Lethal Weapon 2 - DTS

Rating:
Summary: Teach younger people about social commitment
Review: The action is just as spectacular, maybe even more, than in the first film of the series. But this film innovates by choosing a directly political subject : the end of apartheid in South Africa and the criminal activities of the souoth african diplomatic bodies in the US, selling gold krugerbands for dollars, eliminating the main opponents to the regime, persecuting and victimizing the cops who, on the basis of their own hatred of apartheid, take part in a movement against it and try to prevent or stop their trafficking, and eventually, as a result of the fight that comes out of their blocking action, the people who organize this traffic, the diplomats and their valets who are criminals under diplomatic immunity. This political clear-cut discourse is a rare thing in an action film and this is the great merit of this film and its actors to be militants for a just cause, the humanistic battle against a fascist regime. It is often done with humor, and they introduce a new character, a certain Leo, who is both short in size, unquenchable in speech and admirably funny in his careless and carefree and often unconscious actions, especially since he is a state witness in a case of money laundering for drug traffickers. He is a constant and active member of the action. The subject of course is old today, because apartheid has disappeared and Nelson Mandela has changed many things in South Africa, with the help of a lot of international solidarity, but it does not make us nostalgic at all. It becomes some kind of a lesson about our duty to support causes that defend human rights and plain justice. This is a committed film, in the best meaning of « commitment », a word invented by great people like Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and many post-Second-World-War philosophers and intellectuals. We seem to hear Camus saying in the wings his new « cogito » : « We are rebelling, therefore we are. » Some will say it is old-fashioned, but is it really old-fashioned in the days of the fall of the Iron Curtain, of the Berlin Wall, of the bamboo curtain, of all those regimes that had inspired many of us by its general revolutionary principles and that had completely and systematically betrayed those principles of humanitariasnism, justice, freedom, and culture, education, health and wealth for everyone, creating the worst imaginable system of repression and elimination, a system that was based on trials where the victims confessed their « crimes » and agreed with their sentences that were transformed into heroic acts by and for the regime, like the goulag camp that built the canal to the the White Sea ? This film enables people in my generation to rethink many historical elements. It enables people of younger generations to remember or rediscover our fights for freedom and justice in the worst possible conditions, and I think, it may be able to inspire many younger and less young people in their fight for a new world order based on solidarity and equality of chances for all. We can think of the exemplary fight of Nelson Mandela and the new South Africa for cheap drugs to deal with the AIDS pandemoc in Africa and their phenomenal victory that negates international industrial property regulations, with the agreement of the proprietors of this industrial property, viz. the medical and pharmateucical firms. Such an action film that becomes the educational field for a higher awareness of our duty to struggle for justice, freedom, equality, human and civil rights all over the world is the best possible tool we can provide younger people with in order to make them understand their own, personal and ethical duty and necessary commitment. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.

Rating:
Summary: JUST AS GOOD AS THE ORIGINAL
Review: THE ACTION,LAUGHS,AND CHEMISTRY CONTINUE IN THIS SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE LETHAL WEAPJN SERIES.WE ARE INTRODUCED TO A NEW CHARACTER NAMED LEO,WHO IS IN THE NEXT TWO SEQUELS. THE PLOT HAS TO DO WITH SOUTH AFRICAN DIPLOMATS (OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT). ACTION FANS WILL NOT WANT TO MISS THIS ULTRA-THRILLING FILM.

Rating:
Summary: LETHAL WEAPON 2
Review: The boys are back in town for the second film in the legendary "Lethal Weapon" series. This time around, Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Murtaugh (Danny Glover) stumble upon a South African drug ring while babysitting key witness Leo Getz (Joe Pesci). All the laughs and action of the original; Pesci is outrageous. Richard Donner knows when to let up, and he hasn't done it yet.
* This director's cut includes four minutes of additonal footage.

Rating:
Summary: LETHAL WEAPON 2
Review: The boys are back in town for the second film in the legendary "Lethal Weapon" series. This time around, Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Murtaugh (Danny Glover) stumble upon a South African drug ring while babysitting key witness Leo Getz (Joe Pesci). All the laughs and action of the original; Pesci is outrageous. Richard Donner knows when to let up, and he hasn't done it yet.
* This director's cut includes four minutes of additonal footage.

