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Buddy cops Murtaugh and Riggs charge onto Blu-ray in Warner Home Video’s collection of the decade-spanning “Lethal Weapon” franchise. The technical presentation is solid across the board, though a mildly disappointing set of extras makes for a less than exhaustive release.
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Studio: Warner Home Video
Packaging/Materials: Five-disc Blu-ray case with slipcover
MSRP: $79.98
The Films
In the decade-plus spanning the four “Lethal Weapon” movies, quintessential buddy cops Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) have come up against some equally quintessential bad guys, villains who have represented the crime trend du jour, depending on the movie’s year of release.
In “Lethal Weapon” (1987) it was the war on drugs and paramilitary heroin dealers. In its sequel (1989), Apartheid-loving, South African money launderers. In the third (1992), the illegal gun trade and armor piercing ammunition that shared a name with rapper Ice-T’s controversial “Cop Killer” track. And finally, in the fourth movie (1998), illegal immigration and human trafficking.
The “ripped from the headlines” approach inevitably dates the films (as does the excessive amounts of jazz saxophone riffs in the soundtrack), but it’s not necessarily the plots and the aesthetics that make the movies feel a bit dusty.
In the 25 years since the first “Lethal Weapon” movie, our expectations around action and action heroes have changed, if not become more sophisticated.
In the mid-80s it was enough for Riggs to know how to do a roundhouse kick and make some oblique reference to being a Vietnam vet to be considered a credible badass (the “lethal weapon” of the title). Likewise, a helicopter could just appear out of nowhere, with no one having heard it coming, and vehicles could burst into flames after just a simple collision.
That’s not to say there aren’t “movie myths” that abound in today’s action films, but what’s considered believable has certainly changed in 25 years. In fact, in “Lethal Weapon IV” we begin to see the shift with the casting of Jet Li, a true martial arts master, as probably the series’ most convincing villain. The movie also includes some of the best action sequences of the franchise, though the scene involving an overturned coffee table on an L.A. freeway harkens back to the credibility-stretching qualities of the earlier films.
Still, realistic or not, the movies make for a fun ride if not taken too seriously, the chemistry between Gibson and Glover providing the bulk of the entertainment. The two are at their best in the first two movies, and though still game in the third, an aimless script struggling to bring things to a close makes it the worst of the four. The final film, coming six years later, redeems things nicely, giving the characters a proper sendoff without explicitly saying goodbye. That’s a subtlety the third film often lacked, and a quality that proves decidedly refreshing in a series that usually relished in going over the top.
Lethal Weapon: 4/5
Lethal Weapon II: 4/5
Lethal Weapon III: 3/5
Lethal Weapon IV: 4/5
Note: Director’s cuts of the first three films have been previously released to home video, but the “Lethal Weapon Collection” Blu-ray includes only the theatrical versions of the films.
Disc One: Lethal Weapon
Year: 1987
Rating: R
Running Time: 1:43:37
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THE FEATURE |
SPECIAL FEATURES |
|
|
Video |
VC-1: 1080p high definition 1.85:1 |
Standard and high definition |
|
Audio |
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: French 5.1, German 5.1, Italian 5.1, Castellano 1.0, Spanish 5.1, Portuguese 1.0, Czech 1.0, Polish 5.1, Russian 5.1, Thai 5.1 |
Variable |
|
Subtitles |
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Castellano, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Kazakh, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Russian, Thai, Turkish |
Variable |
Video Quality: 4/5
The 1080p, VC-1-encoded transfer is framed at 1.85:1 and features strong blacks and solid contrast, and a pleasing level of textural detail in hair, skin and fabrics. Color shows decent depth and saturation, though subsequent films show a noticeable improvement in this area due to higher production values and budgets. The image does have moments of softness, likely from minor focusing errors, and there are some fluttering patterns in large background areas, but such distractions are relatively infrequent over the course of the film. The transfer also is devoid of digital processing artifacts from sharpening or noise reduction measures, issues which reportedly plagued the previous Blu-ray release from 2006.
