LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989)
MORGAN'S RATING
The magic is back! Buddy cops Riggs and Murtaugh are off and running, trying to keep a key witness and themselves alive in this explosive sequel. It's been two years since we last caught up with this battle-hardened pair. Murtaugh is still the family man. Riggs is still the reckless man without a family, but now he counts the odds before plunging into a seemingly impossible situation.
Mel Gibson (Martin Riggs), Danny Glover (Roger Murtaugh), Joe Pesci (Leo Getz), Joss Ackland (Arjen "Aryan" Rudd), Derrick O'Connor (Pieter "Adolph" Vorstedt), Patsy Kensit (Rika Van Den Haas), Darlene Love (Trish Murtaugh), Traci Wolf (Rianne Murtaugh), Steve Kahan (Captain Ed Murphy), Mark Rolston (Hans), Jenette Goldstein (Officer Meagan Shapiro), Dean Norris (Tom Wyler), Juney Smith (Tom Wyler), Nestor Serrano (Eddie Estaban), Philip Suriano (Joseph Ragucci), Grand L. Bush (Jerry Collins), Tony Carreiro (Marcelli), Damon Hines (Nick Murtaugh), Ebonie Smith (Carrie Murtaugh), Mary Ellen Trainor (Police Psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Woods).
THE MAGIC IS BACK!
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
DIRECTOR: Richard Donner (Conspiracy Theory).
WRITER: Shane Black, Warren Murphy and Jeffrey Boam.
PRODUCERS: Joel Silver and Richard Donner
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Peter Frankfurt.
CO-PRODUCERS: Jennie Lew Tugend and Steve Perry.
ORIGINAL MUSIC: Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen and David Sanborn.
DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros.
QUOTES
[Riggs and Rika are in bed.]
Riggs: I think it's time for the seventh inning stretch.
Rika: But, it's only the fourth inning.
Murtaugh: Why didn't they plant a bomb in Trish's stove?
Riggs: Yeah. Think of all the needless suffering that could've ended there!
Murtaugh: I'm gonna die on a toilet, aren't I?
Riggs: Guys like you don't die on toilets.
FACTS
RELEASE DATE: July 7th, 1989 (USA)
[Ribbing Murtaugh about his daughter's television ad for condoms.]
Riggs: In one ear, out the RUBBER...
BOX OFFICE OPENING: $20.3 million  (USA)
BOX OFFICE RESULT: $147.2 million (USA)
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: $227.3 million
Riggs: This stinks!
Capt. Murphy: I don't give a fuck, Riggs. That's why I don't have an ulcer, because I know when to say "I don't give a fuck."
- While the Murtaugh family waits for the commercial, they watch "Tales from the Crypt", specifically the psycho Santa episode starring Mary Ellen Trainor, who plays the Police Psychiatrist.
Leo Getz: I'm Leo Getz, and whatever you want, Leo gets.
- The bottle of cologne that is shot during the destruction of Riggs' trailer is "Hero." The first time we see Riggs going into his trailer, there is an ad for that same cologne on TV.
[After shooting two criminals with a nail gun]
Roger Murtaugh: Nailed you both!
Rudd: Now we do have a serious diplomatic situation here, which I will be taking up with your state department first thing in the morning.
Riggs: Whoa, you got me quakin' in my boots, but I'm still gonna bring you down.
Rudd: My dear officer, you could not even give me a parking ticket!
- Nominated for one Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing
- Followed by two more sequels: Lethal Weapon 3 and Lethal Weapon 4.
CRITICAL COMMENTS
Riggs: Police! Open up!
Leo Getz: How do I know it's the police?
Riggs: After I shoot you through the door, you can examine the bullet. Open up!
"Pure dynamite. Enough humor, excitement and action for two movies." -- Rex Reed, At the Movies
"Ultraviolent, superslick sequel is just as cartoonish as the first--and possibly even more entertaining...A must for action fans." -- Leonard Maltin
Capt. Murphy: Murtaugh, all that damage you caused downtown is coming out of the department's budget!
Murtaugh: Fine. Pay it off in Krugerrands.
Capt. Murphy: Don't make jokes, Murtaugh, make arrests!
"Lethal Weapon 2 is that rarity--a sequel with most of the same qualities as the original...this is a film with the same off-center invention and wild energy as the original." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times