In a sentenceThe car chases could teach the conversations a thing or two about getting on with it
Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are the central pair in this action-led crime thriller. Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) and Jack Travis (Stuart Wilson) also feature, alongside Captain Murphy (Steve Kahan) and Stephanie Woods (Mary Ellen Trainor). Their story combines chases with one-liners and exchanges between the two leads. Richard Donner directs from a screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen and Jeffrey Boam. The film runs 118 minutes and carries a 15 certificate.
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Richard Donner keeps the chases lively and the company agreeable, but Lethal Weapon 3 lets the banter run on while the story runs short. Fans have enough to enjoy; newcomers have little reason to start here.
Richard Donner’s Lethal Weapon 3 is a decent action sequel whose chases are sharper than its writing. It knows the pleasure of spending time with familiar performers, and for a while that is enough. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover give Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh the easy rhythm needed to make a thin story tolerable. Across 118 minutes, though, the film asks their company to cover too many stretches in which little seems to matter.
The two leads keep their exchanges loose, which helps when so much depends on the appeal of their banter. Their familiarity is enjoyable, but the script keeps giving them more to say after a scene has made its point. Joe Pesci’s Leo Getz adds comic energy, although another lively presence does not mean every conversation needs another joke. The actors work hard to keep all this agreeable, even when the dialogue should have stopped.
The strongest case for the film is the wrong-way freeway chase. We were properly tense: oncoming traffic gives the danger a simple, immediate shape that the larger crime story seldom finds. Jan de Bont’s cinematography makes the speed and scale count, and Richard Donner handles the pursuit with an assurance the dialogue scenes could use. There is pleasure here in action that knows where its excitement lies and does not need the villain to become interesting first.
Editors Robert Brown and Battle Davis help sustain that forward movement, but the film feels much less disciplined when the talking begins. A joke lands, the exchange continues, and the next burst of action starts to feel overdue. James H. Spencer’s production design supports the scale of the set pieces without demanding attention for its own sake. The craft makes the mayhem enjoyable to watch, although it cannot make each incident feel necessary.
The chief weakness is the screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen and Jeffrey Boam, which gives the performers plenty to do without giving the crime story enough weight. Stuart Wilson’s Jack Travis is an underwritten adversary, and the film offers too little reason to take an interest in him beyond the trouble a villain is required to cause. That matters in a thriller, even a cheerful one. A stronger opponent would give the chases a purpose beyond another opportunity to watch these actors in motion.
The music from Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen and David Sanborn encourages the film’s relaxed confidence, which is pleasant company until a scene needs more urgency. It suits the joking more comfortably than the attempts at threat. As a buddy thriller, the film understands that affection for the leads can survive a routine case. Richard Donner relies on that affection too heavily, allowing the partnership to repeat itself when some fresh friction would have helped.
We would save this for an evening when familiar banter is part of the attraction. Anyone coming mainly for a tight crime story should look elsewhere, because the film spends its energy on the company and the collisions. Stay for the chases; do not expect the case to reward close attention.
The reviews lean towards qualified enjoyment, with most critics finding enough lively action to compensate for familiar material. Praise centres on the chase sequences and the scale of the set pieces, while the performances also receive credit. Variety offers the warmest response, singling out Joe Pesci’s comic energy and the wrong-way freeway chase, though it finds the comedy and thrills do not quite hold together.
Reservations focus on a shallow story, repetition and action that leaves less space for character or tension. The spread runs from enthusiastic entertainment to enjoyable but pointless, with Empire taking the latter view despite admiring the performances and chases. The banter divides critics more directly: Time Out finds it over-developed, while Eye for Film enjoys the one-liners and buddy exchanges. The disagreement is chiefly about how much the familiar pleasures can excuse.
Lowry finds the film highly entertaining, though its comic and thrilling moments do not form a cohesive whole. He praises the wrong-way freeway chase and the performances, especially Joe Pesci’s comic energy.
Read the full review →The review finds the film more successful in its fast-paced action than in its buddy-comedy exchanges. It singles out the action sequences for praise while finding the banter over-developed.
Read the full review →The article is identified as a review of the film, but its verdict cannot be determined from the accessible page. The page provides no readable criticism identifying what the reviewer praised or criticized.
Read the full review →Ferguson says the series is getting dumber, though its slick, mindless mayhem remains enjoyable. He praises the sheer scale of the set pieces as enough to satisfy fans.
Read the full review →Berry finds it entertaining but ultimately pointless, with a shallow story that does not go anywhere. She praises the performances and lively action, especially the expertly directed chase scenes.
Read the full review →Carty finds the film enjoyable but weaker than its predecessors, with its bigger, louder action coming at the expense of character and tension. He praises the snappy one-liners and buddy banter, while faulting the underwritten villain and increasingly repetitive formula.
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48 Hrs.A sharper, pricklier partnership for anyone who wants the banter to draw blood.
Police Story · not reviewed yetFor action built around physical invention rather than another round of familiar jokes.
The Last Boy ScoutMore abrasive company, with the jokes and the violence competing for nastiness.
The GuardA less hurried pairing, with enough bad manners to keep the conversation interesting.
The Nice Guys · not reviewed yetAn untidy investigation sustained by comic timing and two men making things worse.
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