Shortly after graduating from UCLA, Shane Black sold his first screenplay to Warner Bros. to the tune of $250,000. That script was “Lethal Weapon.” Black didn’t know it at the time, but he was on his way to changing the way Hollywood thought about big blockbuster action films and about screenwriters as well. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our Shane Black series with Richard Donner’s 1987 film “Lethal Weapon.” We talk about how the film held up for us after our first viewings in our teen years. We chat about Black and his screenplay, looking at what’s in it, what’s not, and why his writing works so well. We look at Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as Riggs and Murtaugh, discussing everything from their partnership in this buddy cop movie to Mel’s hair and from Murtaugh’s family to Mel’s butt. We look at Gary Busey and talk about why he works well in this film. We chat about the stunts, notably Dar Richardson who lost his life right after principal photography finished. And we argue about the quality of Michael Kamen’s and Eric Clapton’s music. It’s a fun film, even if it doesn’t hold up to memories of it from our youth, so check it out then tune in to hear what we thought.
