Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageLethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Director: Richard Donner
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
This wastes no time in assuring fans that Martin Riggs still loves getting involved in crazy things. A high-speed chase, explosive crash and helicopter rescue all slot neatly into the opening ten minutes. The villains are South African diplomats who run a lucrative drugs syndicate, and it's up to Riggs (Gibson) and his long-suffering partner Murtaugh (Glover) to throw away the rule books and bring justice to bear. Various trademarks of the original are repeated, notably the violence and the grudging affection between the mis-matched partners. Indeed, in this sequel their friendship has been enhanced, with Riggs virtually a member of Murtaugh's family. Joe Pesci makes a welcome appearance, albeit in a silly role as a bumbling accountant who has laundered narcotics money. By concentrating on the often frustrating, funny relationship between the three men, the film gains in humour but loses some of the momentum and panache which distinguished the original.Author: CM
Cast & crew
Director: Richard Donner
Producer: Richard Donner, Joel Silver
Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland, Derrick O'Connor, Patsy Kensit, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Steve Kahan full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 114 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now