Lethal Weapon 2 (HD-DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C- Film: D
The most
commercially successful and most annoying of all the Richard Donner Lethal Weapon films is easily Lethal Weapon 2, the first sequel to
the hit action film from 1989. Mel
Gibson was back as Martin Riggs and Danny Glover was back as Roger
Murtaugh. Unfortunately, they have been
joined by the great Joe Pesci in one of his worst performances as Leo Getz, a
low-level criminal they just love to dump on.
The character was developed later into a more likable character, but was
as cardboard flat here as Jeffrey Boam’s script based on the remarkably smug
and populist Shane Black/Warren Murphy remarkably story.
The plot
involves some South African killers unhappy with Murtaugh’s anti-Apartheid
stance and other illegal activities.
Since the federal government does not know or does not want to admit
(via support of Sun City?) they know what is going wrong, the duo has to take
care of things themselves. It is all
very Rambo, silly and now remarkably dated, the most dated film in the series.
There is
a great TV ad joke that a local critic at the time ruined for my entire
hometown in his ad, there is actor Joss Acklund as a Bond-like head villain who
loves saying diplomatic immunity and then there is the strange politics of the
film where Gibson’s Riggs is concerned.
Where the first film dealt with him really being lethal and dealing with
Vietnam Syndrome, this sequel (more apparently than ever) just decides he can
write off all that pain by falling in love with Patsy Kensit’s character and
she and sex will heal these deep wounds.
Post 9/11, that rings as the hollowest aspect of all four films. The film is also happy with anger and baiting
the audience in strange ways to be angrier and even root for more killing. Then it has all kinds of odd comedy that does
not always work, made eve odder by Mr. Gibson’s recent public problems. Lethal
Weapon 2 is guaranteed not to play back for most viewers who saw it
originally the same way ever again for all kinds of reasons. That makes it quite a curio, but for this
critic, it was always a bomb.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image was shot in real anamorphic Panavision,
so this is a real scope image and not cheaper Super 35mm. It looks better by default than the HD-DVD
(reviewed elsewhere on this site) and Blu-ray of the first film, which were
horrible. Not that it is perfect, but at
least it is an improvement enough to justify an HD release. Unfortunately, if you look closely, you will
notice more than ever that despite being shot in a scope frame, cinematographer
Stephen Goldblatt, A.S.C., was shooting the film with VHS pan & scan in
mind. Note how the action can be so
obviously squared off in various corners.
It is annoying the more you notice it.
The Dolby
Digital Plus 5.1 mix is also a little better than that of the first film in the
HD formats, with both films having been blown up to 70mm with 4.1 Dolby
Magnetic 6-track sound. There are no
split surrounds in either case, but they have been faked in both cases, but the
sound is improved here since they knew they had a hit and wanted it to sound
better. The music is by the late Michael
Kamen, Eric Clapton & David Sanborn, but it is formulaic and typical of the
genre. More interesting is the use of
several hit songs from the 1950s vocal group The Skyliners, a Pittsburgh
Rock-era group. A good source has told
us that some of the songs had to come from fresh vinyl copies since the master
tapes could not be found by the time the film hit theaters. I still think the DTS on the director’s cut
DVD was able to compete with this Dolby Plus mix.
Unlike
the DVD director’s cut, there are few extras.
You get the extra scenes that were reinserted for the most part in the
new cut, the original theatrical trailer and Stunts & Action featurette.
Not much for fans, but more than enough for the rest of us.
- Nicholas Sheffo
