Richard Donner
Arma Letale

In the current era dominated by comic book movies, with apocalyptic action scenes where everything explodes and yet our heroes remain unharmed while continuously cracking jokes that are supposed to be funny, I'm starting to feel nostalgic for old '80s and '90s action films. Sure, even in those movies, every car that flipped exploded within five seconds, and punchlines were inevitable, but there was a sense of moderation and the idea that "too much is too much." Let's say they were action without pretensions films; therefore, they weren't trying to shed light on the meaning of life.

So, when I think of action without pretensions, "Lethal Weapon" comes to mind. Year 1987, directed by Richard Donner with story and screenplay by Shane Black, the guy who tells silly stories and dies like a fool in "Predator." However, his work for this film is top-notch, considering the usual genre-mandated ingredients, including shootouts, chases, extremely evil villains, high-risk missions, etc. The characterization of the characters is what sets it apart from similar films. The Riggs-Murtaugh duo is perfect: the former is young, depressed, unstable, and very dangerous (a lethal weapon, indeed), the latter is older, cautious, and calm. The best scenes, therefore, are those of interaction between the two and not necessarily those dedicated to the plot development, memorable for example when Riggs jumps off the roof with the wannabe suicide or Murtaugh's famous line: "I'm too old for this shit!"

As for the antagonists, they are within the genre's average standard, but at least compared to what's popular now, they don't seem to start out already defeated. True, the general dies in a somewhat absurd manner, but Gary Busey's Joshua holds his own.

Finally, the most important thing: every respectable action film must be set on Christmas Day!