Audio Quality: 4/5
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is consistently crisp and clear. Environmental and directional surround effects are nicely balanced along with the film score, though cues for the recurring saxophone riff can seem a bit too high, depending on your tolerance for that kind of thing. LFE is essentially non-existent, becoming obvious in the film’s action sequences, but the track exhibits decent depth and fullness throughout.
Special Features: 3/5
Commentary with Director Richard Donner: From a sampling, Donner’s track seems to have a fair number of gaps, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing if the content is interesting. Unfortunately, what I heard of it doesn’t seem to meet that requirement.
Additional Footage (29:44, HD): Includes fifteen scenes not used in the theatrical cut.
Music Video: ‘Lethal Weapon’ by Honeymoon Suite (3:22, SD)
Theatrical Trailer (1:27, SD)
Disc Two: Lethal Weapon II
Year: 1989
Rating: R
Running Time: 1:54:27
|
THE FEATURE |
SPECIAL FEATURES |
|
|
Video |
VC-1: 1080p high definition 2.40:1 |
Standard and high definition |
|
Audio |
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: French 5.1, German 5.1, Italian 5.1, Castellano 5.1, Spanish 2.0, Portuguese 1.0, Czech 2.0, Polish 5.1, Russian 5.1, Thai 5.1 |
Variable |
|
Subtitles |
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Castellano, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Kazakh, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Russian, Thai, Turkish |
Variable |
Video Quality: 4.5/5
The sequel, framed at 2.40:1 and presented in 1080p with the VC-1 codec, shows a noticeable uptick in production values with slicker cinematography and what seems to be a finer grained film stock. The image continues to feature strong blacks and solid contrast, with textural details further benefiting from the finer grain pattern. Colors also seem more refined, with greater saturation and depth compared to the previous film. As with the first film, the transfer is devoid of digital processing artifacts from sharpening or noise reduction measures, again improving on the 2006 Blu-ray release by a considerable measure.
Audio Quality: 4/5
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is consistently crisp and clear. Environmental and directional surround effects are nicely balanced along with the film score. LFE is more substantial in select action sequences this time around, though the track as a whole continues to exhibit decent depth and fullness.
Special Features: 3/5
Commentary with Director Richard Donner: The commentary for the second film plays out similarly to the first with noticeable gaps and limited contributions from the director.
Additional Footage (4:12, SD): Includes three scenes not used in the theatrical cut.
Stunts and Action (3:45, SD): Vintage featurette goes behind the scenes to show various car chase and action sequences.
Theatrical Trailer (1:28, SD)
Disc Three: Lethal Weapon III
Year: 1992
Rating: R
Running Time: 1:57:53
|
THE FEATURE |
SPECIAL FEATURES |
|
|
Video |
VC-1: 1080p high definition 2.40:1 |
Standard and high definition |
|
Audio |
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: French 5.1, German 5.1, Italian 5.1, Castellano 5.1, Spanish 1.0, Portuguese 1.0, Czech 2.0, Polish 5.1, Russian 5.1, Thai 5.1 |
Variable |
|
Subtitles |
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Castellano, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Kazakh, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Russian, Thai, Turkish |
Variable |
Video Quality: 4.5/5
The 1080p, VC-1-encoded transfer features strong blacks and fine textural details, but contrast can look a little compressed at times, though instances are relatively infrequent. Colors continue to show impressive saturation and depth, and the transfer remains devoid of digital processing artifacts from sharpening or noise reduction measures.
Audio Quality: 4.5/5
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is consistently crisp and clear. Environmental and directional surround effects are nicely balanced along with the film score. LFE makes a full blown appearance now, with the fiery explosion in the film’s opener and various car crashes and collisions throughout the film.
Special Features: 3/5
Commentary with Director Richard Donner: The commentary for the third film plays out similarly to the previous two, with noticeable gaps and limited contributions from the director.
Additional Footage (3:43, SD): Three scenes not used in the theatrical cut.
