Lethal Weapon Poster # 1 Riggs and Murtaugh Mel Gibson Danny Glover

Description

Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of L.A.P.D. detectives. L.A.P.D. Homicide Sergeant Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) is worried about getting old, having recently celebrated his 50th birthday. He receives a message from Michael Hunsaker (Tom Atkins), an old Vietnam War friend who Murtaugh realizes he has not seen in over 12 years. Before he can meet him, he is called to investigate a suicide and learns that the victim is Hunsaker’s daughter, Amanda. Elsewhere, L.A.P.D. Narcotics Sergeant Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson), who is suicidal following the recent death of his wife in a traffic accident, nearly kills a disarmed suspect after flying into a psychotic rage during a drug bust. Wary of his behavior, Riggs’ superiors transfer him to Homicide, making him and Murtaugh reluctant partners. Casting director Marion Dougherty first suggested teaming Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. She arranged for Gibson to fly in from his home in Sydney while Glover was flown in from Chicago, where he was appearing in a play, to read through the script. According to a June 2007 Vanity Fair magazine article, Bruce Willis was considered for the Riggs role. This is referenced in the spoof of the Lethal Weapon films, National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1. Bruce (as John McClane) appears after the villains attack the wrong beach residence, looking for the protagonist. According to Donner, “It took about two hours and by the time we were done, I was in seventh heaven. They found innuendoes; they found laughter where I never saw it; they found tears where they didn’t exist before; and, most importantly, they found a relationship — all in just one reading. So if you ask about casting… it was magical, just total dynamite.” Explains Gibson, “This particular story was a cut above others I had passed on, because the action is really a sideline which heightens the story of these two great characters. I picture Riggs as an almost Chaplinesque figure, a guy who doesn’t expect anything from life and even toys with the idea of taking his own. He’s not like these stalwarts who come down from Mt. Olympus and wreak havoc and go away. He’s somebody who doesn’t look like he’s set to go off until he actually does.” The draw for Glover was equally strong. Fresh from his success as Mister in The Color Purple, he felt the role of Roger Murtaugh offered a whole new range of character expression and experience. “Aside from the chance to work with Mel, which turned out to be pure pleasure, one of the reasons I jumped at this project was the family aspect. The chance to play intricate relationships and subtle humor that exist in every close family group was an intriguing challenge, as was playing a guy turning 50. Murtaugh’s a little cranky about his age until everything he loves is threatened. His reawakening parallels Riggs’.”

Near mint condition.