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Real Men Stare Into Each Other's Eyes | Lethal Weapon 2 · Potato Chip Pictures - A Podcast

0:00
I've got to be honest, I keep going back and forth.
0:03
I this, this might be 1 where like when we get started, I
0:08
usually write down a score. But all day today I've been
0:13
thinking about my score and I've been like, do I?
0:16
Is that the score like? I think we are supposed to be
0:21
biased toward our current social cultural setting in terms where
0:30
this is not ancient, this isn't 100 years old.
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We were born when this was made, so we can relate to maybe the
0:43
parentage of where this has been.
0:47
I think I was enjoying it until it started feeling very dated
0:55
and then I did hated it when it wrapped in just straight up the
1:04
feeling of misogyny of like this is just an awkward interaction
1:13
turned into a kidnapping date that she has to go along with.
1:20
Oh man, I'm I'm going to feel sleazy this whole recording
1:24
because that didn't even register with me.
1:26
It registered like at the beginning, sure.
1:29
And and then I was like, oh, well, I guess it's OK.
1:32
But now that you're saying it out loud, I'm like, oh, it
1:35
shouldn't. Have oh man, he, he does all the
1:38
stuff to force her to have dinner with him.
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And it's like I having never acted that way myself, I don't
1:49
think I would tolerate it with my own children acting or being
1:56
forced into a date, even with a cop.
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I mean, especially with a cop. Especially with a cop.
2:02
In this sort of circumstance. So, man, did it sour my
2:06
impression of Martin Riggs because he he is made to seem
2:12
very sympathetic. We get a couple of glimpses of
2:15
him loving his wife, and I'm like, cool, Did you force her to
2:19
marry you, too? Yeah.
2:21
Well, how was that first date? Like thank you for being anti
2:25
fascist and anti racist. I really dislike this other
2:31
portion of your personality because because that 2026 I I
2:40
would not I would condemn the sort of behavior of a 30
2:47
something year old. Last time we just decided he was
2:50
about 37. Maybe he's 3839 now.
2:53
I'm like acting that way would have been permissible up to that
3:00
point. And so there's no issue on his
3:02
side of making a scene that forces her to to go on a date.
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And from that point, like, sure, maybe she eventually softens to
3:17
him and all of that is consensual.
3:21
Like sure helps her. Hello and welcome to Potato Chip
3:41
Pictures, the movie franchise review Podcast.
3:44
My name is B Sammy Davis. And I am Justin.
3:52
And today and today, we are looking at 1989's Lethal Weapon
3:59
2. Justin, tell me about this
4:02
movie. It was made after the first one
4:04
came out. It was still directed by Richard
4:10
Donner, which still, I don't think I remember what we
4:13
discussed last time. If he made anything else famous,
4:16
his name sure sounds familiar, but different screenwriter.
4:21
So he'll be the screenwriter for people up in three as well, plus
4:25
somebody else in the next one. But Shane Black still in charge
4:29
of story, but Warren Murphy ended in and producers all the
4:35
way through our entire series is Richard Donner and Joel Silver.
4:39
They got 25% of last time's return to make this film.
4:46
That is around $30 million. So I got to jump in on Richard
4:52
Donner because I've. It's been driving me crazy, and
4:56
I only just now decided to click his link to see, Yeah, what else
5:03
has he done? Like, how could I possibly have
5:06
recognized that name without knowing who he is?
5:09
So his early career, he did a lot of stuff with television,
5:12
including the Banana Splits. I don't know if you ever saw
5:16
that on syndication. It was it, it was this weird
5:23
amalgamation that had like part live action and then part
5:27
animation. And it, it really feels like a
5:30
fever dream because I don't remember it all that well.
5:33
But it kind of reminded me of those McDonald's commercials
5:38
where they'd go to McDonald's land and there's all the people
5:42
in their costumes. And that was the Banana Splits,
5:46
if I'm remembering correctly. I know I saw it on syndication
5:51
when I'd be at my grandparents house and we'd I would just be
5:54
watching reruns and that would come on from time to time.
5:59
But the big one, the one that that he's known for, was
6:04
Superman and Superman. Two except.
6:08
He was fired from Superman 2 like 3/4 of the way through and
6:15
someone else had to come in and finish filming it.
6:19
And there is, it was released in 2006.
6:23
But there is a Superman 2, the Richard Donner cut.
6:27
And I have never gone back to the theatrical cut because the
6:32
Richard Donner cut is better. It is a better movie.
6:37
That's what it is. And then, Yep, that's his
6:39
biggest one. That's the one that everybody
6:41
would know. And then he was a producer on
6:46
the X-Men film series, not the director, but he was a part of
6:51
that. So he's, he's done a lot with
6:54
action and big stuff. As far as smaller projects go,
6:59
he did The Omen in 1976. I love that movie.
7:05
I genuinely love The Omen. Yeah, I've never watched any of
7:09
the sequels, but I really love the original it.
7:13
Like, I watched it in high school and I remember driving
7:16
home and being scared that a, a demon had decided to follow me
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home. And I was like, this is a great
7:24
movie if like, I'm scared in the real world after the credits
7:28
roll. So, OK, that's all I had to
7:31
interrupt you with on Richard Donner.
7:34
Well, this sort of ingredient mix actually made them twice as
7:40
much as the previous one, almost $227.9 million from 30.
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I think the 30 is I'm trying to think of maybe they added extra
7:53
helicopters in this one because the oh.
7:55
There's. Felt the same.
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They blow up a house. Yeah, I, I that's where like,
8:03
the cinematography feels close to the same.
8:06
We don't have that column in our notes, but I think it's feels
8:10
like the same sort of shooting for all of it.
8:15
I think we we may not have to establish LA as quite a bigger
8:19
character in this one, but let's see, screenwriter.
8:26
The switch added a lot more puns and laughter that was meant to
8:33
be there. I do feel like it's slightly
8:37
less serious tone but it's not like it's super bad thing.
8:42
The beginning was enjoyable. Someone took me back to the mid
8:48
to late 80s and well, it was, it was my older brother.
8:53
We were talking about the franchise and I was he was
8:55
saying which one was his least favorite.
8:59
And I was like, I mean, I don't remember three or four that
9:03
well. It's been a long time since I've
9:04
seen them. But of the two that we've
9:06
watched, the bottom is the original.
