Lethal Weapon: Difference between revisions

'''"Hey, that's no fair. [[I Take Offense to That Last One|The building guy lived.]]"'' |'''Murtaugh''' and '''Riggs'''}}

 

 

In ''Lethal Weapon'' (1987), Glover is playing Roger Murtaugh, the strict cop that plays by the rules, and worries about getting too old ([[Catch Phrase|for this shit]]). He is partnered with Martin Riggs, a suicidal badass despairing over the death of his wife. Riggs is well versed with both martial arts and gun play and added to his [[The Berserker|berserker]] tendencies makes him a candidate to be registered as a [[Title Drop|lethal weapon.]] They start tracking down a major drug dealer who has ties within the force.

Now has a [[Lethal Weapon/Characters|character sheet]]

 

* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Delores towards Rog in the 3rd movie.

* [[Action Girl]]: Lorna Cole.

* [[The Artifact]]: In the second film Leo is introduced as a key witness and much of the plot revolves around protecting him; for the rest of the series he is reduced to the [[Plucky Comic Relief]], though he still briefly helps out in both cases.

* [[Ate His Gun]]: Riggs is outright suicidal in the first film. In an early scene, he actually puts his gun in his mouth, but doesn't shoot.

* [[Bash Brothers]]: Riggs and Murtaugh don't embody this trope until the final fight against Ku in the fourth movie.

* [[Blond Guys Are Evil]]: Mr. Joshua in the first film, and the South Africans in the second.

* [[Bond One-Liner]]: From the second film: "Nailed 'em both." Also, the one in the next entry.

* [[Boom! Headshot!]]: Roger's signature maneuver, done once a film, after rolling his head from side-to-side to crack his neck.

*** Ku, from the fourth film: "If this was Hong Kong, you'd be dead."

* [[The Cavalry Arrives Late]]: The end of the second film.

*** This scene was (wisely) cut from the theatrical release and reinserted for the [[Directors Cut]] DVD.

** Subverted in the third film, where Riggs argues that [[Lampshade Hanging|the bomb squad never gets here on time]]!"; they meddle with the bomb, it goes off, a massive building is leveled... and the bomb squad immediately pulls up, having arrived in plenty of time to deal with the bomb had Riggs not interfered.

* [[Character Development]]: Riggs starts off as a suicidal, lonely man and at the end of the fourth movie is shown to be a happy member of a large family.

* [[Chekhov's Gun|Chekhov's]] [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Nailgun]]: In ''Lethal Weapon 2''.

** [[Chekhov's Gun|Chekhov's]] [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Dog Biscuits]] for [[Angry Guard Dog]], for that matter

*** [[Chekhov's Skill|Chekhov's]] [[Overly Long Gag|Dislocated Shoulder]] which keeps coming back. In the second film, Riggs voluntarily dislocating his shoulder to get out of a straitjacket on a bet is used comedically to show how nuts he is. But {{spoiler|when the villains try to kill him by putting him in a straitjacket and tossing him into a river, he's able to get out of it, swim up to the surface, and take out two of them.}}

*** He also has to reset his shoulder twice in the third film, though not under such mortal circumstances. At one point, he slides himself into a pole to do so on the fly.

* [[Chekhov's Skill]]: Riggs ability to dislocate and reset his shoulder was used as a gag early in the second movie, only to become important to Riggs escaping a death trap. Similarly, in the third movie Riggs taught Murtaugh a basic defensive kick which was made into a prank with Murtaugh kicking over a water cooler, with Murtaugh used instinctively in the climax.

* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]]: Riggs and Murtaugh are both subjected to this in the first film, as the bad guys try to find out from them what the police know. It doesn't work, because the cops don't know much of ''anything,'' and because Riggs is able to escape from Endo and go on a rampage.

* [[Comically Missing the Point]]: From ''Lethal Weapon 3'':

{{quote|'''Murtaugh:''' When are you gonna learn you can't solve every problem with your fists?

** For extra ballsiness, at one point he does this while SHOOTING at Riggs.

*** And Murtaugh [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|revokes it a second later.]]

* [[The Dragon]]: Typically opposing Riggs. Mr. Joshua in the first, Pieter in the second.

* [[Dragon Their Feet]]: In the first film, {{spoiler|1=while General McAllister was barbecuing his nuts on Hollywood Boulevard, Mr. Joshua went to Murtaugh's house to go after Roger's family. But there was "nobody here but us good guys".}}

* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]]: Every movie but the second, which is decidedly more [[Bittersweet Ending|bittersweet.]]

* [[Evil Albino]]: Mr. Joshua.

* [[Fridge Brilliance]]: One instance actually happens in-universe, and is not trivia.

{{quote|'''Roger Murtaugh''': You ever hear of Ebony Clarke?

