the axle severely or ripped it loose from the undercarriage. It's possible he could have bent the stilt enough if he'd attached the chain about halfway along the length of the support but that would be highly unlikely too, i.e., it would cause some damage to the stilt itself but it's unlikely the whole house would come down.

Yes and no. The house that's destroyed in the movie was a replica built on a backlot at Warner Studios. The real house was used as a shooting location but it's still standing at 7436 Mulholland Drive in Beverly Hills. It was designed by a man named John Lautner, who was a famous architect.