These two Blu-ray reissues from Warner Brothers showcase a couple of icons, past and present. There are no technical upgrades or additional bonus material, but both make decent additions to any action collection if you haven’t already done so.
LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989/115 min) is the inevitable sequel to the original, which wasn’t the first buddy cop film, but certainly the most influential. Being that Lethal Weapon just recently got a 4K upgrade, I’m kinda surprised that, so far, there’s none planned for this one or the other sequels (perhaps as a boxed set, like WB did with the Mad Max franchise a few years ago).
But no matter…made back when Mel Gibson could do no wrong (before he went all funny on us), Lethal Weapon 2 serves up more of everything that endeared audiences to the original, this time with a much greater emphasis on comedy, especially with the addition of Joe Pesci to the main cast. As usual, the plot itself is so thin that it might blow away with a slight breeze, which is perfectly fine because the emphasis of the franchise has always been on the characters (though the film doesn’t skimp on the action).
As such, Gibson and Danny Glover are now so comfortable in their roles as Riggs & Murtaugh that their performances seem effortless, and we feel like we’re being revisited by old friends. In that respect, Lethal Weapon 2 is arguably superior to the original, and as a whole, it’s infinitely better than the subsequent lazy sequels (they really should of stopped after two).
EXTRA KIBBLES: Stunts and Action Featurette; Additional Scenes; Trailer.
This is a reissue of a Blu-ray first released in 2007.
TROY Director’s Cut (2007/196 min) is Brad Pitt’s compulsory historical epic. As far back as the silent era, every Hollywood dreamboat has one or two on their resume. Gibson’s was Braveheart, of course, and I only mention this because the two films share some similarities, and not just the action and bloodletting. Both protagonists are savage-but-intelligent and impossibly gorgeous (even in battle), with the camera almost voyeuristically fawning over their flowing locks and statuesque frames at every opportunity (probably written into the contracts).
But rather than bastardizing history, Troy bastardizes Homer’s The Illiad, which is fine because it’s doubtful most people who continue to love this film have ever actually read it. By and large, director Wolfgang Petersen does a good job distilling and embellishing events for cinematic oomph. The battles are big & bloody, the production design is excellent and the performances befit the material.
However, I’m still not sure this Director’s Cut, which runs well over three hours, is an improvement over the original theatrical version. The thirty minutes of additional footage features more gore and sex, but storywise, they tend to drag the pace down a little. Still, it’s got a great ensemble cast, with Pitt in full movie star mode (which is something of a rarity these days).
EXTRA KIBBLES: FEATURETTES - Troy Revisited; Troy in Focus; In the Thick of Battle; From Ruins to Reality; Troy: An Effects Odyssey; Attacking Troy (most of these featurettes consist of director Wolfgang Peterson discussing particular aspects of the film); Greek Ship Towing (a funny little sketch).
TRAILER
This is a reissue of a Blu-ray first released in 2007.
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