Lethal Weapon 3
The third buddy cop action comedy in the Lethal Weapon series.
Lethal Weapon 3 is a 1992 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Richard Donner and written by Jeffrey Boam and Robert Mark Kamen. It is the third installment in the Lethal Weapon film series, following Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), and stars Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, and Stuart Wilson. The film was a box office success, grossing over $320 million worldwide, making it the fifth-highest-grossing film of 1992 and the highest-grossing installment in the series.
- Release date
- May 15, 1992
- Director
- Richard Donner
- Writers
- Jeffrey Boam, Robert Mark Kamen
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
- Box office
- Over $320 million worldwide
- Series rank
- Highest-grossing installment in the Lethal Weapon series
- Followed by
- Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Lore & Background
The plot follows LAPD sergeants Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh as they pursue Jack Travis, a former LAPD lieutenant turned arms dealer, during the six days before Murtaugh's retirement. They are joined by Leo Getz and internal affairs Sergeant Lorna Cole. The film includes a subplot involving Murtaugh's guilt after killing his son's friend Darryl, who was involved in a drug deal. The climax features a gun battle at a construction site, where Riggs kills Travis with armor-piercing bullets.
Reader's Guide
Lethal Weapon 3 was filmed from October 1991 to January 1992. Notable production elements include the demolition of the former Orlando City Hall building for the opening scene, which cost $500,000, and the use of an unfinished housing development in Lancaster, California for the climax. The hockey scene was filmed during a November 26, 1991 NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs, with limited NHL cooperation due to concerns about the film's violence. Director Richard Donner, an animal-rights and pro-choice activist, placed posters and stickers for these causes throughout the film.
Did You Know?
- The opening scene's bomb explosion was filmed using the former Soreno Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida, not Orlando City Hall.
- The hockey scene was shot during a real NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 26, 1991.
- The climax was filmed at an unfinished housing development in Lancaster, California, which was coated in flame retardant and propane gas lines for re-shoots.
- During the closing credits, the former Orlando City Hall was imploded for the film.
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