That is completely fair, there was certainly chemistry with Danny Glover, but the 2021 version of me was just not feeling it the same way I did back in the day. I love 80’s and 90’s culture, but it can also get awkward from an adult perspective and the Lethal Weapon franchise doesn’t age well for me.
Used to love Lethal Weapon, thought LW 4 was ridiculously overblown, but actually enjoyed it recently.
I get that. There are definitely films from my childhood that I saw years later and was like, how did I like that so much as a kid? Haha.
Aside from their chemistry, I always thought it was a cut above the rest because it was willing to tackle issues you don't see in any other buddy cop films, including the sequels. The issues of depression, suicide, PTSD, and grief in Riggs' character. His recklessness isn't Hollywood, it has a reason. It's because he has nothing to lose, and Mel absolutely sells every second of it. His attempted suicide scene while Looney Tunes Christmas Carol is playing is genuinely chilling, and powerful. Stuff you don't see in other movies in the genre. The scene where he confesses to Murtaugh that the only thing he ever felt good at was when he was killing in the military is harrowing as well. It's all down to Gibson's performance. The Christmas setting only backs it up, and creates even greater emotional stakes for his instability and sense of loss.
For me, one of Gibson's best performances was in the much-derided film, The Professor and the Madman. I've watched the movie twice and can't understand why this troubled production is so despised. The story involves the formation of the first collection of English words and their derivatives for the massive Oxford English Dictionary. When the research stalls, a physician, suffering from paranoid-schizophrenia and in jail for murdering an innocent man, attempts a small redemption by submitting word-derivatives to Gibson who is overseeing this near-impossible task. Just wrapping your head around the idea of compiling all the words for the first dictionary of its kind supplies an interesting drama right off the bat. But I guess such topics can't compete with today's overly-distracted audiences. Critics slammed Sean Penn's over-acting as the doctor which I found completely unfair as he portrays a paranoid-schizophrenic who also suffers from overwhelming guilt for his crime. Apparently, critics forget that people with these conditions were institutionalized and subject to terrible conditions at the time. Penn's performance is dead-on as I have a close friend who's mother also suffered from paranoid-schizophrenia and behaved identically during her flare-ups. Do we forget that mental illness wasn't understood at all - mostly just feared? Mel Gibson's performance fully captures the spirit of an obsessively determined, bright man who constantly has to prove his mettle with the stuffy, highbrow Oxford academics. Beautifully shot, wonderful score, outstanding cast and interesting story. People think of me as one of those really hard-to-please critics but I certainly enjoyed the film and give it the good word. Kudos to Gibson.
Never knew that, I thought they were all mini me sized in them days. I suppose then, Mel's shoe lifts would only go so far to bridge the gap
There’s a blue plaque of William Wallace in London detailing his history, mentions death by being hung drawn and quartered that’s factual.
Young Mel: The Year of Living Dangerously Old Mel: The Professor and the Madman Director Mel: Passion of the Christ
Hung drawn and quartered after he was stripped naked and dragged for 6 miles through London with his ankles tied to the back of a horse. Much of Braveheart was shot on location in Ireland. Since then, Mel is good friends with the then minister for culture Michael D (now President of Ireland) Michael D is about 5 foot tall, on his tippytoes.
It's worth a look if you're a film buff. It's pretty fascinating how some fairly minor changes can completely alter the mood of a film. Payback is fundamentally a modern remake of Point Blank and the director seems to have really taken that aspect to heart in his original vision. If it had been released as such, I don't think it would have been as fondly remembered. The studio, or somebody, changed it up to emphasize the comedy aspect of it and turned it into much more of an action/exploitation type thing and for once, they definitely made the right call. I agree though - unless you are a film mechanics geek (like me), you're probably better off just sticking with the theatrical version. I think this may be the movie that made me fall in love with Lucy Liu too. She could kick the crap out of me anytime...
He was quite good in Shakespeare's Hamlet. He held his own very admirably against some fine co-stars. When you think about it, he's made some very good movies. I'd also like to see The Beaver since it didn't play in theaters near me.
The Beaver is so frickin' weird and it just gets weirder as it progresses. I would have loved to have been in the room the first time the studio heads sat through that one...
Weird... Last weird movie I saw was David Lynch's What Did You Do, Jack? on Netflix. I've probably watched it four times, at least. Not sure why but it appeals to me. Since I like that monkey maybe I'd also like The Beaver.
I was excited when they announce the DC cut! after I purchased and watched it I was pissed on how much it royally sucked...Lucy Liu indeed one sexy woman..