Lethal Weapon (1987) - 4K Ultra HD + Digital 4K Steelbook

Details: By Loron Hays; 29 December 2025

Lethal Weapon (1987)

If you want to understand why Lethal Weapon still hits like a shot of cinematic espresso, start with the Christmas‑tree‑lot shootout. It’s pure 1987 chaos: Mel Gibson’s Riggs, all hair and unmedicated intensity, trying to buy cocaine from guys who look like they were cast directly from a Whitesnake video. Within seconds, bullets are flying, trees are falling, and Riggs is doing that wild‑eyed “I’m fine, really” routine that made every Gen‑X kid wonder if adulthood was just one long nervous breakdown with better lighting. It’s a scene that tells you everything — the tone, the danger, the humor, the emotional instability — and it’s why this movie transcends its era. It’s not just an action flick; it’s a cultural artifact about two broken men trying to survive a world that keeps daring them to feel something.

"still hits like a shot of cinematic espresso"

Directed by Richard Donner, the patron saint of “movies that actually know how to entertain,” Lethal Weapon pairs Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in what might be the most perfectly mismatched partnership in action‑movie history. Gibson’s Martin Riggs is a live wire wrapped in denim and grief, while Glover’s Roger Murtaugh is the human embodiment of “I’m too old for this.” Their chemistry isn’t just good — it’s alchemical. You can feel Donner shaping every beat so the comedy never undercuts the danger, and the danger never overwhelms the humanity. Even the villains — led by a bleach‑blond, karate‑enthusiast Gary Busey — feel like they wandered in from a parallel universe where everyone trains for the Olympics of Menacing Stares.

What makes Lethal Weapon timeless isn’t the explosions or the one‑liners; it’s the emotional architecture underneath the mayhem. Shane Black’s script gives Riggs a rawness that still feels startling today — a portrait of grief and suicidal ideation that somehow coexists with buddy‑cop banter and Christmas lights. Meanwhile, Murtaugh’s family life grounds the film in something warm and recognizable. Gen X grew up on movies that pretended masculinity meant silence, but Lethal Weapon cracked that open. It let its heroes be messy, vulnerable, and occasionally ridiculous. That’s why it endures: it’s an action movie that actually cares about the people holding the guns. Lethal Weapon (1987)

And let’s be honest — the comedy still lands. The bathtub scene? The jumper scene? The “let’s torture Riggs with a car battery because it’s the ’80s and OSHA can’t stop us” scene? This movie is a time capsule of everything gloriously excessive about the decade, but it’s also shockingly modern in its pacing and character work. Donner knew how to make a movie move, and he knew how to make you care even while you were laughing at the absurdity of it all. That balance is why Lethal Weapon didn’t just define a genre — it rewired it.

Which brings us to the new 4K SteelBook release, a gift to anyone who ever wore out their VHS copy or quoted “I’m too old for this” before they were even thirty. The HDR pass sharpens the neon‑soaked nights and sun‑blasted LA days, the grain is beautifully preserved, and the sound mix gives Michael Kamen and Eric Clapton’s blues‑soaked score the room it deserves. The SteelBook packaging leans into the iconic buddy‑cop imagery without feeling like a lazy reprint, and the disc finally gives this cultural landmark the presentation it’s earned. If you’re a collector, a nostalgist, or just someone who appreciates action movies with actual soul, this is the version to own.

5/5 beers

Lethal Weapon (1987)

4k details divider

4K Ultra HD + Digital 4K / SteelBook / Limited Edition

Home Video Distributor: Warner Bros.
Available on Blu-ray - June 24, 2025
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Swedish
Video: HDR10
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; German: Dolby Digital 5.1; Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray lokced to Region A

Explosive action, razor‑sharp wit, and unforgettable chemistry collide in Richard Donner’s iconic buddy‑cop classic. Mel Gibson stars as Martin Riggs, a volatile detective on the edge, paired with Danny Glover’s world‑weary family man Roger Murtaugh. Together, they take on a deadly criminal operation led by the ruthless Mr. Joshua (Gary Busey) — and discover that the only thing more dangerous than the streets of Los Angeles is learning to trust a partner. Packed with high‑octane stunts, dark humor, and heart, Lethal Weapon redefined the action genre for a generation. Now restored in stunning 4K with HDR and presented in a collectible SteelBook, this definitive edition brings every punch, chase, and one‑liner to life like never before.

VIDEO

The 4K upgrade is exactly the kind of glow‑up Lethal Weapon deserves — not a plasticized, over‑scrubbed “modernization,” but a restoration that lets the film’s glorious 1987 grit breathe. The HDR pass sharpens those sun‑baked LA exteriors and gives the nighttime neon that humid, crime‑movie shimmer we all remember from late‑night cable.

Grain is intact and beautifully cinematic, the kind of texture that reminds you this was shot on real film by people who smoked indoors. Colors pop without turning cartoonish, and the detail bump means you can now fully appreciate everything from Riggs’ chaotic mullet physics to the unhinged glint in Gary Busey’s eyes. It’s the best the movie has ever looked at home — a respectful polish, not a digital facelift.

AUDIO

The audio upgrade doesn’t try to reinvent Lethal Weapon so much as it finally lets the movie breathe the way it always should have. The DTS‑HD MA 5.1 track is crisp, wide, and surprisingly muscular for a film that originally lived in the analog trenches. Gunshots have more punch, the freeway chases feel like they’re actually happening around you, and Michael Kamen and Eric Clapton’s blues‑soaked score slides through the mix with a clarity that makes you wonder how you ever tolerated the old DVD.

Dialogue stays clean and centered — essential when half the movie’s charm is Riggs muttering unhinged threats while Murtaugh sighs his way toward retirement. It’s not an Atmos overhaul, but it’s a faithful, dynamic upgrade that respects the film’s bones while giving it the sonic polish it’s always deserved.

Supplements:

Commentary:

See Special Features.

Special Features:

The special features on this SteelBook are a glorious time capsule of when DVD extras were basically group therapy sessions for filmmakers. You get the vintage commentary with Richard Donner, Mel Gibson, and Danny Glover — a mix of craft talk, dad‑energy, and Donner gently herding his stars like a patient camp counselor. The featurettes are pure ’80s gold: deleted and extended scenes that feel like alternate‑universe riffs on moments you’ve memorized, plus Psycho Pension, a retrospective that digs into how Shane Black’s script and Donner’s direction accidentally rewired the entire buddy‑cop genre. Throw in some behind‑the‑scenes footage and the original trailer, and you’ve got a set of extras that aren’t just padding — they’re a reminder of how this movie became a blueprint for everything that followed.