20 Action Movies You Must See Before You Die

By Sam Hill /

11. Lethal Weapon (1987)

Most people tend to think of the Lethal Weapon series as relatively €œfunny€ exercises in the action genre, given their buddy cop premises' and the fact that Joe Pesci plays a major part in the antics. Though that€™s mostly true of second, third and fourth chapters in the franchise, the original Lethal Weapon is a dark and occasionally morbid affair, as Mel Gibson€™s suicidal cop €“ the €œLethal Weapon€ of the movie€™s title €“ is forcibly teamed with family man Danny Glover as the pair investigate a drug ring that links all the back to the Vietnam war. As Riggs and Murtaugh, they make for cinema€™s best and most dynamic cop duo, and the brilliance of Richard Donner's best film - sorry, Superman - mostly stems from the chemistry between these unlikely partners. That said, the action scenes inherent to Lethal Weapon are - like Riggs himself - edgy and anxious. There are several stand-out moments, one of which has Gibson's hero rolling around on the floor and dodging bullets at a Christmas tree lot. Most folk, however, will recall the rain-drenched final battle that sees Riggs facing off against Gary Busey's disposable henchman Mr. Joshua on Murtaugh's front lawn. Badass defined.