10 Incredibly Smug Movie References You Might Have Missed

3. Maverick - Lethal Weapon

Maverick might not be the most celebrated of Mel Gibson's career moves, or indeed Richard Donner's, but the Western comedy makes for a reasonably diverting watch (particularly now that the Western revival has arrived without so much of a slither of humour.) Sadly though, it is never quite good enough to get over the decision to reference Donner and Gibson's more famous collaboration, in a way that has now relegated the film to a footnote to that reference.

Rather than simply introducing the third Lethal Weapon collaborator - Danny Glover - as a cameo as a reserved nod to the film, Donner instead chose to bring him in as a bank robber who then tries his best (and succeeds) in making everyone wish they were actually watching Lethal Weapon.

As Maverick and the bank robber face off, they clearly recognise one another, and as if that wasn't enough of a nod, the Lethal Weapon score appears to hammer the reference home a little more, before Danny Glover unnecessarily wheels out his "I'm too old for this sh*t" catchphrase to make damn sure we don't miss Donner's obvious longing for the vastly superior franchise.