Lethal Weapon 3

Lethal Weapon 3 is a 1992 film starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci and Rene Russo. It is a sequel to Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2.

Reaction

The $35-million movie was a big box-office success, earning $145 million. Although slightly less than the $150 million domestic gross of the first sequel, it was nevertheless the second-most succesful summer movie of 1992 (after Batman Returns) and the fourth most profitable film of the year.

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Despite the statistics, critical reaction was mixed, especially in comparison with the previous two movies. Although the movie's action sequences and moments of humour are still eye-catching and entertaning, the film was criticised for being a bit repetitive and for almost repeating the formula that was used by its predecessors. Further complaints included that the neurotic Leo Getz, who made his debut in Lethal Weapon 2, is either realtively irrelevant to the film's storyline or the fact that he is not given enough screen time.

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But the movie still had some strengths. The new character, Lorna Cole (played by Rene Russo), a female version of the lead character, was adequate to finally add a (lasting) love interest for Martin Riggs, and both the opening sequence and the finale are considered to be some of the best scenes of the Lethal Weapon saga.

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