Lethal Weapon 3
Lorna: "You can't solve every problem with your fists."
Riggs: "Well, I couldn't use my gun. There was a crowd."
release year: 1992
genre: action
viewing setting: home Bluray 11/21/21 and 3/16/16 and home DVD 6/9/13 and home laserdisc 1/2/97 and several times before that
synopsis: Riggs and Murtagh are back, along with an old friend and a new one, taking on an ex-cop who's stealing bad things from the police vault and putting them back out on the street.
impressions: Two main points about this one: it expanded Joe Pesci's role a bit, and it added a love interest for Riggs who can fight and has the right attitude. With each additional movie in the series, the humor and comraderie gradually edge out the action a little more. Yet, these movies continue to be thoroughly entertaining. This one had a plot about an arms-dealing ex-cop and his plans, which of course had to be discovered and foiled by the heroes. It was nice to watch Rene Russo's Lorna Cole character kick ass, and she actually kicked more than Riggs. This movie had two chases: one with armored cars and another with a motorcycle and a truck, which started off in the subway.
body count: 15 (3 by Riggs, 4 by Murtaugh, 2 by Lorna, 1 by both Riggs and Lorna, and 5 by others)
asses kicked by Riggs: 6
asses kicked by Lorna: 8
asses kicked by Murtaugh: 1
acting: Mel Gibson's Riggs is really mellowing out by this time. Danny Glover's Murtaugh is within days of retirement and has to face some unusual stresses. Rene Russo's Lorna starts off unapproachable, but Riggs wins her over, and again, she can fight. Joe Pesci moves between funny and annoying, again.
final word: Another solid entry in this series.
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