9:09
And that's only because it was, it was so serious.
9:13
It was a crime noir with just like a couple of jokes.
9:18
But really we are there for a real serious story.
9:23
And he was like, well, that was, you know, the mid 80s.
9:26
That was 1987. But still, that was part of the
9:30
Uber macho era, when so many of the action and horror movies
9:37
would feature the manliest of men.
9:40
And it was just like, who can outman the next movie?
9:45
Who's going to be the stronger, manlier man?
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And so Richard Donner taking a turn into comedy was brilliant
9:54
because it's like, I don't want to compete with Arnold.
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I don't want to have another They Live or Predator or Alien
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or any of these movies where big muscley guys are always yelling
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and shooting and blowing things up.
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He wanted something that capitalized on, frankly, what
10:17
Lethal Weapon did best, which was establish a friendship that
10:23
was brilliant to watch. And then they were like, OK, now
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let's make that friendship even stronger.
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And they're funny, and they enjoy being together.
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And oh, it got me right from the beginning.
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I care. I'm so much.
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About each other, yeah. They as man, I love them.
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Yes, it's the manliest friendship that's ever been
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committed to film, but it's still a genuine and wonderful
10:51
friendship. It's wild to me that, you know,
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20-30 years later Mel Gibson would be wildly racist and like
11:03
because you watch this and, and his character is very anti
11:08
racist. He is a part of Murtagh's
11:11
family. He is someone who loves Murtagh.
11:15
They have this, this beautiful moment on the toilet where
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Murtagh wants to tell him how much this friendship means.
11:24
Yeah. And they look at each other and
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Riggs is just like, I know. And it's the same.
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Thing he was like. Oh, yeah, Like nothing actually
11:33
has to be said because we know, we understand.
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Like, yeah, this is the 80s. Guys can't talk about their
11:40
feelings, but they can, they can make eye contact and be like,
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there is something I need to communicate, look into my eyes,
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feel it with me and tell me if you feel it too.
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And he's like, yeah, I'm there with you.
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We are going to survive this. And so that I think is the
11:57
strongest element of this movie. And it I think it's it's made
12:03
even better. But you're right that there's
12:06
there's going to be a part later on that starts to bring me down.
12:11
And then frankly, the ending also kind of brings me down.
12:14
But from the beginning, I was in at the very beginning, I was
12:18
like, this is a 10 out of 10 movie.
12:20
This is such a great intro. I think the the beginning does a
12:26
lot of favors to the scores. It is a I was a little thrown
12:33
off at the very, very, very beginning where the Warner
12:36
Brothers like Looney Tunes fanfare starts like for a second
12:41
and then it stops. I was like, well, yes, this is
12:44
Warner Brothers show, but are you seriously?
12:46
We go in to see the Animaniacs at some point, so maybe I laugh
12:52
for that. See, and then everything made me
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laugh after that, like speed up, go faster.
12:59
And then why is why is Murtagh taking his wife's brand new
13:03
station wagon to work drive his own Dane car?
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I feel like logistically, yeah, should have just driven your own
13:14
car because you can still do the replacement pieces that they end
13:20
up doing by the end to make the make the station wagon really
13:24
look battle tested. Oh yeah, it it gets.
13:27
Can do that with a different car, yeah.
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You don't have to use your wife like your wife's cooking does
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not justify destroying her brand new car.
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I do feel like the family is a little less visible all the way
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through, kind of get more focus on Murta explaining his broken,
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heroic madness, which I I will maybe influence my score based
14:03
on the return of this movie because obviously in 1989 people
14:09
loved it. Oh, yeah, I still liked it a
14:14
lot. There's really only a couple of
14:16
stinkers to me. You were talking about the
14:19
beginning in that when Murtagh has, he finally reveals what
14:24
happened to his dead wife, and that was a powerful moment.
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And then to, you know, kick the knees out from under you.
14:35
Then Murtaugh comes in and, like, says some stupid line and
14:40
like, and it, it does take the wind out of the sails of the
14:46
emotional moment. But at the same time, it's like,
14:49
I'm just glad Riggs got a chance to talk to someone about it and
14:53
that we, the audience, got to hear it.
14:56
And it is kind of funny because that is what a dad would do.
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He would come in at the end of the conversation, say something
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stupid and inappropriate without knowing it, and everybody just
15:06
moves on like. You missed the moment he went
15:10
and stepped on it, but he didn't know.
15:13
Yeah. And then I from.
15:15
That scene I enjoy the cat being on top of the refrigerator.
15:18
Touches and scenes here and there make it very real and I
15:23
loved, I loved that I. Also caught the cat.
15:26
I was like, so the cat is just sitting there and they're
15:29
leaving the the drawer open. My cats would have used that to
15:34
crawl into another cave. Yeah, but it was adorable.
15:39
And then to your point about not seeing the family, like I feel
15:44
as though in the beginning we get some really good
15:48
characterization with the kids, but then like a third, maybe 1/4
15:54
of the way through the movie, we will not see them again.
15:57
We will see the daughter's commercial one more time, but we
16:01
are not seeing the family anymore for the rest of this
16:04
movie. I I think like I feel like they
16:09
have a reason to explain it away that they he's already had break
16:13
insurance and then bombs in his house and it's like, well, yeah,
16:17
the kids in mom should probably be safeguarded somewhere.
16:22
I don't know how long this all takes over all the whole story
16:26
window. It's like the.
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Course of two days maybe, like it's not very long.
16:33
It's not like a week or anything.
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It is just a few days of action, yeah.
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So I feel like I miss that bit of interaction.
16:44
But I do think this is supposed to be, what, a year down the
16:49
road? And they're it's not Christmas,
16:52
is it? Nope, I didn't see a single
16:55
Christmas decoration. So I know Shane Black.
16:59
He's credited for being part of the story and I'm pretty sure he
17:03
wrote the first draft of the script.
17:06
Then I think Warren Murphy came in for another draft.
17:09
I could be speaking wrong here. I don't know enough about Warren
17:13
Murphy, but I do know that Jeffrey Boehm was the final
17:18
scriptwriter. So he had the original story and
17:23
then he probably added a lot of the comedy to it to lighten it
17:27
up. And frankly, he probably was
17:29
like, screw this Christmas noise.
17:31
Like this is LA, who cares about Christmas?
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So it's meant to wrap up the film and, you know, I feel good.
17:39
I don't know. I have no idea why we make such
17:44
a decision like that before we get rid of the family.
17:52
There's a whole side plot of his daughter being in a commercial
17:57
for condoms. It's like she didn't inform
18:03
anybody about the commercial content before saying, oh, it's
18:07
going to be on TV. Yeah, she was.
18:10
She's so innocent. She thinks everyone's going to
18:12
be proud of her. Right.
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Of like, I feel like that part was a little bit surprising.
18:21
I I mean you should count on your family to like, support and
18:26
back you up on these endeavours but not knowing that going into
18:31
sharing it with friends and family who that's OK.
18:35
I got to take you to a hypothetical and this might make
18:39
the podcast go a little long, but I do got to know because I
18:42
struggle with this with my own kid.
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I I have been friends with only fans, people, you know, people
18:52
who have created accounts and have tried to make money.
18:56
None of them have been able to sustain themselves.
19:00
And at best, it is just been something where they get maybe
19:03
20 or $30 on the side, but I've never wanted to actually support
19:11
them. Like I'm all for them doing it.
19:14
And I think it's cool that they do it.
19:16
And I'm really impressed that they have the confidence with
19:19
themselves because I don't have the confidence in my own body.
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Like I, I barely like dating when I rarely do it because I'm
19:27
always like, you look at me. Whereas these people are like,
19:31
I'm into it. And, you know, watching her do
19:35
this, this secret condom commercial, it got me thinking,
19:39
what happens, you know, in 10 to 15 years when my kids get old
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enough and my daughter says I've got a banging body and I want to
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be on only Fans, how do we deal with that?
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I comparing that to the commercial, I do think it's a
20:01
separate avenue of decisions because I don't know the general
20:11
age population that's that's planning on doing that.
20:15
I don't know. That it's generally, I mean,
20:20
that's that's the thing as adults, we are happy to let
20:25
other adults make their decisions as.
20:28
Their life. Yeah, I'm not as inclined to
20:34
support that sort of decision, especially 'cause it's not, that
20:39
wouldn't be a career route that I would be signing on for before
20:46
they're adult age. And then even before that swim
20:51
would be good to discuss. Like my oldest kid does know
20:56
that like strippers exist and like various things out in the
21:01
world, but it's not like it's not like it's a oh, so you know,
21:09
go this route if you're looking to do that.
21:12
Yeah, you haven't given them the instruction manual.
21:17
My oldest did want to watch a show from Channing Tatum from
21:26
his early career and was like, oh, what else is he in?
21:30
She's like, oh, like this magic Mic 1.
21:32
And so that's like actually like he's a stripper in that one.
21:38
I don't know if you'd call it something different, but it was
21:42
it was informative. Made me chuckle because.
21:46
That's another franchise. All you got to do. e-mail us at
21:51
potatochippicturespot@gmail.com. Request it and we might.
21:56
Well, I'm willing to do it. I'm willing to watch it if it is
21:59
requested. I've never seen them.
22:03
Same I I feel like it. I don't know what the main plot
22:10
would even be. Anyway, tangent.
22:15
Yeah, I apologize. I just had to throw that out
22:19
there. In terms of this, this
22:22
commercial sharing with your family and friends, your only
22:26
fans, acquaintances, sharing with family and friends feels
22:30
like that's a big jump, at least in terms of, I don't know,
22:37
content warning to your family and friends versus this is a
22:41
commercial that's airing to the public.
22:43
So it's not like there's anything quite.
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See, and that's that's why I'm making that comparison is
22:49
because like she didn't tell the family that this was a condom
22:53
commercial and now everybody, everybody.
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Has a problem with it. Yeah, well, and even if they
22:59
don't have a problem with it, you get people like Leo who are
23:02
who's like, she's got a banging bot.
23:04
I want to watch. I want to see this.
23:06
Oh. My gosh, I was like, I did not
23:11
look up how old his child's supposed to be.
23:13
Is she living at home? Because that is.
23:17
She is living at home. I don't know that you should
23:20
cast minors in condo commercials.
23:24
I think she was 17 in lethal weapons, so if this is one year
23:28
apart then she's got to be 18. That's where I'm like consenting
23:32
to note. Yeah.
23:34
Do your thing and. But at the same time, 18 is not
23:39
truly an adult. Like, OK, I've got I've got
23:44
conflicting, yeah, I've got conflicting views.
23:48
Because on the one hand, I think 16 year olds should be allowed
23:52
to vote. I'm of the opinion that so many
23:55
decisions that are made directly impact teenagers.
23:59
They should have a say. I also don't know if I think 18
24:03
is truly an adult. I don't think 18 is a magic
24:07
number where suddenly you can be bequeathed with responsibility,
24:12
and if so, then why not 16? But at the same time, I'm a huge
24:18
fan of the creepy calculator when it comes to like, dating.
24:23
If you don't know what that is, it is half your age plus 7.
24:28
And so, like, if you go below that age limit, it's kind of
24:32
creepy. And Leo has to be above that age
24:35
limit because, yeah, like, it's he's, he's counting.
24:42
It it was it was pretty gross. I enjoy the character of Leo.
24:49
Yeah, let's get to him. He's.
24:50
Supposed to be enjoyed. Oh no, you enjoyed him the
24:54
perfect amount. He is.
24:56
He is so funny. I love.
24:59
OK, OK, OK, OK. I just love.
25:03
I love what Joe catch phrase. Is but I know it like.
25:07
Oh yeah. It's not like Miss Frizzle's
25:11
saying her catch phrase. It's just the word OK iterated
25:16
and it's genius like. It really is.
25:20
And he's he's just a sidekick. He is.
25:24
He's not a main part of the cast, but he is in a lot of this
25:29
movie. And by the end of it, I see him
25:33
as a third friend. I believe that hug, like when he
25:36
gives the hug to both of them, I'm like, yeah, I can see them
25:41
accepting Leo as a friend. So I think Joe Pesci is a
25:45
wonderful addition to the cast. I think Leo is just slimy enough
25:52
to be endearing. He he doesn't have a lot of
25:56
charisma. He's not a charming person.
25:58
He's a nerd who's also inappropriately horny and like,
26:04
he wants to get involved in everything.
26:07
And it works for me. It really does.
26:10
Even the low parts. I'm like still 2 thumbs up.
26:14
I would. I would hang out with Leo.
26:17
I would let him join the friend friend group.
26:21
Yeah. I don't feel like he pops up
26:25
immediately though because we have to get an eye on the
26:30
fascists in the Spectre. Evil dude up this.
26:34
It's funny that the Mighty Ducks wise old man becomes I think.
26:41
I guess this movie would be before Mighty Ducks 1.
26:44
I don't know. Oh, yeah, 89 this, this is I
26:49
I'm, I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure this is a before
26:53
Home Alone and Mighty Ducks. Well, he's not in Home Alone,
26:59
but Joe Pesci is. Oh yes, yeah, the I don't know
27:06
his actor name, but. Josh Ackland.
27:10
He died. Rudd.
27:12
Yeah, Aryan Rudd. Oh my God, I love OK.
27:19
Josh Ackland died November 19th, 2023.
27:24
I say that to be like, we don't speak I'll of the dead, but
27:27
there's no point in saying that because he's so good.
27:33
He's playing a character very well because he's annoying, but
27:37
I do see him as the Mighty Ducks hockey shop.
27:44
Oh, yeah, yeah. Like, he is great at being a
27:49
compassionate, wonderful old man.
27:52
And then in this movie, he proves he's also great at being
27:55
a Nazi. And I got to say, I love that.
28:00
The racists are the bad guys. There is no two ways around it.
28:05
These they're all evil. It's OK to shoot Nazis.
28:10
Let's go. That's, I mean, that's half of
28:14
the other part of the equation of the grocery store kidnapping
28:19
that we get to later. It's OK if the Nazi is hot.
28:25
Apparent she's not. She's not with them like the the
28:31
Wikipedia describes her as a, a liberal Dutch South African
28:39
specifically meaning that she at least we are supposed to think
28:43
that she is opposed to apartheid, that she's a she's
28:47
not a part of the business. But there's nothing in the
28:49
movie, nothing in the movie that says this except that she's not
28:55
a Dick to Murtagh like all the other racists are.
29:00
And she's just like, oh, hey, Murtagh, how you doing Like.
29:04
They kind of briefly discuss a little bit of well, I don't
29:09
support my country and my boss. It's like, but it the job is
29:14
necessary for me to be you're. Still getting the paycheck?
29:17
It's like, yes, yeah. So it's a awkward because you
29:29
have to put a romantic interest into this movie, I guess.
29:34
Yeah, maybe. All of my all of my down points
29:38
are probably going to be absorbed by the fact that this
29:41
movie made so many millions of dollars.
29:45
Like, well, I think you are fair to bring up Rica Vandenhass
29:52
because she is one of my thumbs down for this movie.
29:58
I'm I'm a big fan of boobs in movies, so I'm glad we got some
30:05
of that. But her character is very
30:08
complicated to me because on the one hand, the thing I like the
30:12
most about her is that we get to see Riggs in love.
30:16
This is like a one day love affair.
30:19
But still, he's saying stuff like she drinks beer, like he's
30:23
so smitten by her, and he's finally, finally moving on from
30:29
his dead wife. Like, I know that's a terrible
30:32
thing to say, but at the same time, life is for the living and
30:36
he's got to live his life. And he's finally met someone
30:40
who's allowing him to do that. But she works for the bad guys.
30:44
And then the the only reason she exists in the script besides
30:48
getting naked is to be the refrigerated woman, the person
30:53
who's going to get killed and make the hero fly into a rage
30:58
where he will finally be willing to take off the badge and go in
31:03
guns blazing like. And I, I may be colored by, you
31:10
know, I don't remember her name, but there was an essayist about
31:13
10 years ago and she did this whole video about the
31:16
refrigerated woman. It comes from I think The Flash,
31:21
where it could have been Green Lantern.
31:23
It was either Marvel or DC, but one of them had their main
31:28
character open the fridge to discover his dead wife and that
31:33
made him so angry and so filled with rage that he was able to go
31:39
out and kill everything. And since then, comics, video
31:44
games, television shows, anytime you need your hero to really
31:49
have some emotion, you kill off the lady interest.
31:53
And there's so many examples of this where like the good guys,
31:57
he can, he can save the day, but he's not ready until something
32:02
kicks him over the edge. And that's always going to be a
32:05
dead woman. And that's the same here.
32:08
And I'm just like, like we finally get an interesting love
32:12
interest and she's gone. Yeah, like does he own?
32:16
I guess that's before going to the house where Leo's getting
32:20
beat up. Yeah, because he's, he gets
32:25
essentially Murtagh gets on board where he's like, yeah,
32:28
I'm, I'm, I'm not stopping you. I'm joining you.
32:32
I think the yes she is that particular plot device.
32:39
I think she it it stops the momentum of the movie to get to
32:50
the trailer blow up and all the cops getting exploded at their
32:57
houses. Oh man, even I forget his name.
33:01
Dean Norris. I think the dude from Breaking
33:03
Bad. Yeah.
33:05
He gets iced like all of the, not all.
33:09
There's like 4 of them who are at the poker game, but I liked
33:14
at least two of them. There's the the black detective
33:18
who I think was on the phone in the first movie to be like, oh,
33:20
Officer Riggs died. Well, he's back and he doesn't
33:24
do much in this one, but there's a few times where he's like, I'm
33:28
sitting here thinking like, yeah, he's a good detective.
33:30
I'm glad he's here. And then of course, you've got
33:32
the dude from Breaking Bad where he looks, he looks very mean.
33:37
And there there were times when I'm like, is he a mole on the
33:40
inside? Like, is he a bad guy?
33:42
No, he's just a hard ass who's a detective.
33:46
And unfortunately, he doesn't make it through the movie.
33:49
And like, oh, he broke my heart. I was like, I loved at least two
33:53
of these guys and I didn't get any time with them.
33:56
I do think that is a bonus a a plus towards the movies rating
34:02
because it brought the stakes to actual reality.
34:08
Like these guys have been barging into homes tying up
34:12
Murtaugh, not quite doing anything yet.
34:16
But then I can't remember exactly why they decided to
34:19
start killing the cops, but they go through with it.
34:23
And it's people that had names and interactions with the main
34:27
characters. They've been at the arm
34:30
dislocation stuff where he's placing bets and whatnot and and
34:35
they die in the movie. And it's it has a weight like
34:40
yes, they are not. Coming back for the sequel.
34:42
Would be upset about this and it it's what a crime syndicate
34:49
would probably try and pull off if they were having too much
34:53
trouble with the cops like. I I I find the villains
34:59
escalation believable because we start with just a scare where 5
35:06
Nazis in masks come into Murtagh's house, tie up him and
35:10
his wife and then leave and the kids are there and they they get
35:15
them out. Scare number 2 is specifically
35:19
meant to kill Murtagh, and that's the toilet bomb, which is
35:24
my other 10 out of 10 sequence. I love the toilet bomb.
35:28
And then escalation #3 they're panicked and they're like, we're
35:32
just going to kill all of the LAPD.
35:35
Like screw it, we're just going to kill everybody.
35:38
And that's the the night when the poker game is blown up.
35:42
Leo gets captured, Murtagh nails the his assassins and even says
35:49
I nailed them, both of them. I love it.
35:53
And then Riggs is with his Nazi girlfriend and they get shot up
36:02
by helicopters, but they're able to run away and and Riggs is
36:07
able to be with them. He's able.
36:09
With a box of scraps. It really is because he's got a
36:14
handgun and he takes out a whole helicopter.
36:18
Yeah. I feel like I've seen it
36:21
parodied and I think I found the parody.
36:24
I think it's called Loaded Weapon with Emilio Estevez and
36:28
Samuel L Jackson. I can't confirm because it says
36:31
that it parodies a lot of things, but I want specifically
36:34
to think that I remember a clip of this trailer fight being a a
36:42
US A feature in that movie. I'm going to have to give that a
36:47
shot because I kept seeing posters for it and I was like,
36:50
this looks interesting. I might enjoy this.
36:54
But at the same time there, you know, spoofing an already funny
36:59
movie doesn't always work. That's when I'm like, oh, you
37:04
made a mistake. But yeah, I I feel like the
37:09
villains escalation is believable and it makes sense.
37:13
And I have to talk about my 10 out of 10 scene of the toilet
37:17
bomb. It's it's besides the opening of
37:23
this movie that is high octane, very funny, but very exciting.
37:29
Now you've got this quieter moment that is supposed to be a
37:33
high stress moment, but it's a dude stuck on a toilet because
37:38
if he gets up, he's going to blow up.
37:40
And that it is kind of funny that you're stuck on a toilet,
37:45
like, Yeah. And then the moments between
37:48
Riggs and Murtaugh where they're really, like, expressing their
37:53
friendship without saying the words.
37:55
I'm sitting here like I was nearly in tears.
37:58
I. Love.
37:59
You yeah. Like I was just like, oh, oh,
38:02
this is so good. Like don't.
38:05
In Bullet Train, don't the brothers tell them each other
38:08
they love each other? Like I feel like that's where
38:11
we've come to 'cause that would be the same sort of
38:14
relationship. Finally, we can finally say it
38:17
out loud. Like now in 2020, something with
38:21
bullet train. But back in 1989, it had to be.
38:25
I know, and I feel the same way. And, you know, we're going to
38:29
get out of this. And it's, it really, I loved it.
38:34
It was a really impactful moment.
38:37
I, I just love that entire sequence because, you know,
38:41
Murtagh is missing. He hasn't checked in.
38:43
He's never missed a day of work. And so naturally people are
38:48
concerned and they go to check on him.
38:50
He's in an empty house and we discover all he wanted to do was
38:55
take a crap without kids or his wife trying to bang in like stop
39:00
him and then he found a bomb under his toilet and and that.
39:06
Sucks it's going to be taken care of.
39:09
I think it's a decent, what's the word, a decent departure
39:17
while still containing bits of the story like the people want
39:24
to kill him, here's the toy of the bomb.
39:26
We're actually here to remind the audience that these dudes
39:30
love each other and would be there at the bitter end.
39:35
Riggs when they bomb guys like, hey, we got to go.
39:38
Riggs. It's like he's trying to tell a
39:39
dog to leave. Be like, he's like, you got to
39:42
come. Nope.
39:44
That's not happening, understand?
39:46
Good luck So. I think it was a necessary for
39:52
really giving the movie The heart of what the first one had.
39:57
So for my detractions of this, there are 10 out of 10 scenes.
40:04
Well, do you have anything else from the beginning through like
40:09
the first 2/3? Because I, for me, we've touched
40:14
on the things I love the most and we're about to get towards
40:17
the things that I kind of hated about this movie.
40:21
And that's mostly in the end. Like everything is kind of piled
40:25
in the back end where I'm like, ah, ah.
40:28
I think they set up a decent confrontation with the South
40:33
Africans in terms of, oh, somebody is above the cops that
40:39
can't actually touch these guys. It's like sure, but if it's
40:42
illegal I would expect not. Yeah, I don't know anything
40:47
about diplomatic immunity, but there's got to be a line drawn
40:51
somewhere. Yeah, I think who knows?
40:55
I I forgot my other. I'm going to say it's my seven
41:00
out of 10 seeing because it's it's not the best, but it's
41:05
still I don't know. I'm a sucker for any time you
41:08
make racists feel bad and that's when when Leo is like I need you
41:15
to talk my friend out of trying to immigrate to South Africa.
41:23
I love the embassy assaults when Riggs breaks in using Murtaugh
41:30
as a distraction because Murtaugh comes up and he's like,
41:32
no, I'm going to, I'm going to go fight apartheid.
41:35
Like I'm going to go to South Africa and help my brothers and
41:38
like, but but you're black. They say it.
41:44
I love it. I do think I being born around
41:48
that time makes it hard to really know how much it was in
41:55
the public consciousness, but I do feel like current times I
41:59
would expect a similar reaction to someone trying to come to the
42:05
United States and all that would seem appropriately in set in our
42:15
time period. So it's interesting that way to
42:20
me. Yeah, I genuinely enjoyed it.
42:26
I love that confrontation. I didn't love the confrontation
42:30
when Riggs reveals himself in the office and shoots the the
42:37
fish tank. Yeah.
42:39
That's that's the part that I'm like, thumbs down to that, but
42:43
building up to it. Brilliant.
42:45
Loved. It slapstick.
42:46
I'm the tough American and you can't actually frighten me, so
42:51
you better be frightened of me. It's like OK, so.
42:55
There's and no consequence. Yeah, there's my other issue.
42:58
They've been bragging about diplomatic immunity, saying
43:01
they're going to contact the State Department.
43:03
And then this time they're like, well, I guess he's just going to
43:07
keep doing what he does. Like there's there's never a
43:11
consequence to them pursuing these people with diplomatic
43:15
immunity. And you know, that's because the
43:19
movie didn't even consider it, I guess.
43:21
But in the back of my head, I was like, well, now he's
43:25
definitely going to get in trouble.
43:27
And he didn't. No, no one gets him in trouble.
43:30
Nobody gets in trouble. The rules are useless.
43:34
Yeah, but then we get, well, we skipped over it and I said you
43:39
might have to re say it. Oh.
43:41
Sure, sure. I'm trying to make sure I know
43:44
because he talks with Rita on his Rica sorry on his way out
43:51
and then he becomes a stalker. I.
43:56
Know that's so gross. Yeah, well, like even before
44:01
that, going into the office seat and he's like next to the car of
44:06
the main Arjun dude on the street.
44:08
He's at the protests as the guy comes in.
44:11
He's holding the sign up. That stalker side I like.
44:14
It's when he starts stalking Rica.
44:16
Yeah. Like shows her to the grocery.
44:19
Store and just his intent and this is where the only redeeming
44:27
thought would be if it was for his job.
44:32
He's doing this to get more information, but.
44:35
Near. Yeah, but he's doing it to get
44:40
after and take Rica back to his trailer that's on the beach.
44:45
I don't know. Is there a different word for
44:47
it? Looks like one of the RV trailer
44:49
type things. He calls it a trailer.
44:51
He says I've got a trailer on the beach.
44:54
It seems not much, but it's a hell of a view.
44:58
It seems hell is secluded for a first date, but he makes a scene
45:04
in the store and she has been saying no consistently for about
45:08
10 seconds like. 3 or 4 No's it is 0.
45:13
It is bad. I curious if listeners would
45:19
tell me that it's not so bad in 1989.
45:23
I was like, well, it still feels like that would have been
45:26
something I wouldn't want to have happen.
45:29
I'm going to say it was a OK in the 80s, at least culturally,
45:34
and I've mentioned this when we were doing James Bond.
45:37
I feel like there were, especially coming out of
45:41
Hollywood, there were bad messages to young men.
45:46
And I took those messages and thought that was the right way
45:50
to go. And it it, it was years later
45:53
when I finally realized, like, no, this is gross and you can't
45:56
be this way. Like no one finds it charming or
45:59
interesting. Like, these are the bad guys in
46:03
real life. Just because they're the good
46:06
guys in a movie doesn't mean they would be good guys in real
46:10
life. Don't don't approach women the
46:13
way Bond and Riggs do. They're bad mentors.
46:18
It's. Not going to be good.
46:20
So I qualify it as as a forced kidnapping.
46:25
She unwillingly goes along with this stuff.
46:33
At least in that scene she's taken to his house.
46:37
Like from there I don't know what to tell you.
46:42
It's consensual after that. I really hope it seems like it.
46:49
It's a movie, yes, but it still doesn't.
46:53
But it is awkward. It doesn't do it.
46:55
It doesn't make it better. If it started out coerced like,
47:01
I don't want it. So that's my line for.
47:05
One out of 10 on the hook up after that, like I said, I've
47:11
got complicated feelings on the character because, you know, she
47:15
is interesting and I like seeing Riggs kind of move on and grow
47:21
as a character, but I I also hate the concept of a
47:25
refrigerated woman. I'd like I just have complicated
47:28
feelings on her and I really don't.
47:32
I really do not like how aggressive he is.
47:37
It oh it just makes me feel uncomfortable as an adult.
47:41
I'm trying to compare it to the first one and think like they're
47:47
trying to get Murtagh's daughter back.
47:50
In this one, it's strictly revenge for the refrigerated
47:55
woman, and it makes it feel like.
47:57
And the cops? Yes, And the cops, the
48:01
motivation is, I don't know, some sort of righteous justice
48:08
for these criminals that are protected under some stupid law.
48:13
And it's like yes, criminals, yes, they're killing people,
48:17
yes, something should be done. And this movie is the river
48:20
stamp to say this cop is going to make it happen because he's
48:26
just that angry. Like anger is the justification
48:30
to do whatever you want. And no.
48:35
So I think that probably played pretty well in 1989 as per The
48:41
Return. So I Yep, we'll give it a rating
48:44
based on what I think it is. Well, I lied when I said that I
48:52
don't like most of the ending. There is one thing I love about
48:57
the ending, and that is the destruction of the house on
49:01
stilts. Oh boy, yeah, that it.
49:06
Have you ever played Grand Theft Auto 5?
49:11
May have been a long time. So early in the game.
49:14
I don't, I don't know how early it.
49:16
I mean, it's pretty early in the game.
49:19
One of the three main characters discovers that his wife is
49:23
cheating on him with a tennis instructor.
49:26
He chases that guy. That guy goes to a house on
49:30
stilts. And then you connect a chain and
49:33
you use a truck to bring the house down.
49:37
And they're pulling that directly from this movie.
49:41
And oh, it works so well for me. I really did enjoy the
49:46
destruction of that house. I was like, yes.
49:49
Yes, it looks really big. Looks pretty impressive.
49:53
I got stuck in like Mythbusters mode.
49:59
Could a call one of these things ring and the?
50:01
Entire house would fall. I feel like the city planner
50:05
wouldn't approve that. Yeah, that's true.
50:08
That is true. One stilt goes down and the
50:11
whole house goes with it. I'll agree with you there.
50:14
That is a little ridiculous. Still looks cool.
50:16
Why not just plant explosives at different places then I would
50:20
believe it is a lot more because it was 1 truck.
50:23
True pulled out this stilt that. It's an American truck, mind.
50:28
Right, exactly, that was my thought too.
50:30
I'm gonna have masculine rigs with this masculine truck pull
50:35
down this house that all of this house weight is supported by
50:39
these 3 little stilts and it's it's gonna work 'cause it has
50:45
to. Stilts are made to be not
50:49
resistant to sideways forces like they're in California,
50:53
right? Yeah.
50:56
Don't know how well. Earthquake zone.
50:58
Right. I'm like, are they supposed to
51:00
be earthquake proof? Because this is just a truck.
51:03
So that was, yeah. That's my only thumbs up for.
51:09
Culturally relevant. Finale of this movie.
51:12
Myth busted. Yes, once we get to the docks,
51:17
I'm a solid thumbs down. I see.
51:21
I don't like anything about the final.
51:24
Same, but I think it starts earlier from turning your badges
51:29
in to like this is just the revenge path to who's gonna end
51:36
up killing who first. There's no like, I guess the
51:43
cops dying is when the bad guys get to the good guys.
51:47
Like in the other one, they get captured and they get tortured,
51:51
they lose. Yeah, this one they they get mad
51:55
and the. Cops lose, but they didn't.
51:58
Yeah, they get guns and they get even and it's a little linear
52:05
from like I was having trouble figuring out what else is going
52:10
on. This is just Commando when he
52:13
finally gets to kill everybody on the island or whatever it
52:19
there's no plot, but we killed big bad guy, then that's yeah,
52:25
then the plot, the thought like, OK, so.
52:30
And then I've, I've got one other beef, one other thing, and
52:34
I I recognize that there has to be a lethal weapon three and
52:38
four. We live in a world where lethal
52:40
weapons three and four happened. I think it would have been so
52:45
ballsy and so great for Riggs to die.
52:50
I can't get it out of my head that he should have died.
52:54
That should have been the end of Rigs.
52:56
That would have been a beautiful story arc.
52:59
Yeah, he gets stabbed in the leg, gets this fight and then
53:03
gets shot. Yeah, like it can't be the.
53:07
Arc. And apparently the bullets of
53:10
all five of them missed anything critical 'cause he's just fine.
53:15
Like they're even joking by the end of the movie.
53:18
But I just kept, I just couldn't get it out of my head that it
53:21
would have been a really meaningful story arc for that to
53:27
be the end of Rigs. And I know it can't happen
53:31
because we've got two more movies to go to, but it like
53:35
it's the thing that has been stuck in my mouth all day
53:41
because I watched it today, but I just can't get it out of my
53:45
head. Riggs should have died.
53:47
I think that's fair to say as a hypothetical.
53:51
I do think I didn't. I did not think of it because I
53:55
know there's a three and four. I don't know if I've watched #3
53:58
I have watched #4 so I, I do look forward to that.
54:01
The numbers say that it's not like a great runaway success,
54:05
but I think I was old enough to remember that one.
54:11
Yeah. If he had died, I think it may
54:18
have jived with the revenge plot because apparently he had been
54:25
so good at his job before the 1st movie.
54:29
His wife was killed by the South Africans.
54:33
That's my other thumbs down. It happens at the end of the
54:36
movie where one of the bad guys like, oh and by the way, I
54:38
killed your wife. Yeah, it's like so dumb.
54:43
OK, I tried to be like this. Feel like it improves the lore
54:47
of everything. I don't know that it does unless
54:52
if Riggs was gonna die if he was doing this arc to kill the
54:55
people that killed his wife then to die it would bring it back to
54:58
the crime noir feel of the first one.
55:02
Yes kill him off because he got his revenge.
55:05
Like playing Max Payne, the guy is dying constantly because you
55:11
have to save and reload and everything being when you die.
55:15
But he like it feels like it defies the fact that he should
55:20
have died all these times by getting him through that next
55:23
chapter of Max Payne. So in a movie, yes, I think if
55:29
we're in the first one again, yeah.
55:31
He should have died after taking revenge on those that killed his
55:34
wife after learning about it 'cause that that beat feels
55:38
better in a noir. Well, and they killed both of
55:42
his love interest. They killed his wife, which is
55:45
lame that they even added that to the story.
55:48
And then they killed his Nazi girlfriend who didn't get enough
55:53
time to really endear me to her all that much.
55:56
But those two deaths, it would make sense that he would happily
56:01
go to paradise and be reunited with the 2 loves of his life.
56:07
That's that's where I I just think it would have worked
56:11
better but I'm wrong. I'm I'm wrong?
56:14
I'm willing to be wrong but it is going to color my score.
56:17
I don't even have my rating yet. I'm like.
56:21
All right, well, since I do, why don't you tell the audience
56:25
about our rating system? Our ratings are based on one
56:28
through 10, but generally it feels like ratings for movies
56:33
hover around the seven for an average movie.
56:36
So if a movie's average in our estimations, if it's something
56:41
that you would not recommend as much as you recommend to other
56:46
people, that would be a 5 movie. If it's aged poorly.
56:52
If it's aged well, they return from a box office should not
56:59
necessarily dictate our score because it's now 2026.
57:04
Unless something came out last year, we're going to have a
57:07
completely different view of it than someone in 1989.
57:11
We've gone through James Bond and we've rated them
57:15
accordingly. We are mostly in the 1980s with
57:19
our current series franchises, so we'll see.
57:25
If something gets a nine, I would give it recommended
57:30
wholeheartedly to any and all people that I know.
57:34
With that said, a five is something or a below is
57:39
something that you know, I would probably say if you're thinking
57:46
of watching it, just listen to the episode and we'll have
57:49
watched it for you. With all that, go ahead.
57:54
Be Sammy Davis. Well, I have been going back and
57:59
forth between 2 scores because this is a this is a rating
58:04
that's hard to quantify because for a lot of this movie, it is
58:09
so good. It is genuinely great and then
58:13
it gets towards the end and things start to fall apart and I
58:19
think I am settled on A7. I think A7 is fair.
58:24
I was hovering around an 8 because the the beginning really
58:29
is very strong and this movie does so many things so much
58:35
better than the last movie. And then we get to the end and
58:39
it leaves such a bad taste in my mouth.
58:42
I'm a person who is affected by the ending.
58:45
I often tell people like, if you're performing, don't worry
58:50
about the mistakes you made at the beginning, Just try to
58:53
really nail the end because I'm I am one of those people who is
58:58
going to pay more attention to the ending than anything else.