Rating:
Summary: Lethal Carnage
Review: The engaging chemistry of Mel Gibson (Martin Riggs) and Danny Glover (Roger Murtaugh) continues into LETHAL WEAPON 2 as they take on a South African drug kingpin, Arjen Rudd(Joss Ackland). He also happens to be a South African diplomat with immunity to any type of persecution. So, Riggs and Murtaugh harrass him and his henchmen, playing a lethal cat and mouse game of picking off each other from both sides. A key witness Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) stands in the middle of all the carnage and the carnage mounts. Practically everyone from Riggs' and Murtaugh's precinct (detectives, officers and what have you) are eliminated... even the female lead/love interest to Riggs-(Patty Kensit) is oft in the proceedings. It seems the only ones left alive are Riggs and Murtaugh (it was reported that Shane Black's original screenplay was to have Riggs killed at the end) to take on the South African drug cartell. Even with the body count, the film is very entertaining due to Gibson and Glover's characters, a witty script, and the direction of Richard Donner (SUPERMAN-THE MOVIE, THE OMEN) who seems to have a fond affection for the two characters since he's directed all four films. The film franchise probably "perfected" (not invented)the buddy cop genre (forerunners: SUPERCOPS, FREEBIE AND THE BEAN, RUNNING SCARED) and is the "yardstick" for others that haven't come close (i.e. TANGO AND CASH...?). Lastly as the final credits roll in LW2, George Harrison's great song CHEER DOWN plays. Perhaps because guitar god/legend Eric Clapton did part of the muscial score for the film, he got pal Harrison to contribute the song. The song sounds very much like a James Bond-type tune and perhaps was inspired by the nature of the film. When the film is shown on network televison, its too bad the song is always drowned out by programming or commercial announcements (notoriously and especially on TNT and TBS). On cable, DVD, and video, the song can be heard in its entirety.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Movie!
Review: The only movie I have seen in the Lethal Weapon series is Lethal Weapon 2 which is a mixture of comedy, drama and action and I thought it was a good movie and I recommend it to anyone who likes action movies.

Rating:
Summary: does not have the magic of the original
Review: The original Lethal Weapon was a surprise hit in 1987, i don't recall it being hyped by the media when first released,after all Mel Gibson's career was dying & Danny Glover was still an unknown,just watch "Witness" with Harrison Ford and you will see that Glover is the cause of Ford's problems, but his name is not reconized with that of Ford's, Lethal Weapon put both Gibson & Glover on the map, it was fresh and exciting, the director's cut makes it even better,the outtakes are great to watch such as Riggs taking out a sniper that is terrorizing children in a school yard or him picking up a street-walker to keep him company, this scene shows you how lonely his life has become, that he only wants her to watch t.v. with him instead of sex. These neat elements are whats missing in Lethal Weapon 2, although it starts off like a roadrunner cartoon, it slowly goes downhill from there, the bad guys here just don't have the nastiness that Gary Busey's villian had in the original,there are several things wrong with this one, these villians like to rig a toilet to explode, i know many thought this was sheer brilliance on the part of the filmakers, but it is merely played for gross-out humor if nothing else, how could one rig a toilet to explode? and wouldn't Glover's Murtaugh notice when he sat down, it doesn't stop there, one sequence involves the systematic murder of the all the detectives involved with Riggs & Murtaugh's investigation, come on wouldn't they have been the first ones taken out, another involves Riggs' sudden interest in a female employee that in working for these villians, why would he risk trusting her in the first place, one set-piece has him and her under seige shortly after they've had sex, they just barely escape death after Riggs kills the gunmen, just when you think it is over, she is killed anyway later on, one neat sequence is the revelation that these are the ones responsible for the death of Riggs' wife from the first film, which sets him in vigilante mode, the final confrontation at the end really is nowhere near the intensity of the first film,here Riggs is beaten by someone almost as good as himself, but Riggs never gets the upper hand like in the first film when he is fighting Busey, but probably the most unrealistic scene is Riggs being pumped full of bullets and somehow he does not die. Murtaugh takes out his would-be killer but it is not as satisfying as it should have been, Joe Pesci lends comic support as the villians former accountant turned imformant that Riggs & Murtaugh are assigned to protect but doesn't get to do a lot, i don't hate this installment, it just doesn't have the charm of the first, but part 4 cartures the essence of the original, the bad guys are nastier than ever in part 4 and it has the intensity of the original, it truly captures the magic of the first.

Rating:
Summary: Lethal Weapon 2
Review: The second instalment of the popular action franchise is not quite as good as the first, but its still exciting frenetic fun, with some witty humour. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are the partner- in -crime duo again, and this one sees Riggs and Murtaugh joined by Joe Pesci as Leo Getz, the exasperating cop who returns in parts 3 and 4. The action is as impressive as the former one, and director Richard Donner's hard- as-nails approach to the film makes it as exhilarating as it's predecessor. The DVD's extra features aren't that good, with a couple of trailers and some additional 'bonus footage'. But then, the film's good, so the lack of supplementary features isn't that bad. Good movie, so-so extras.

Rating:
Summary: RIGGS AND MURTAUGH ARE BACK!!!
Review: The sequal to the action block buster LEATHALWEAPON where the two cop partners track down a south american druglord who they must also protect an eyewitness from lots of action you dont wanna miss!!!

Rating:
Summary: RIGGS AND MURTAUGH ARE BACK!!
Review: The sequal to the blockbuster action hit LEATHAL WEAPON WHERE this time RIGGS and MURTAUGH must protect an eye witness from the same Afican drug lord they are trying to shut down.