Product Details

• Actors: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitch Ryan, Tom Atkins
• Directors: Richard Donner
• Writers: Shane Black
• Producers: Richard Donner, Jennie Lew Tugend, Joel Silver
• Format: Anamorphic, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (DTS 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed: French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: June 6, 2000
• Run Time: 110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (123 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004RFFY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,013 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Lethal Weapon (Director's Cut)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Mel Gibson set aside his art-house credentials to star as a crazy cop paired with a stable one (Danny Glover) in this full-blown 1987 Richard Donner action picture. The most violent film in the series (which includes three sequels), it is also the edgiest and most interesting. After Gibson's character jumps off a building handcuffed to a man, and Gary Busey (as a cold, efficient enforcer) lets his hand get burned without flinching, there is a sense that anything can happen, and it usually does. Donner's strangely messy visual and audio style doesn't make a lot of aesthetic sense, but it stuck with all four movies. The DVD release includes production notes, Dolby sound, theatrical trailer, optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, optional French soundtrack, and optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

With over seven minutes of previously unavailable scenes, the director's cut of Lethal Weapon is a long-overdue present for fans. Riggs' solitary homelife and the tragic loss spurring him in a reckless disregard for his own safety now come into greater focus. We see that recklessness is new scenes underlining the differences between the two cops. Murtaugh, just 50, needs reassurance about his skills at a firing range. Riggs, not caring if he sees another birthday, coolly walks into a schoolyard sniper's field of fire. All the humor and adrenaline that made this original an entertainment milestone are here, too. No scenes have been removed. But new action and new insight are now included. Include yourself in the excitement.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie Poor Blue-Ray Quality April 17, 2009

By Andres Ramos

Format:Blu-ray

As much as i love this movie, I was turned off by the poor job that was done on the tranfer to Blue-Ray quality.
Save your money, Hopefully a better version will be released in the future.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A good film gets better June 28, 2000

By Martin W. Ward

Format:DVD

The recent release of the director's cut of Lethal Weapon add depth to the film by the inclusion of approximately 7 minutes of new scenes. The additions are in the beginning of the film when the characters are still being developed. In one scene, Gibson's character walks into the line of fire of a sniper, and in another he has a rather violent reaction to a commercial on TV. In the context of this portion of the movie, it further establishes the pain Gibson's character is going through and his mental state...is he crazy or just not caring what happens to him? Additional scenes also establish Glover's character's concern at growing old...does he still have it?

The balance of the film is pretty much unchanged. Lethal Weapon is a fun buddy action/comedy movie, but shines more than the sequels, which emphasized comedy and cartoonish action. Gibson and Glover actually act here, Gibson in particular in the scenes where he is struggling with his wife's death. The interplay between the actors makes this movie a cut above the standard action movie.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars cousinpaco's top action: #5 September 13, 2002

By cousinpaco

Format:DVD

Retiring cop gets new partner. They don't get along, until they shoot a bunch of bad guys together. The formula has become cliché.

Who cares?!?

"Lethal Weapon" is such a great movie, that it defines the concept of a buddy-cop picture. Both lead actors give top-of-their game performances. Gibson is a standout, playing burned-out narc Martin Riggs, who's wallowing in grief for his dead wife.

(Ever notice that Mel Gibson always plays a widower? Wonder how Robin Gibson feels about this...)

Danny Glover plays the down-to-Earth Roger Murtaugh, who steps up to the plate when his family is threatened.

Heck, even Gary Busey deserves a nod for his portrayal of shadowy Mr. Joshua. Riggs and Mr. Joshua face off in a massive martial-arts brawl that apparently took four days to film.

One of my favorite supporting actors appears in "Lethal Weapon" - Al Leong, playing the guy who tortures Riggs with an electric shock apparatus. Riggs' payback is pretty bone-crushing, so don't expect to see Leong in the sequel!

This DVD version contains some footage not seen in previous releases. None of it adds much, thematically--but it's kind of fun to see Riggs stand off against a crazed sniper.