Lethal Weapon

Directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black, Lethal Weapon is the story of two very different Los Angeles detectives who become partners as they battle a retired general who has become a drug smuggler and his psychotic enforcer. The film is a strange mixture of the buddy comedy films with high-octane action as it is led by two men who have nothing in common as Mel Gibson plays the crazed, suicidal Martin Riggs and Danny Glovers as the straight-laced veteran Roger Murtaugh. Also starring Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe, Tom Atkins, Mary Ellen Trainor, and Steve Kahan as Captain Murphy. Lethal Weapon is an explosive yet extremely entertaining film from Richard Donner.

What happens when a middle-aged family man who is straight as an arrow is teamed up with a lonely and crazed man with a death wish as they go around chasing bad guys? That is basically the premise of the film as it plays into this odd world where two guys who have nothing in common other than being part of the LAPD as they deal with a drug smuggler who was once a general in the Vietnam War who also has an enforcer that is extremely insane in terms of dealing with situations. Especially as the veteran Roger Murtaugh is asked to investigate the death of a young woman whose father is an old friend of Murtaugh as he and Martin Riggs deal with many revelations about the drug trade that is connected with this woman’s death. During this investigation, Riggs and Murtaugh would become this unlikely duo that takes name and kick some ass as they also find more to like about each other outside of their work.

Shane Black’s screenplay definitely has this strange mix of action, suspense, and humor all rolled into a story that is offbeat but also filled with a lot of excitement. At the heart of the script is this unlikely partnership between Riggs and Murtaugh as they’re different in many ways not just in age, personalities, skills, morals, backgrounds, and in lifestyles. Yet, this duo manage to become partners that get things done as well as be there for one another. In Murtaugh, he’s this middle-aged veteran who lives in the suburbs as he’s been in the force for many years as he has three children as one of whom in Rianne (Traci Wolfe) is becoming a young woman. In being this veteran, he copes with being middle-aged as he often states that he’s too old for this shit which is among the many aspects of the film’s humor.

In Riggs, there’s a man who is an absolute mess as he is known for being very crazy in his tactics where he has no qualms in killing criminals as he has an offbeat sense of humor inspired by the Three Stooges. Yet, he’s also someone that is suicidal due to the death of his wife as he would often put himself or anyone else near him in danger. Having these two men as partners definitely seems like a combustible partnership but once they deal with revelations of this young woman’s death as well as it plays into this world of drug smuggling run by General Peter McAllister (Mitchell Ryan) whose enforcer in Joshua (Gary Busey) is a man that doesn’t just get things done but he has tactics that are far more brutal. Even as it would involve Murtaugh’s family which would have Riggs and Murtaugh go into great lengths to stop these two men at any cost.

Richard Donner’s direction starts off with a bang as it opens with aerial shots of Los Angeles and moves into a close-up of a drugged-out young woman in her hotel room as she would then jump off the building. It sets up the tone of what kind of film it would be as Donner infuses a lot of style from high-octane aerial shots as well as some unique camera angles to play into the action. Much of the action is often intense as it also include some moments of dark humor as it relates to the mismatched partnership of Riggs and Murtaugh in the things they would encounter. While many of the action sequences are elaborate in its presentation with wide shots and stylistic camera angles to play into the vast look of the film. It is balanced by the intimate approach to humor and suspense for the film.

Donner’s use of close-ups and medium shots play into the humor as well as the developing friendship between Riggs and Murtaugh as the former gets to know the latter and his family. It adds to something that feels very intimate as well as special into something that Riggs is in need of as he is a man that lives in a trailer on a beach with his dog. Once the two are in great danger as they meet their adversaries, the sense of drama and suspense do intensify where Murtaugh would realize that he needs to play dirty if he is to make sure the world is a safer place. It adds to the dramatic stakes where Riggs needs Murtaugh to keep him in control and Murtaugh needs Riggs to push his buttons. Overall, Donner creates a very riveting yet exhilarating film about two mismatched detectives who work together and kill some bad guys.

Cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt does excellent work with the cinematography from the colorful and sunny look of the scenes set in the daytime in Los Angeles and the Californian deserts to more stylish usage of lights for its nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Editor Stuart Baird does brilliant work with the editing with its usage of stylish slow-motion cuts as well as jump-cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production designer J. Michael Riva and set decorator Marvin March do terrific work with the set pieces from the look of the homes of some of suspects as well as the different homes of Riggs and Murtaugh to play into their different lifestyles.

