Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

May 15, 1992 (US) • Action, Thriller, Crime • 118m

Overview

Riggs and Murtaugh pursue a former officer who uses his knowledge of police procedure and policies to steal and sell confiscated guns and ammunition to local street gangs.

Director

Jeffrey Boam, Robert Mark Kamen

Top Billed

Mel Gibson

Keywords

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Where to watch

Free / Included

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Top Billed Cast

Crew

Collection

Lethal Weapon Collection

Lethal Weapon

Lethal Weapon 2

Lethal Weapon 3

Lethal Weapon 4

Lethal Weapon 5

Reviews

John Chard

⭐ 7/10

September 29, 2019

The public get what they want.

In this third instalment of the popular Lethal Weapon series, Murtaugh is counting down the days till he finally hangs up his badge, but he and Riggs run into an ex-cop who is dealing in special cop-killing bullets.

In total there were four Lethal Weapon films, regardless of quality (they declined in quality with each release) each film made gargantuan amounts of money. Who could blame those involved for milking it for all it was worth if the paying public demanded it eh? Made for $35 million, part 3 went on to make Worldwide $321 million, thus ensuring that a part 4 was inevitable. But is Lethal Weapon 3 actually any good? Was the loyal paying public rewarded for their time?.

Well yes, chances are that if you were already a fan of the series then this does deliver all you wanted and hoped for. Director Richard Donner and his team of writers shrewdly cottoned on to the basic fact that the ante had to be raised. It's a pretty light plot in truth, but enter more explosions, more action and make Riggs more comically reckless than usual, well it's a successful formula - even if Riggs and Murtaugh are now in essence just a comedy double act (one man love sequence not withstanding that is). Into the mix comes karate-kicking Internal Affairs female sergeant Lorna Cole (a more than agreeable turn from Rene Russo), who simultaneously gives Riggs more scope for gags and a love interest, and love him or hate him, Joe Pesci again pops in with mirth as the whiny Leo Getz. Stuart Wilson gets to play the bad guy with relish, and just to show it's not all about slam bangery and japes, the film also boasts having an affecting strand about kids with guns on the streets - and of course the scum who put those guns into those hands.

It's all very simple and disposable in the world of the popcorn actioner, and yeah, it's not as good as what came before it in the series, but it's still an entertaining viewing for the series fans regardless. 7/10

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Wuchak

⭐ 6/10

April 3, 2023

**_More fun and dynamic police action with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover_**

Riggs & Murtaugh (Gibson and Glover) team-up with a kick-axx internal affairs officer (Rene Russo) to take down an ex-cop (Stuart Wilson) who’s smuggling confiscated guns to L.A. gangs. Joe Pesci is also on hand.

"Lethal Weapon 3" (1992) is more-of-the-same in the successful series helmed by Richard Donner. Like the first two, it’s an over-the-top cop thriller with am… read the rest.

CinemaSerf

⭐ 6/10

September 5, 2025

With barely more than a week to go until “Murtaugh” (Danny Glover) retires, he and his now uniformed (and pony-tailed) partner “Riggs” (Mel Gibson) thwart an armoured car robbery and arrest the culprit. Before he can be rigorously interrogated, though, his brains get splattered against the walls of the interview room and our intrepid duo are charged by “Murphy” (Steve Kazan) to work with the IAD detective “Lorna” (Rene Russo) and track down the p… read the rest.