10 Movie Henchmen Who Stole Movies From Villains

10. Mr. Joshua - Lethal Weapon

Richard Donner and Shane Black's Lethal Weapon is every bit as much a yuletide Christmas classic as John McTiernan's Die Hard - an at times unrelenting autopsy on the traumas of Vietnam and a Capra-esque tale of love, friendship, and the resurrection of one man's soul. It's been outmanoeuvred on the holiday programming front by McTiernan's masterpiece, but for me, nothing quite manages to pull on the heartstrings as much as seeing Riggs show up to the Murtaugh family Christmas dinner right at the very end.

One area where Lethal Weapon is very much lacking when compared to his holiday rival, however, is its main antagonist. Die Hard had Alan Rickman and the most charismatic batch of German bank robbers ever. Lethal Weapon, conversely, had an acceptable if not forgettable Mitchel Ryan as a stock military villain without that much screentime.

Thankfully Donner's film had an ace up its sleeve to account for this imbalance: the always entertaining Gary Busey, who played Mr. Joshua, a former special forces operative who shares a history with Riggs from their days in Vietnam.

Busey carved out a cosy little home for himself in the action genre following Lethal Weapon, making memorable turns in the likes of Predator 2, Point Break, and Under Siege, but Joshua remains his most charismatic. Between his unforgettable introduction when he proves his loyalty to General McAllister and the utterly deranged fight he has with Riggs on the water-logged Murtaugh lawn, the main attraction for Lethal Weapon will always be its buddy duo, but Joshua was still a great adversary.