“Lethal Weapon” is one of the biggest cult films of the 1980s. Despite an FSK 18 rating, the action hit starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover will be shown uncut on TV today at 8:15 p.m. The reason for this is a special permit…
Thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Co., the 1980s were not only a great action decade, but they were also the time of the so-called buddy movies. Here two fundamentally different characters had to pull together, which not only led to a lot of comedic friction but ultimately also represented the beginning of a unique friendship.
Also defining the style was “Lethal Weapon” by Richard Donner, in which Mel Gibson and Danny Glover wrote film history as an unlikely duo. Since the action cult has received an FSK 18 rating, one would think that the film could only be broadcast uncut on free TV after 11 p.m. But that’s not the case, because Thanks to a special permit from the FSF (Voluntary Self-Regulation Television), “Lethal Weapon” can be shown uncut on Kabel 1 today, May 16, at 8:15 p.m.
The decisive factor was the fact that the last FSK test was more than 10 years ago and there is, therefore, a suspicion that it is now outdated. This is exactly the case with “Lethal Weapon”, as you can read here in more detail. If you still prefer to see the action-packed movie without ads or in the original English version, you can either order the Blu-ray in a cost-effective set including the three sequels via Amazon or access Netflix, where the film is currently available as a subscription ready.
That’s what “Lethal Weapon” is about
Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is a Los Angeles police officer and family man. He has just celebrated his 50th birthday and has reached a point in his life where he doesn’t like to take risks. However, his new partner, Detective Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), is the complete opposite: ever since his wife died, the suicidal Riggs has been playing with fire regularly.
The two cops have to work together on the case of a call girl who apparently killed herself by jumping from a high-rise balcony. In the process, however, they track down a dangerous drug gang of former CIA agents. Murtaugh and Riggs must now put all their personal differences aside in order to bring the investigation to a successful conclusion…
More than just an action-packed men’s cinema
If you watch action cinema from the 1980s, you’d expect highly reactionary hit-and-run smashers, characterized by a muscle-bound giant becoming a one-man army and unleashing a bloody vendetta. However, “Lethal Weapon” is cut from a different cloth, although Richard Donner also builds on a lot of action here and there is everything to marvel at, from fist fights, gunfights, and explosions, that the action heart desires.
In the official DashFUN review, “Lethal Weapon” gets a terrific 4.5 out of a possible 5 stars. Here, too, our author Robert Kock points out that the film allows the viewer to look into the emotional world of its protagonists: “It’s exactly these sentiments of Riggs and Murtaugh that lift the story out of the male-movie trope and bring it to life.”
Although the story may seem conventional at first glance, one must not forget that it was “Lethal Weapon” who did not invent the buddy movie, but perfected it – and for the reason mentioned, because he allows his characters rough edges and emotions. Of course, for the film to really work, it also needed an acting duo that harmonized and consistently carried the audience away.
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are simply terrific in the leading roles and pass the balls so congenially that it is a real pleasure. Unbelievable that Richard Donner originally planned to separate the two warhorses at the end of “Lethal Weapon”. Luckily that’s not the case, because the three sequels are also absolute action highlights that you should definitely have seen.
