The Lethal Weapon movies are a series of four films starring Australian actor Mel Gibson and American actor Danny Glover as a pair of Los Angles police detectives. Each of the recurring characters, even the minor ones, is played by the same actress or actor throughout all four movies. Richard Donner directed all four movies.

The Lethal Weapon movies all center on the partnership of two LAPD policemen: Roger Murtaugh, a Homicide Detective Sergeant near retirement played by Danny Glover, and Martin Riggs, a young Narcotics Detective Sergeant played by Mel Gibson. Murtaugh is starting to feel his age; Riggs is violent, impulsive, and suicidal, all because of the recent accidental death of his wife -- Riggs is nicknamed "Lethal Weapon" by his colleagues.

Lethal Weapon

The first movie, Lethal Weapon, premiered March 6, 1987.

The apparent suicide of a young woman leads Murtaugh and Riggs to the Shadow Company, a team of former Vietnam Special Forces soldiers engaged in illegal smuggling and commanded by General McAllister (Mitchell Ryan), and Joshua (Gary Busey). Riggs and Murtaugh are soon captured and tortured, but Riggs manages to break free. General McAllister and the heroin shipment are blown up by a hand grenade, and Riggs and Murtaugh kill Joshua.

The movie ends with Riggs happily celebrating Christmas with Murtaugh's family; Riggs gives Murtaugh the bullet Riggs had been planning to use to kill himself.

Lethal Weapon 2

Lethal Weapon 2 premiered July 7, 1989.

Murtaugh and Riggs discover a case of illegal South African Krugerrands. Because of this discovery, Murtaugh is attacked at home by a band of racist South African thugs.

A federal witness, Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), whom the two policemen are assigned to protect, is kidnapped by the criminals he is about to testify against; the gang's mastermind is Arjen Rudd, a minister at the South African consulate. Rudd's second-in-command, Pieter Vorstedt, turns out to have been the man who caused the accident that killed Riggs' wife years ago -- Riggs had been the actual target.

Riggs and Vorsetdt have a violent battle on board the cargo ship that's the center of the drug smuggling operation. Riggs kills Vorstedt with a giant metal cargo container. Rudd shoots Riggs; Murtaugh shoots Rudd, despite Rudd's protests of diplomatic immunity. Murtaugh is relieved to find Riggs is fine.

Lethal Weapon 3

Lethal Weapon 3 premiered May 15, 1992.

Riggs and Murtaugh are busted to patrolmen after bungling a bomb investigation and blowing up a building. As patrolmen, they end up in the middle of an armored car robbery. The suspect they captured turns out to have police ammunition -- before the suspect can be questioned further, he is killed. Working with Internal Affairs investigator Lorna Cole (Renee Russo), the three of them discover that Jack Travis, the rogue cop who killed the suspect, is also selling police weapons on the black market.

Riggs and Murtaugh track down Travis, at first without the help of Cole, then with her help, as Travis kidnaps police captain Murphy in order to gain access to the police weapons storehouse. Other cohorts of Travis turn out to be friends of Murtaugh's son, who is distraught when Murtaugh has to shot one of them dead.

Leo Getz, now Murtaugh's real-estate agent, recognizes a picture of Travis, and tells Riggs, Murtaugh, and Cole where to find him. Riggs, Murtaugh, and Cole get into an all-out fight with Travis, and kill him in a shootout with one of the illegal guns loaded with the armor piercing bullets.

Relaxing afterward, Murtaugh reveals he's not going to retire, and Riggs admits that he and Cole are dating.

Lethal Weapon 4

Lethal Weapon 4 premiered July 10, 1998.

Lorna Cole is pregnant with Riggs' child, and Murtaugh's daughter, Riannne is also pregnant. Murtaugh, while attempting to relax on his boat, ends up taking in a homeless family of Chinese immigrants. But, the eldest member of that family is part of a counterfeiting operation that the head of a Chinese smuggling ring, Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li), is going to use to scam some Chinese generals in order to free the leaders of the criminal Triad.

Police Detective Lee Butters (Chris Rock) is investigating the immigrant smuggling ring. But Wa Sing Ku defeats Riggs in hand-to-hand combat, and imprisons just about everyone opposed to him in a burning house. But, a little boy rescues them -- at that time, Murtaugh learns that Butters is the father of his daughter's unborn child.

After a violent chase after the Triad members along a freeway, Riggs, Murtaugh, and Butters crash the meeting at the waterfront between Wa Sing Ku and the Chinese generals -- they tell the generals the money is counterfeit. A three-sided gun battle ensues.

Butters is injured protecting Murtaugh, and Riggs and Murtaugh both take on Wang Sing Ku on a collapsing pier. Wa Sing Ku is shot by Riggs and forced underwater to drown, but Riggs is trapped too -- until Murtaugh rescues him.

At the end of the movie, Riggs and Cole marry, and so do Rianne and Butters.