11 Distressed Movie Characters Who Couldn't Kill Themselves To End Their Pain

9. Martin Riggs - Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon is obsessed with the idea of death: Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is eaten up by the idea of growing old and the impending, ominous icy grip of the reaper (or more specifically, being redundant when he can no longer do his job, which is presented as the same thing in the film's logic,) the central case is a particularly grisly murder/suicide, and most importantly the lethal weapon of the title is also suicidal. Sergeant Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is the epitome of the loose cannon, driven by an unquenchable thirst to close the case, and undeterred by trivial obstacles like being "killed" or horribly tortured by Gary Busey. But his story is defined by the shadow of his wife's death: he is reckless beyond redemption because he has nothing to live for, and he is lethal precisely because he combines his special forces training with a complete lack of a self-preservation mechanism. And the film takes a heart-wrenching turn at the climax when Riggs and Murtaugh close the case and foil the drug/porn ring and Riggs presents his partner with a token of his appreciation, the bullet he had saved for his own suicide, which he was never able to go through with. Riggs' behaviour is given even more specific contextual basis, and it completely changes how we view his behaviour, adding a touching note of tragedy that he cannot give himself the release he needs to join his wife in death.