Lethal Weapon • The Next Reel

"You ever met anybody you didn’t kill?" Shortly after graduating from UCLA, Shane Black sold his first screenplay to Warner Bros. to the tune of $250,000. That script was “Lethal Weapon.” Black didn’t know it at the time, but he was on his way to changing the way Hollywood thought about big blockbuster action films and about screenwriters as well. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our Shane Black series with Richard Donner’s 1987 film “Lethal Weapon.” We talk about how the film held up for us after our first viewings in our teen years. We chat about Black and his screenplay, looking at what’s in it, what’s not, and why his writing works so well. We look at Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as Riggs and Murtaugh, discussing everything from their partnership in this buddy cop movie to Mel’s hair and from Murtaugh’s family to Mel’s butt. We look at Gary Busey and talk about why he works well in this film. We chat about the stunts, notably Dar Richardson who lost his life right after principal photography finished. And we argue about the quality of Michael Kamen’s and Eric Clapton’s music. It’s a fun film, even if it doesn’t hold up to memories of it from our youth, so check it out then tune in to hear what we thought. Film Sundries Watch this film: iTunes • AmazonScript TranscriptOriginal theatrical trailerOriginal poster artworkFlickchartInternet Movie Firearms Database Trailers of the WeekAndy's Trailer: The Family Fang — "Whether the movie ends up good or not, there’s still something I just absolutely love about Jason Bateman. This story he stars in and directs about a dysfunctional family run by parents who are all about performance art and their now grown-up children looking to distance themselves from the antics looks to be the right kind of quirky for me. Plus Nicole Kidman and Christopher Walken. I’m all in!"Pete's Trailer: Rogue One — "We were mixed on Godzilla, but Gareth Edwards at the helm of the first stand-alone Star Wars story has us intrigued. From the trailer, the frame-by-frame forensic analysis that’s being done on it in most corners of the internet at least, feels like they got the look just right. I’m all in."Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Become a member for just $5/month or $55/yearJoin our Discord community of movie loversThe Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and MovementsThe Film BoardMovies We LikeThe Next Reel Film PodcastSitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Main Site: WebMovie Platforms: Letterboxd | FlickchartSocial Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | PinterestYour Hosts: Andy | PeteShop & Stream:Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & moreWatch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussedOriginals: Source material from our episodesSpecial offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible