Lethal Weapon

Unfortunately, while Black's assembled all the parts, he's not locked in the conflict early enough, and the good scenes simply aren't enough good to make up for the plot's too-late lock.

[Gibson and Glover] make a great team, and some of their early adventures are exciting. But the film runs out of gas as it turns into an extended chase sequence.

At center is the first big, juicy mythic-hero part Gibson has had since Mad Max.

What this premise needs is a serviceable plot, but screenwriter Shane Block hasn't provided one. Indeed, for an action thriller, Lethal Weapon is unacceptably slow.

The story, which proceeds with inevitability, is enlivened by Donner's rousing action sequences.