Costume designer Mary Malin does nice work with the clothes to play into the different looks of Riggs and Murtaugh with the former wearing street clothes and the latter wearing a shirt and tie. Sound editors Robert G. Henderson and Alan Robert Murray do amazing work with the sound to play into layers of gunfire as well as explosions and other moments to play into the film‘s humor and action scenes. The film’s music by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton, and David Sanborn is superb for its mixture of Kamen‘s soaring orchestral music to play into the film‘s suspense while Clapton brings in some blues-based guitar to showcase the sense of melancholia surrounding Riggs and Sanborn bringing some snazzy jazz with his saxophone for some of the film‘s humorous moments.

The casting by Marion Dougherty is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features some small performances from Jackie Swanson as the young woman who would jump off a building in the film’s opening sequence, Grand Bush and Jack Thibeau as a couple of fellow detectives, Blackie Dammett as a thug Riggs beats up early in the film, Lycia Naff as a hooker Riggs and Murtaugh interrogate, Al Leong as Joshua’s man of torture, and Sally Field in an un-credited cameo as a TV news reporter. Other notable small roles include Ebonie Smith and Damon Hines in their respective roles as Murtaugh’s younger children Carrie and Nick, Mary Ellen Trainor as the police psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Woods, and Steve Kahan in a terrific performance as Riggs and Murtaugh’s superior Captain Murphy.

Traci Wolfe is wonderful as Murtaugh’s teenage daughter Rianne who has a crush on Riggs while taken hostage by McAllister. Darlene Love is excellent as Murtaugh’s wife Trish who is has this sense of warmth and comfort that intrigues Riggs while being the person that grounds her husband from doing dangerous things. Tom Atkins is superb as Michael Hunsaker as the old friend of Murtaugh who asks for his help following his daughter’s death as he would reveal some things about why his daughter jumped off a building to her death. Mitchell Ryan is fantastic as General Peter McAllister as a once-revered army leader who decides to go into the world of drug smuggling as he sees money in the operation and will do anything to be rich.

Gary Busey is brilliant as the devious enforcer Joshua who knows Riggs via reputation as he is very insane guy who can push people’s buttons and do things to get the job done. Finally, there’s the duo of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in incredible performances as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. Gibson brings that mix of craziness and vulnerability to his character as this man that is teetering on the edge as he tries to find something to live for. Glover is the perfect straight man as he has these little moments that make him very funny as well as very serious in the way he does his job. Gibson and Glover have a chemistry that is often fun to watch in the way Riggs makes Murtaugh tick or how Murtaugh tries to show Riggs how it’s done as they are the heart and soul of the film.

Lethal Weapon is an outstanding film from Richard Donner that features top-notch performances from Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. Featuring an inventively witty script from Shane Black as well as a noteworthy supporting performance from Gary Busey. The film is definitely a standard bearer for not just buddy cop films as well as action-comedies but it’s also one of the most enjoyable films that still holds up since its initial release. In the end, Lethal Weapon is a gloriously enthralling and exciting film from Richard Donner.

Richard Donner Films: (X-15) - (Salt and Pepper) - (Twinky) - (The Omen) - (Superman) - (Inside Moves) - (The Toy) - (The Goonies) - (Ladyhawke) - (Scrooged) - Lethal Weapon 2 - (Radio Flyer) - Lethal Weapon 3 - (Maverick) - (Assassins) - (Conspiracy Theory) - Lethal Weapon 4 - (Timeline) - (16 Blocks) - (Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut)

© thevoid99 2014

The Fog (1980 film)

Directed and scored by John Carpenter and written by Carpenter and Debra Hill, The Fog is the story of a mysterious fog that surrounds a small town in California as it relates to a group of ghosts from a shipwreck that happened a hundred years ago. The film is a ghost story where a group of people in this small town deal with the phenomenon and try to survive this attack from ghosts. Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh, and Hal Holbrook. The Fog is an eerie yet ominous film from John Carpenter.

The film is set in a coastal small town in California where a shipwreck occurred exactly 100 years ago as its ghosts have come back from the dead through a fog to seek vengeance on the town and the descendants that had wronged them. Set entirely in the span of a day, the film begins with a man (John Houseman) telling this story about a shipwreck that occurred a hundred years ago where the town’s priest Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) discovers the shocking secret about the founding of the town and why this fog is emerging. Meanwhile, locals deal with some of the strange things occur as a radio disc-jockey witnesses the fog as she tries to protect her son who had found an old piece of wood that belonged to the ship.