Music Video “It’s Probably Me” by Sting and Eric Clapton (5:00, SD)
Teaser Trailer (1:36, SD)
Theatrical Trailer (2:28, SD)
Disc Four: Lethal Weapon IV
Year: 1998
Rating: R
Running Time: 2:07:23
|
THE FEATURE |
SPECIAL FEATURES |
|
|
Video |
VC-1: 1080p high definition 2.40:1 |
Standard and high definition |
|
Audio |
DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: French 5.1, German 5.1, Italian 5.1, Castellano 5.1, Spanish 2.0, Portuguese 2.0, Czech 2.0, Polish 5.1, Russian 5.1, Thai 5.1 |
Variable |
|
Subtitles |
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Castellano, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Kazakh, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Russian, Thai, Turkish |
Variable |
Video Quality: 4.5/5
The 1080p, VC-1-encoded transfer features strong blacks, solid contrast, and fine textural details in hair, skin and fabric. Colors show excellent saturation and depth, and the transfer remains devoid of digital processing artifacts from sharpening or noise reduction measures. Being the most recent film, it also sports the best looking image.
Audio Quality: 4.5/5
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is consistently crisp and clear. Environmental and directional surround effects are nicely balanced along with the film score. LFE is the most substantial in the final film, even bordering on excessive at times, but ultimately fitting for the movie’s over-the-top aesthetics.
Special Features: 3/5
Commentary with Director Richard Donner, Producer J. Mills Goodloe, and Writer Geoff Johns: Bringing in some other voices, the commentary promises at least more material than what Donner can seem to provide on his own. Indeed, the track sounds like a marked improvement, making it the one to listen to if commentaries are your thing.
Theatrical Trailer (2:20, SD)
Pure Lethal! New Angles, New Scenes, and Explosive Outtakes (30:32, SD): Retrospective piece shot during production of the fourth film that features various deleted scenes and unused material from the previous three films.
Disc Five
Audio: Dolby Digital: English 2.0
Languages: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian, Castellano, Dutch, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Polish, Russian, Thai
Special Features: 3.5/5
The contents of the fifth disc is essentially one feature-length retrospective documentary, split into four parts. Produced in 2010, the piece includes interviews with Donner, Gibson, and Glover, along with screenwriter Shane Black, producer Joel Silver, former Warner Brothers executive vice president Mark Canton, and actor/comedian Chris Rock, who had a role in the final film, and actor Rene Russo, who played Riggs' love interest. While there aren’t too many surprises to be found, it’s interesting to catch up with the directors, lead actors, and hear from members of the crew about their respective experiences.
Psycho Pension: The Genesis of Lethal Weapon (23:50, HD): Part one looks into what inspired Black to write the “Lethal Weapon” script, what made the story different than what was in theaters at the time, and how the director and lead actors got involved.
A Family Affair: Bringing Lethal Weapon to Life (29:33, HD): Part two takes a look at the major aspects of production – stunts, cinematography, and production design – with behind-the-scenes of a few key sequences.
Pulling the Trigger: Expanding the World of Lethal Weapon (29:46, HD): Part three looks at the franchise’s second and third films, their development and production.
Maximum Impact: The Legacy of Lethal Weapon (22:28, HD): Despite the title, part four really focuses on the final film’s action and stunt sequences, with only the last several minutes a reflection on the series’ legacy.
The Collection: 4/5
Warner Home Video delivers a strong multi-disc release that gathers the theatrical versions of the four “Lethal Weapon” films produced between 1987 and 1998.
Video quality is uniformly strong, with only minor issues cropping up in each transfer. Audio quality is likewise nicely rendered, with LFE increasing substantially from film to film.
Bonus material for each movie includes Richard Donner audio commentaries (most of which aren’t worth the time unfortunately), trailers, and some vintage material, though the highlight for longtime fans will likely be the 2010 retrospective documentary that reunites the lead actors with the director and includes some interesting reflections from other members of the production team.
Overall the “Lethal Weapon Collection” makes for a fine, though not exhaustive collection, as absent are the director’s cuts for the first three films, as well as any images of the franchise’s undoubtedly substantial domestic and international marketing campaigns. Though collectors interested in the films themselves should be pleased, anyone looking for something more significant in the extras might feel a twinge of disappointment.
