When I first viewed the Director's Cut of the Lethal Weapon's, the newly restored scenes blended in with the rest of the movies so well that I hardly noticed them... almost like they were always there, and I just overlooked them. It's kinda hard for me to fully explain it, but its probably due to the fact that the new moments seemed somewhat repetitive in nature.

In one restored scene from LW1, Riggs (Mel Gibson) goes up against a playground sniper, which showcased his reputation for being a hard (& head) case. But there are several other times in LW that showed this. I experienced the same thing with the added moment of Riggs looking for...um, companionship... in the rain, which gave further insight into his lonely existence as a widower.

The big new moment for LW2 was Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) attempting to use a complicated numerology system to figure out the address number of a hillside residence. Just another moment of comedy relief, which was Leo's duty throughout number 2.

LW3 had fewer moments of new stuff than the first two, the main addition being a results-oriented Murtaugh (Danny Glover) using a high-performance sports car as an interrogation tool. This strongarm approach was displayed at other times in LW3.

Hey, wait a minute... I just spent some time dredging for deeper meaning in cut scenes from shoot-em-up, testosterone-laden action movies... I gotta get outside more often...

Anyway, back to business... My only gripe is that the Director's Cut versions of the first three LW's have not been released on DVD, just the standard editions. Being a maven of the new format, I'm highly disappointed by this. To get those extra goodies, I'm gonna have to settle for VHS. It's a small price to pay...


This is good, but the 3 pack is better...   November 6, 2000
 23 out of 25 found this review helpful

The Lethal Weapon series in itself is a great set of movies, and this is a flat-out good pack of movies for the fans of the Lethal Weapon series. This has the original DVDs with the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and the Widescreen video, but I'm a fan of extras so I like the 3 pack director's cut better.

If you feel like getting all four movies in pack, go for it: otherwise I would get the cheaper three pack and buy LW 4 seperately.


The Lethal Weapons   June 28, 2002
 10 out of 11 found this review helpful

This special edition box set with all the Lethal Weapons is an impressive package with some good extra material.
The first of the Weapon films is still the best, with Mel Gibson as the suicidal cop Martin Riggs paired up with Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) as his reluctant partner. The action is great, and while it does tend to get carried away sometimes (not helped By Richard Donner's frenetic pacing), it's still the most fun of the franchise, and one of the best action films of the 80's.
Mel is great in one of his first major film roles, and Glover works well with Gibson. Director Donner, who gave us Superman (1978), directed all the Weapon films, but this one is the undisputed finest. Action at it's most outrageous.

The second instalment is not quite as good as the first, but its still exciting frenetic fun, with some witty humour. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are the partner- in -crime duo again, and this one sees Riggs and Murtaugh joined by Joe Pesci as Leo Getz, the annoying cop who returns in parts 3 and 4. The action is as impressive as the former one, and director Richard Donner's hard- as-nails approach to the film makes it as exhilarating as it's predecessor.

Lethal Weapon 3 and 4 are the weakest of the franchise, yet still retain soome of the cool action present in the first 2 films, with Gibson and Glover doing a "take the money and run" deal. The action is good, and in Lethal Weapon 4, Jet Li as the bad guy ups the hard-edged approach. However, the last two films aren't as much fun. The extras are good, if not great, with trailers, Featurettes, Behind-the-scenes Footage an Audio Commentary and some additional Footage.


This DVD Box Set delivers the BEST HDTV WideScreen Action!!   April 12, 2002
 8 out of 11 found this review helpful

This review is mainly focussed on the DVD WideScreen video & audio presentation in a Home Theatre environment.

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This Lethal Weapon Premium Collection really delivers the goods for viewing & listening pleasure!!!! All 4 movies are digitally remastered in WideScreen format, both picture & soundtrack. Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 3 & Lethal Weapon 4 are Enhanced for 16:9 WideScreen HDTV's. Only Lethal Weapon 2 is Letterbox (Black Bars all around, WideScreen Aspect Ratio of 4:3 Tv size).

Summary: Lethal Weapon - introduces us to ex-Vietnam Veterans, Los Angeles Police Detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson - widower) & Roger Murtough (Danny Glover - married w/3 kids) & their quest against a drug ring. Riggs is manical & becomes an unsteady "LETHAL WEAPON" due to his wifes mysterious murder. Lethal Weapon 2 - Has crazy Leo (Joe Pesci - hustler) as a witness under protection of Riggs & Murtough. Foreign Diplomats are smuggling drugs. Riggs discovers his wifes murderers. Lethal Weapon 3 - adds Rene Russo as an independent Martial Arts cop who is teamed with Riggs, Roger & Leo to get a "Dirty Cop". Lethal Weapon 4 - Has all the characters back. Riggs as a father to be & Roger as a grandfather to be. This final installmant is about illegal aliens smuggling & slavery. The ending is a culmination of the entire story line & the family unit!! A fun filled, action packed cops & robbers saga. Gibson & Glover provide the perfect match & their on screen chemistry is outstanding. Big Screen 5 star action for all 4 films!!!!!

This WideScreen DVD Collection can actually be a seialized story or enjoyed as independent films. Each movie gets better with the final installment bringing it all together. The extra features are Production Notes & Trailers except Lethal Weapon 4, which is loaded with a history of the Series. A great DVD library addition!! Be advised it is violent & graphic. Enjoy.