A breezy, more comedic sequel that leans hard on Riggs and Murtaugh’s chemistry, but the formula is starting to show its seams. It’s entertaining if you want polished buddy-cop banter, big set pieces, and a lighter tone; less so if you’re after the grit or surprise of the first two films.
35% ★★☆☆☆ (85,409)
Lethal Weapon 3
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Action · Thriller · R
1992 · 1h 58m · ★ 35% (85.4K)
The magic is back again!
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci
Overview
Riggs and Murtaugh pursue a former officer who uses his knowledge of police procedure and policies to steal and sell confiscated guns and ammunition to local street gangs.
Director
Richard Donner
Production
Silver Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, St. Petersburg Clearwater Film Commision
Cast
Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Stuart Wilson, Steve Kahan, Mary Ellen Trainor, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Ebonie Smith, Damon Hines, Thomas A. Geas, Gregory Millar, Nick Chinlund, Alan Scarfe, Delores Hall, Mark Pellegrino, John Cenatiempo, Pete Antico, Sven-Ole Thorsen
Curator Review
Verdict
A breezy, more comedic sequel that leans hard on Riggs and Murtaugh’s chemistry, but the formula is starting to show its seams. It’s entertaining if you want polished buddy-cop banter, big set pieces, and a lighter tone; less so if you’re after the grit or surprise of the first two films.
Best for
fans of 90s action-comedy
viewers who like buddy-cop chemistry over plot complexity
people open to a more sitcom-like franchise entry
fans of Joe Pesci’s comic chaos
Skip if
you want the rawest or most serious entry in the series
you’re tired of formulaic cop-movie plotting
you prefer tightly engineered mysteries
you dislike broad comedy mixed with action
Overview
Lethal Weapon 3 is the point where the franchise fully embraces its own looseness. The action is still slick and the banter still lands, but the movie is more interested in keeping Riggs, Murtaugh, and Leo Getz bouncing off one another than in building a particularly elegant crime story.
Worth noting
That shift works better than it should. Richard Donner keeps the pace moving, the set pieces are energetic, and the addition of Rene Russo gives the movie a welcome counterweight to all the macho posturing. The film has a goofy, overextended charm, even when the plotting gets absurdly convenient.
Bottom line
What’s missing is the sharper edge that made the earlier films feel more dangerous. This one is lighter, broader, and a little more self-satisfied, but if you’re in the mood for an easygoing blockbuster buddy-cop sequel, it still goes down smoothly.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Matt Singer (3★) · 397 likes
Literally half the plot of this one is “And then the crooks do more crimes 50 feet from Riggs and Murtaugh in broad daylight.” It happens over and over! The heroes get busted down to patrolmen, then stumble on an armored car robbery on their very day walking the beat. They go to get a hamburger and Riggs finds a gang of teenagers with automatic weapons. Better yet, the two cases are connected! Inspector Clouseau could have solved this mystery.
Jade talks too much🎅🏻🎄 (4★) · 271 likes
JOE PESCI WITH BLEACH BLONDE HAIR! JOE PESCI WITH BLEACH BLONDE HAIR! What a funny little dude.👱🏼♂️😆 This one is notably more sitcom-y🙃 than the first 2 but as a sitcom fan, I love it.💗 Renee Russo is a great additon to the franchise. It was about time they added a kickass women to counteract all the testosterone.😎💅🏻 These movies have the best soundtracks ever🎶. We get Sting AND Elton John in this one.🔥🔥🔥 The only knock I have against… more
matt lynch (3.5★) · 242 likes
"No, I'm chaos and he's mayhem. We're a double act." I sincerely love this cartoon because not only are they the worst police officers on earth (pulling a gun on the jaywalker is an all-timer), but in this one they're also idiots. It'ss like a relatively incredibly polished Terence Hill/Bud Spencer movie. But oh man the attempt, even clumsier and more po-faced here than in part 2, to lend these films some kind of social conscience is just poison. It's… more
Grooveman (4★) · 200 likes
"We can't shoot a dog. People? Okay, but not dogs."
Justin LaLiberty (3.5★) · 129 likes
“They fuck you at the hospital! First they drug you, then they fuck you! And when they're done fucking you, along comes the insurance company and fucks you some more! Ten dollars for a fucking aspirin that's not even covered!” Leo Getz is more honest about the American healthcare system than any elected official over the past three decades