10 Most Influential Action Movies Ever Made

5. Lethal Weapon

Die Hard John McClane
Warner Bros

1982's 48 Hrs. may have been the genesis of the buddy cop movie, but it was Lethal Weapon that perfected the formula five years later. Shane Black's debut script would set the tone for decades worth of stories about a mismatched and reluctant duo that initially found themselves at odds, before developing a mutual respect that would turn into friendship with plenty of quick-witted quips along the way.

Black would build his entire career out of the same tropes from The Last Boy Scout to The Nice Guys via The Long Kiss Goodnight and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, even subverting them in The Last Action Hero. The template established in Lethal Weapon would soon become the go-to format for the buddy movie, and that still remains the case today.

Red Heat, Tango & Cash, Bad Boys, Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, Die Hard With A Vengeance, Men in Black, The Rundown, Ride Along and most recently The Hitman's Bodyguard are just a few of the movies that follow the genre archetypes honed and perfected by Lethal Weapon. Even Hot Fuzz, The Other Guys and the Jump Street series have all willingly embraced the now well-worn cliches for comedic effect to show just how ubiquitous they have become over the last 30 years.

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