The screenplay by John Carpenter and Debra Hill is told from multiple perspectives as it follows not just Father Malone and the DJ Stevie Wayne (Adrienne Barbeau) but also characters such as the town centennial organizer Kathy Williams (Janet Leigh), a resident in Nick Castle (Tom Atkins), and a hitchhiker named Elizabeth (Jamie Lee Curtis). Each of them would have their own encounters with the fog while Williams would also discover some shocking secrets about the town with Father Malone and her assistant Sandy (Nancy Kyes) which only causes a lot of dread and disillusionment from Father Malone. Nick and Elizabeth’s encounters with dead bodies and the fog has them realize something is up as they constantly listen to Stevie’s radio program as she is in danger as well as her son Andy (Ty Mitchell). Much of it would play into these people trying to survive this mysterious fog and the ghosts that would emerge from the fog.

Carpenter’s direction starts off with this very quaint and intimate scene set in a campfire about the story of this ship as it would set the tone for what is to come. Even as it’s followed by a sequence where strange things are happening as car alarms go out, glass breaking unexpectedly, and all sorts of crazy things. Much of Carpenter’s direction involve a lot of intimate yet sublime medium shots to play into the suspense where Nick and Elizabeth try to figure out what is going on in relation to a fishing boat that went missing. There’s also some unique wide shots where Carpenter takes great stock into the look of the locations in coastal Northern California to play into something that feels like a small town but one that has a lot of history.

The direction also include some very eerie scenes where the ghosts emerging of the fog would come into play as they’re targeting whoever they encounter including the descendants of the people that had wronged them. Though the killings aren’t as gruesome as what is expected in horror films, the impact of it is still quite intense. Adding to the atmosphere of the film’s suspense is Carpenter’s score as its mixture of drone-heavy synthesizers and melancholic piano riffs play into the sense of dread and terror. Notably in its climax which involves its characters fighting off the ghosts as well as find a way to atone for the sins of their descendants. Overall, Carpenter creates a very scary yet powerful film about ghosts seeking vengeance over their deaths.

Cinematographer Dean Cundey does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to set a mood for the much of the scenes set at night with its lighting along with photographic effects to showcase the power of the fog. Editors Charles Bornstein and Tommy Lee Wallace do excellent work with the editing to create some unique rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s suspense and terror in the most unexpected ways. Production designer Tommy Lee Wallace and art director Craig Stearns do fantastic work with the look of the small town as well as the lighthouse radio tower that Stevie works at and the church where Father Malone stays at.

Costume designers Stephen Loomis and Bill Whitten do nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the more refined clothing of Kathy Williams. Sound editors Gregg Barbanell and Ron Horwitz, with sound designer William L. Stevenson, do brilliant work with the film‘s sound from the way the wind carries out through the air as well as the way sounds carry in the film such as the sequence of car alarms going out early in the film.

The film’s superb cast includes some notable small roles from Charles Cyphers as the weatherman Dan, James Canning as the fishing boat captain Dick Baxter, Nancy Kyes as Williams’ assistant Sandy, Ty Mitchell as Stevie’s son Andy, and John Houseman in a terrific performance as Mr. Machen who would tell the children the ghost story in the beginning of the film. Hal Holbrook is excellent as Father Malone as a priest who would uncover the secret about his town’s birth as he becomes uneasy with his discovery. Tom Atkins is fantastic as Nick as a local resident who leads the investigation over the disappearance of a fishing boat.

Janet Leigh is amazing as Kathy Wilson as this organizer who learns about the secrets of her town’s birth as she does whatever to keep it a secret while being uneasy in letting the festival continue as she also worries about her husband’s disappearance. Jamie Lee Curtis is brilliant as Elizabeth as this young hitchhiker who believes she is bad luck as the fog arrives just as she had arrived to the town as she tries to deal with the situations. Finally, there’s Adrienne Barbeau in a remarkable performance as Stevie as this radio disc jockey who watches over the town as she sees the fog as she would report it through her radio program as her voice is crucial to the suspense and drama that occurs in the film.
  
The Fog is a tremendously terrifying and astonishing film from John Carpenter. Armed with a great cast, a chilling score, and a cool premise that is perfect for any ghost-based horror film. It is definitely one of the key films in the horror genre that manages to do more than what is often expected in horror as it has enough elements that would appeal to non-horror film audiences. In the end, The Fog is a rich yet exhilarating film from John Carpenter.

John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward

The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2014