** Actually 9mm Parabellum round gives pretty high maximum pressure, so overpressurized load complete with hardened and specifically shaped (or saboted) round could easily defeat an ordinary kevlar vest. On the other hand, using such ammo in the ordinary SMG set to full auto would be extremely dangerous to the shooter.

* [[Hair-Trigger Temper]]: Averted; Joe Pesci is famous for such roles played scarily straight but his character Leo Getz is harmless. In fact, he plays a fall guy. He's still liable to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation, but everyone's more than aware it's all bluster and Riggs and Murtagh are more than willing to tell him to shut up.

* [[Heroic BSOD]]: In the second film, when [[The Dragon]] {{spoiler|reveals he killed Riggs' wife Victoria, and then he kills Rika, too.}}

** In the third film, Murtaugh [[Drowning My Sorrows|goes on a drinking binge]] after he was forced to kill a teenager (who was a friend of his son's). In a [[Role Reversal]], Riggs has to play the sane man in the entire episode.

** Pretty [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstructed]] in the fourth movie, when his age takes away the 'lightning part'. He's still faster and a better fighter than Murtaugh, but his age showing in his fighting prowess is a major plot-point.

* [[Make It Look Like an Accident]]: Parodied in the third film. After Riggs and Murtaugh are busted down to patrolmen, they catch a guy jaywalking; when they say they're gonna cite him for it, the jaywalker is apoplectic. "You've got people actually committing crimes in this city, and you're busting me for crossing the street?" Eventually, he gets on Riggs' nerves to the point where he's about to pull his gun on him. "Lemme shoot him, Roger! We can make it look like suicide!" After the jaywalker takes off on Roger's advice ("Get out of here before my partner kills you! No, not ''that'' way, the ''other'' way!"), Riggs and Murtaugh both laugh their asses off-- they were only having a little fun with the guy, apparently.

* [[Mauve Shirt]]: All the new detectives introduced in the second movie.

** The 22-year-old cop, Edwards, who's the butt of jokes at his expense about his age and height throughout the third film, and takes it all with good-natured, innocent charm. He ends up dead at the hands of Jack Travis.

* [[The Purge]]: {{spoiler|The villain in ''Lethal Weapon 2'' does this to the LAPD detectives investigating him, with Riggs and Murtaugh the only survivors.}}

* [[Psycho for Hire]]: Mr Joshua.

* [[Redemption Quest]]: The entire series is one for Riggs. Murtaugh had his in the third movie {{spoiler|after killing a teenager in self-defense.}}

* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: Riggs with the suicide jumper in the first film. He was crazier than the jumper.

** Trish's [[Cordon Bleugh Chef|bad cooking]] is frequently referenced throughout the series, including a great exchange where Roger wishes the toilet-bomb had instead been put in the kitchen stove. Riggs responds with [[Crowning Moment of Funny|"All the needless suffering could've been ended right there."]]

** "Hey guys, can I have a gun this time?" "''No''."

** Arjen Rudd and the South African mobsters in the second one.

* [[Sarcastic Clapping]]: The bomb squad in the third (see [[The Cavalry Arrives Late]]).

{{quote|'''Riggs:''' Besides, I'm here, and I have no plans on going right now.}}

* [[Stuffed in The Fridge]]: The original plan for Rika in the second movie was for her to survive and attend the Thanksgiving party at Murtaugh's house with Riggs. Instead, she was killed off just so Riggs would be properly "motivated" for the rest of the movie.

* [[Survival Mantra]]: "We're not too old for this shit... we're not too old for this shit..."

* [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]: In ''Lethal Weapon 3'', Riggs gets a hold of one of Jack Travis' flunkies at the garage in which he works, asking him "where's your buddy Travis?" After Lorna is waylaid by five other guys (and beats the crap out of them) while Riggs, Murtaugh and the original suspect watch, Riggs again asks the suspect where Travis is. "I told you, I don't know a Jack Travis." "I didn't say his name was ''Jack.''"

* [[Villainous Valour]]: Only Wah Sing Ku is able to disassemble a Beretta in 5 seconds with his own bare hands and then knocking off Riggs and Murtaugh who are older and taller than him. In the final showdown he once again manages to handle them even if they are two vs one.

* [[Visual Pun]]: The "rubber" tree in ''Lethal Weapon 2''.

* [[Wire Dilemma]]: Occurs in the third movie... and the bomb goes off.

** He would've just killed the entire South African government, and [[Diplomatic Impunity|gotten away with it because of diplomatic immunity]].

** Echoed in a scene later on, when [[The Dragon|Pieter Vorstedt]] meets Rudd in his office. Rudd notices he seems to be looking at the floor, and then asks him what he's doing.

[[Category:Films of the 1990s]]

[[Category:Buddy Cop Show]]

[[Category:Film]]