‘Lethal Weapon 2’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan
May 11, 2021 · Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) · Action · Crime · Thriller · 1:29:54 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
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Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsThe opening car chase followed immediately by the straitjacket scene where Mel Gibson dislocates his shoulder▶ 36:43
Chris RyanAgrees with the straitjacket scene pick and discusses how it was a bad influence on impressionable teenagers wanting to try dislocating their shoulders▶ 39:14
Van LathanAgrees with Bill's pick and adds analysis about the straitjacket scene showing Riggs as a masochist and the Chekhov's gun aspect of the shoulder dislocation▶ 39:49
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsThe toilet bomb scene as one of the great action movie premises of all time, plus various other scenes like Gibson confronting the villains and the trailer shootout▶ 46:44
Van LathanThe emotional chemistry and partnership between Riggs and Murtaugh, particularly the 'I love you' moment in the toilet scene▶ 49:02
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsMentions original choice to play Leo before Pesci was 'our guy very near and dear to our hearts here the rewatchables' but doesn't specify who▶ 1:08:20
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsJosh Acklin — Josh Acklin - 'obviously Josh Acklin is going to win because I didn't know his name until I saw this movie but I knew him from Hunt for Red October and this movie'▶ 1:09:00
Chris RyanJack McKee — Jack McKee - 'the person who is competing most with Josh Acklin though is Jack McKee who plays the dude doing the construction on Murtaugh's house'▶ 1:09:58
Van LathanJenette Goldstein — All the cops are 'that guys' - specifically mentions the female cop who is Vasquez from Aliens and Edward Furlong's mother, and the black cop with curly hair who's in Die Hard▶ 1:09:25
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsGrand Theft Auto 5 homages Lethal Weapon with a protagonist finding his wife cheating with a tennis coach and pulling down a house on stilts▶ 1:11:13
Chris RyanRichard Donner won the battle for the franchise's soul against Shane Black's darker vision, keeping it lighter and more fun▶ 1:14:22
Van LathanTheory that Lethal Weapon movies aged Danny Glover in audience perception by 30 years, hurting his career - he was only 43 playing older but is now 74▶ 1:11:58
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsCops should shoot helicopter blades instead of the body; villains should have just killed Riggs instead of elaborate death; condom ads wouldn't exist in 1989; Riggs shouldn't have brought girlfriend back to her apartment after shootout▶ 1:16:43
Chris RyanCops respect some rules like diplomatic immunity but not others; Riggs knowing details about deep sea fishing magazine when Murtaugh is the boat owner; different relationship with pets in 80s movies▶ 1:16:56
Van LathanDefends the Riggs capture scene as villains needed quiet kill with guests upstairs, but agrees they could have used silencer; Riggs wouldn't know fishing magazine details; Riggs' dog is poorly cared for▶ 1:17:36
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsIs diplomatic immunity real or just a movie device? Could you actually pull down a house on stilts with a truck?▶ 1:21:27
Chris RyanDiscussed real-world diplomatic immunity cases and proposed a modern reboot concept with Logan/Jake Paul vs South African diplomats▶ 1:21:41
Van LathanReferenced LiAngelo Ball case and questioned why he would steal sunglasses in China, discussed house structural integrity▶ 1:22:02
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsJoe Pesci — Gibson wins the movie but the title should be vacated like Reggie Bush's NCAA title due to cheating, so effectively no winner but Pesci makes the movie▶ 1:28:12
Chris RyanJoe Pesci — Joe Pesci (agreeing with Van's strategy of voting for Pesci knowing Gibson would normally win)▶ 1:27:19
Van LathanJoe Pesci — Joe Pesci (though acknowledging Riggs/Gibson obviously wins, comparing it to Charles Woodson winning the Heisman over expected winner Peyton Manning)▶ 1:26:45
Movies Referenced (54)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lethal Weapon (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 21 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan | ▶ 2:07 |
| Goodfellas (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | ▶ 10:03 |
| Iron Man 3 (2013) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Van Lathan, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 29:45 |
| Die Hard (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | ▶ 6:53 |
| Beverly Hills Cop (1984) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | ▶ 19:02 |
| Aliens (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan | ▶ 2:34 |
| Home Alone (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:04 |
| Iron Man (2008) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | ▶ 29:47 |
| Predator 2 (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:13:35 |
| Rushmore (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 2:27 |
| Set It Up (2018) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 50:11 |
| Batman (1989) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 15:52 |
Directors Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 37 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 1:28 |
| Richard Donner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Lethal Weapon | ▶ 12:14 |
| Cameron Crowe | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky | ▶ 17:37 |
Actors Referenced (32)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Pesci | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 23 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | Goodfellas, Raging Bull, The Irishman | ▶ 9:13 |
| Danny Glover | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 19 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4 | ▶ 1:28 |
| Charles Barkley | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | He Got Game, Space Jam | ▶ 16:56 |
| James Murtaugh | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | ▶ 31:00 |
| Anthony Hopkins | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan | The Silence of the Lambs | ▶ 12:58 |
| Eddie Murphy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | The Nutty Professor, Beverly Hills Cop II | ▶ 38:03 |
| Michelle Pfeiffer | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | What Lies Beneath | ▶ 1:01:24 |
| Tom Cruise | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Top Gun, Minority Report | ▶ 37:37 |
| Bruce Willis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Die Hard, Pulp Fiction | ▶ 6:53 |
| Eric Clapton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2 | ▶ 1:02:40 |
| Liam Gallagher | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:02:24 | |
| Peyton Manning | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Van Lathan | ▶ 1:27:02 |
Writers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Black | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan | Predator, The Nice Guys, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | ▶ 25:16 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:52 |