"Where did they shoot you Riggs. In the funny bone?"

(Note: Possible spoilers contained in this review).

Like the buddy/cop movie, sequels are a well worn formula. Very often a movies sequel is often a lesser variation on the original movie. Only once in a blue moon do you find a sequel that is just as good or better than the original.

Lethal Weapon 2 is one of those sequels. Instead of repeating the formula of the brilliant Lethal Weapon it moves it forward and adds new twists.

A year after the events of the original Lethal Weapon (in movie time) Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) return. Riggs is apparently not as suicidal as he was in the original. But still has quite a bit of the crazy streak within him. Murtaugh is still the family man.

Into the mix the producers introduce a new character. Joe Pesci as Leo Getz ("Anything you need, Leo Getz"). Leo is a former accountant who turns informant on a group of smugglers dealing in laundered money. Riggs and Murtaugh are assigned to guard him. This sets the film up for some very humorous moments, such as when Riggs and Murtaugh go through a drive through to get some food. This leads to Getz's rant about how drive throughs tend to screw up food orders.

After Leo tells them who he is testifying against Riggs and Murtaugh go to investigate. It turns out that these are no ordinary smugglers. What they are is racist South African diplomats (this movie came out at the height of Apartheid) who are using their positions to smuggle money. Their position makes it harder for Riggs and Murtaugh to do anything about them as they are protected under diplomatic immunity. I will say no more about the plot as not to spoil the surprises.

Like the original, Lethal Weapon 2 is a movie that delivers well on all 3 levels of action, drama and comedy. Later on there would be 2 more sequels that had their moments. But they never topped the greatness of Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2.