I rewatched the first three Lethal Weapon movies this month, and, to probably no one’s surprise, Riggs and Murtaugh are really bad cops. I mean, holy smokes, they beat the hell out of suspects, engage in gun fights in public areas, and cause massive property destruction. Which, of course, is a very 90s action movie trope, but it still stands out now.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re fun movies, and I’m not saying they should be shunned or anything, but it’s an observation. They violate suspects’ civil rights and constantly put civilians in danger with their shenanigans. In the first movie, Riggs and Mr. Joseph have a running gun battle on a busy street. In the second, Riggs pulls an entire house down a hillside, causing who knows how much damage to the surrounding homes. And in the third movie, Riggs and Murtaugh bully their way into a suspected bomb situation and screw it up, causing the device to detonate and an entire building to be destroyed. They’re especially bad at watching over a high value witness, repeatedly berating him and leaving him alone and in danger1.
Heck, in the second movie, Murtaugh fully executes(morally justified) a foreign diplomat, in flagrant disregard of international law. Of course, the dude sucked and was a murderer and definitely deserved to die, but there would surely be outrageous international consequences.
But, I guess the movies wouldn’t be too much fun if they constantly followed due process – I’ve never seen NCIS or CSI or Law and Order or whatever other police procedurals, so maybe I’m fully off base. Riggs and Murtaugh are just a couple of reckless assholes, but, in the end, I guess that’s what makes the movies enjoyable.
I wonder if anyone has ever gone through the movies and pointed out each time Riggs or Murtaugh break the law.
1I mean, jeez louise, they leave Leo Getz in the car alone while he’s being actively pursued by bad guys.
