Lethal Weapon 2 — A Look Back 30 Years Later

Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are back as a volatile pair of Los Angeles police detectives with completely opposite law-enforcement styles. This time the duo is chasing a dangerous international smuggling ring involving diplomats from South Africa and a dark connection to Riggs’ past.

Author’s Note: We all have movies that made a lasting impression on us. For me, Lethal Weapon 2 was one of those flicks. I was 15 when I sneaked past the attendant at the multiplex to watch it. For weeks (ok, months) after I looked for any opportunity to pound on the roof of my car or jump on the hood of someone else’s. Crazy, right? What can I say except I bet I wasn’t the only teenage boy who wanted to grow up to be Martin Riggs.

“We’re back. We’re bad. You’re black. I’m mad.”

Making a sequel that is bigger and better than the original film is task at which few directors have been successful. So many elements have to mix in just the right way to create cinematic magic. A great script, the right cast, a talented director and so many other unseen forces working behind the scenes.

In so many ways, it is the very essence of catching lightning in a bottle.