Lethal Weapon (1987) 4K UHD Review

5 star, epic restoration of a classic buddy-cop film.

Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American action thriller written by Shane Black (The Predator, The Nice Guys) and directed by Richard Donner (The Goonies, 16 Blocks).

It has enjoyed a 4K restoration and will be available to own in the UK on 4K UHD, 4K UHD SteelBook and as a 4K UHD Collector’s Edition on June 23rd 2025, courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.

The 4K UHD release includes both the 1987 theatrical version of the film and the 2000 Director’s Cut which features an additional 7 minutes of footage not seen in cinemas.

“Well, I’ll tell you what. You make it through tomorrow without killing anybody, especially me, or yourself, then I’ll start trusting you”

Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover – Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses, Tokarev) is a by-the-book war veteran and seasoned Homicide Sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department, who has a loving wife, Trish (Darlene Love – Holiday Rush, Lethal Weapon 2), son Nick (Damon Hines – What’s Love Got to Do With It) and daughters Rianne (Traci Wolfe – She Said) and Carrie (Ebonie Smith – Ali: An American Hero).

His ordered existence is thrown into disarray by his captain, who partners him with Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson – Air America, Machete Kills), a fellow war veteran who has become increasingly erratic and even suicidal following the recent death of his wife. The Captain believes he is faking psychosis in order to be retired and forces him to work with Murtaugh.

Their first big case is personal to Murtaugh, his former Vietnam friend, Michael Hunsaker (Tom Atkins – The Ninth Configuration, The Fog) contacts him to try and help his daughter Amanda (Jackie Swanson – Oblivion) who has fallen in with a bad crowd. Unfortunately, she jumps to her death from a balcony before they meet. When an autopsy reveals she was fatally poisoned prior to jumping, it becomes a homicide investigation.

Their investigation uncovers secrets from the Vietnam regarding “Shadow Company”and leads them to cross paths with the tenacious Joshua (Gary Busey – Point Break, Under Siege). As matters become more personal for Murtaugh, can the pair put aside their differences and work together to save the day?

“I don’t make things complicated. That’s the way they get, all by themselves.”

Lethal Weapon is a fantastic film, just as watchable now as it was on its release and just as relevant. One of our favourite Christmas films, this 4K restoration is magnificent, bringing it up to glorious crispy resolution and with a belting soundtrack that sounds better than ever too. Nobody could have predicted when this film was made how popular the series would become or how many film sequels (and a series) it would spawn. Let us hope that the other three films also receive the same treatment.

This is an awesome package, the extra seven minutes really adds to the character development and add a different tone to certain parts of the film. It makes our heroes seem a little more human, and I appreciated that.

With new special features and art works, this is a great release and very much worth adding to your collection.

“See how easy that was? Boom, still alive. Now we question him. You know why we question him? Because I got him in the leg. I didn’t shoot him full of holes or try to jump off a building with him.”