59:03
And even though the beginning of this movie is brilliant and it
59:06
really does a lot of things that are truly incredible for a 1989
59:12
movie, it gets to that end and I really dislike it.
59:17
I don't like it a lot. I still recommend this movie.
59:20
I think it's better than the original and I think that we're
59:23
going in the right direction. I think comedy was the missing
59:27
ingredient for me. Like now I'm saying I'm having a
59:31
great time. So 7 does reflect the fact that
59:34
I I did enjoy myself. I would recommend watching this.
59:39
I say it's a lot of fun, but it I wanted it to be an 8 and I
59:44
just can't get there. I can't get there.
59:47
There's just too much wrong with the end of the movie for me to
59:51
to fully take it up a notch. So I'm at a 7.
59:55
Still highly recommended, still a great time.
59:58
Not perfect. Not even close to perfect.
1:00:02
It's probably because I want to recommend stuff with my complete
1:00:07
conviction that yeah, I stand by what has happened in this movie
1:00:11
and man, can I not. I think it's a, it's a personal,
1:00:15
personal issue of taking the opinion of this movie as
1:00:22
something connected to what I'm recommending because I don't
1:00:27
want to recommend a movie where the dude kidnaps a date.
1:00:31
Like I really don't. And that is a concrete part of
1:00:37
this movie. It's disgusting.
1:00:42
So that is so difficult for me to say.
1:00:45
I can still rate it above marriage.
1:00:49
No, I'm. I'm gonna say 5 because it just
1:00:56
kills the show. Yeah, like.
1:01:02
Everybody's got their line that they draw and I am.
1:01:05
I think you have a very fair line that you have drawn.
1:01:10
I think it's I will only say that it's unfair to the
1:01:16
wonderful friendship that we get to see.
1:01:18
It's unfair to the inclusion of a new main character.
1:01:22
Like I'm excited to see Leo in the three.
1:01:26
I enjoyed him in four. Not like that's spoiled than
1:01:30
anything. I think it's a discredit to the
1:01:37
emotional journey we could have with Riggs getting over his wife
1:01:42
four years later only to know that oh, the bad guys actually
1:01:46
killed her too. But this is no longer the first
1:01:51
movie where it was serious and where these beats feel like a
1:01:56
black and white movie made in 1987 LA.
1:02:01
Like it's a comedy where it's funny that the end revenge plot
1:02:10
is all that's there. Like that's we went from light
1:02:15
hearted to murder for violent revenge.
1:02:22
And it feels like that's a a bigger swing than serious movie
1:02:29
action that's serious and a resolution that's still serious.
1:02:35
Like in in terms of critiquing something box office returns say
1:02:42
I'm wrong. If I lived in 1989, I am alive
1:02:46
in 2026. So 5 for me for Lethal Weapon 2.
1:02:52
Genuinely fascinating. I was talking to my brother
1:02:55
about it and he was saying like his favorite is 4 and his old
1:03:03
roommate's favorite was 2. And I'm like, well, I I don't
1:03:07
remember enough about 3, but at one point in my life I used to
1:03:12
say 3 was my favorite. And so this is one of those
1:03:16
franchises where it's interesting what people get out
1:03:20
of it. And you and I got very different
1:03:23
things out of this one, which gave us a show rating of 6 out
1:03:28
of 10, a little bit lower than the last movie, which is a
1:03:34
surprise to me. But at the same time, that's the
1:03:37
that's what happens with averages.
1:03:38
I'm fine with my score. I feel like this one is an
1:03:41
improvement on the last one, but I totally and absolutely
1:03:46
recognize and understand being like the good guy went bad, he
1:03:53
did something gross and I'm not into it.
1:03:57
Yeah. I and I feel like that's.
1:04:00
Yeah, it's, it's Goldfinger all over again.
1:04:02
And I felt that way with Goldfinger.
1:04:04
Whereas like rape save the day. That sucks.
1:04:07
Like, that is not the message to have.
1:04:10
And this movie's like, yeah, all you got to do is just threaten
1:04:14
to embarrass someone and then, you know, you can have a night
1:04:17
of passionate sex and that that's a, a bad message to give
1:04:23
anyone. Like that sucks.
1:04:24
Yeah. I mean, the last message of this
1:04:27
one is, you know, go on a outside the law rampage to
1:04:32
avenge your. Yeah.
1:04:33
Man to extrajudicial force will save the day.
1:04:37
OK, not great, but it's a fantasy and I think that that
1:04:44
sells so. Yeah, Final notes before I let
1:04:49
you take us out of here. Joe Pesci came back to cinemas
1:04:54
in 1990 for Home Alone. I would argue one of his best
1:05:00
movies, although Casino, or was it Casino, he was in a gangster
1:05:04
movie where he was really incredible in that as well.
1:05:08
I I got to say, between the three movies that I know him
1:05:12
best for, I find the character of Leo the most endearing.
1:05:18
He's the one that I just find the most charming and fun to see
1:05:24
the and then his two villains, the one from the gangster movie
1:05:28
where he's like, am I funny to you?
1:05:31
Like that's a little scary. Like he freaks me out.
1:05:34
And then Home alone, he's a classic.
1:05:36
He's a great classic villain in the home alone.
1:05:40
He really was a big deal in the 80s and 90s because he he
1:05:44
deserved to be. He was, I kind of, I hope he's
1:05:48
still alive, but I I kind of wish that there were more Joe
1:05:52
Pesci movies. Like says he's 83.
1:05:56
Like he's, he's young enough to be a senator.
1:06:00
Yeah. All right.
1:06:06
Yeah. And then I think it's 92 is when
1:06:09
we get or 91 we get Mighty Ducks after that.
1:06:13
So that's those are the 2 movies we talked about.
1:06:16
Yeah, take us out of here. And we are out of here.
1:06:20
Thanks for listening once again or for the first time.
1:06:24
If you enjoyed it, please go ahead and like it, comment on
1:06:28
it, subscribe or review it. Any which way you interact would
1:06:34
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1:06:38
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1:06:43
within the bounds of, you know, usual adult listeners.
1:06:49
So if you have any suggestions for future franchises or
1:06:55
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1:07:00
go ahead and write to our e-mail at
1:07:03
potatochippicturespod@gmail.com. Until next time, your tool for
1:07:09
this shit. Bye.
1:07:10
Goodbye.