Lethal Weapon 2(1989)

In many ways superior to its predecessor Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2 reteams Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as, respectively, "loose cannon" LA detective Martin Riggs and Riggs' cautious family-man partner Roger Murtaugh. The villain this time is a South African diplomat (Joss Ackland) who doubles as a drug dealer. Though Riggs knows what's going on thanks to characterless character witness Joe Pesci, he can't touch the villain because of "diplomatic immunity." After perils too numerous to mention, Riggs and Murtaugh shoot it out with the heavies on the deck of a South African cargo ship. The film sometimes strains credulity to the breaking point, notably by having lead villain Joss Ackland turn out to be the same man who killed Mel Gibson's wife in the first Lethal Weapon (this plot point seems to have been inserted with a squeegie). Still, Lethal Weapon 2 contains one of the best—and funniest—suspense scenes ever filmed: Mel Gibson agonizingly attempting to extricate a terrified Danny Glover from a booby-trapped toilet seat. Gibson, Glover and Joe Pesci would be reunited three years later for the equally entertaining Lethal Weapon 3.