Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon

movie

R, 1987, Action, Crime

WISE
42%

WISE Score

81

Avg. Tomatometer

The buddy-cop classic that launched a thousand imitators—if your teen can handle torture scenes, suicide themes, and 80s-level violence.

IMDb7.6
RT Critics81%
MC68
Common Sense Media
Where to Watch
Loading streaming options...
Where-to-watch data byJustWatch
Screenwise Verdict

Look, Lethal Weapon is a legit action classic that defined a genre. Gibson and Glover's chemistry is the real deal, and Shane Black's script has more character depth than most modern blockbusters.

But let's be honest: this is 1987 R-rated action cranked to 11. There's torture, suicide ideation, a woman jumping to her death on-screen, and enough profanity to make a sailor blush. It's violent in ways that feel excessive even by today's MCU-trained standards.

For 16-17 year olds who can handle intense content and want to see where the buddy-cop formula came from? Sure. But if you're looking for family movie night options or anything remotely age-appropriate for younger teens, keep scrolling. This one earns its R rating ten times over.

Age Fit

This is firmly 16+ territory—Common Sense Media's recommendation is spot-on. The violence is graphic, the language is constant, and the suicide themes are heavy. Mature older teens who can handle R-rated action will appreciate the character work, but this isn't for younger viewers.

WISE Breakdown
Wholesome
38

Buddy-cop chemistry between Riggs and Murtaugh models friendship across differences, but the film is drenched in graphic violence, torture scenes, profanity, sexual content, and suicidal ideation. Riggs' reckless, self-destructive behavior dominates the tone—not exactly modeling emotional health.

Imaginative
62

Shane Black's script redefined the buddy-cop genre by pairing a suicidal loose cannon with a by-the-book family man. The action choreography and stunt work were innovative for 1987, and the chemistry sparked three sequels. But it's formulaic action—no world-building, no creative expression invited.

Safe
25

Common Sense Media recommends age 16+. Contains extensive gun violence, torture (electrocution, beating), a woman's suicide jump shown on-screen, attempted drowning, heavy profanity throughout, drug smuggling plot, sexual references, and a scene involving a woman in a pornographic film. Multiple parent reviews cite 'rough scenes' and threats to family. This is R-rated 1980s action with no guardrails.

Enriching
48

Explores grief, PTSD, and finding purpose after loss through Riggs' character arc. The Riggs-Murtaugh partnership shows how opposites can complement each other under pressure. But the film prioritizes explosions and one-liners over depth—it's entertaining popcorn fare, not a meditation on the human condition.

Parent Info
✓

Why It Might Be Great

  • Mel Gibson and Danny Glover's chemistry is genuinely electric—they created the blueprint for mismatched partner dynamics
  • Tackles grief and PTSD through Riggs' suicidal recklessness and his slow return to caring about living
  • Action choreography and stunt work were legitimately groundbreaking for 1987
  • Shane Black's script has wit and actual character development beneath the explosions
⚠

What to Watch For

  • Graphic violence including torture by electrocution, a woman's on-screen suicide jump, attempted drowning, and brutal hand-to-hand combat
  • Constant profanity and sexual references—this is hard R-rated throughout
  • Riggs is actively suicidal in early scenes, putting a gun in his mouth; heavy themes of grief and self-destruction
  • Dated 1980s sensibilities around violence and women that may feel excessive or uncomfortable now

Conversation Starters

  • "Why do you think Riggs acts so recklessly? What's he trying to prove or escape from?"
  • "Murtaugh keeps saying he's 'too old for this'—when do you think people should step back from dangerous work?"
  • "The movie shows Riggs dealing with his wife's death through violence. What are healthier ways to process grief?"
  • "How does Riggs and Murtaugh's friendship change each of them by the end?"

Deep Dive

The "broken" hero archetype

Most modern action movies treat their heroes like invincible plastic figurines. If they get hit, they just bounce back for the next CGI set piece. Lethal Weapon is different because it’s actually a noir masquerading as a buddy-cop flick. The first time we meet Riggs, he isn’t doing something cool; he’s contemplating a permanent exit. It is dark, uncomfortable, and arguably the most grounded performance in an action movie from that decade.

This creates a specific friction for parents. Your teen might be used to the breezy banter of the Bad Boys or Rush Hour franchises, but those movies are comedies with guns. This is a movie about a man with nothing to lose being paired with a man who has everything to lose. That stakes-driven chemistry is why the movie has an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes decades later. It’s not just about the car chases; it’s about whether Riggs is actually going to pull the trigger on himself before the bad guys do it for him.

The 80s violence gap

If you grew up with this, you might remember the "I'm too old for this" jokes and forget the electrocution. There is a massive gulf between the sanitized, bloodless combat of the MCU and the visceral, mean-spirited action found here. In our guide on navigating 80s and 90s action movie violence, we talk about how "classic" status often masks content that would never fly in a PG-13 theater today.

The climax isn't a laser beam in the sky. It’s a brutal, muddy, hand-to-hand fight on a front lawn with a fire hydrant spraying everywhere. It feels personal. If your kid is sensitive to "mean" violence—where characters genuinely suffer and the villains are genuinely sadistic—this might be a bigger jump than you expect.

The Christmas factor

It’s a bit of a cliché now to debate whether Die Hard is a holiday movie, but Lethal Weapon has a much stronger claim to being a unconventional holiday movie. The entire plot is framed by the isolation of the season. The opening track is "Jingle Bell Rock," and the final beat is about finding a place to belong during the holidays.

Watching it through that lens makes the character arcs hit harder. It’s a story about a guy being pulled back from the brink of despair by a family that decides to let him in. If you’re looking for a way to engage a 16-year-old who thinks "family movies" are for babies, this is the perfect subversive choice for a December viewing. It delivers the explosions they want while sneaking in a surprisingly heavy story about mental health and recovery.

Why it still works

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes and fans on Letterboxd still rate this highly because it doesn't feel like a product of a committee. It feels like a movie made by people who actually liked the characters. Most "mismatched partner" movies today feel forced, but the bond between the leads here feels earned.

If your teen is a fan of modern police procedurals or heist movies, showing them the "source code" for the genre is a great move. Just be prepared for the 1987 of it all: the hair is big, the saxophones are loud, and the cigarettes are everywhere. It’s a time capsule of a specific era of masculinity that is both fascinating and, at times, a little jarring to look back on.

Ask Anything

Get a personalized guide on any topic

Writing about Lethal Weapon? Put this WISE score on your site