I guess to some extent we have Richard Donner to blame. Had his 1978 classic Superman failed we might never have seen big screen superhero epics emerge as the dominant cultural force they are. Still, the late filmmaker (he died yesterday at 91) didn't stop there. He reinvented 'cop' movies with his four Lethal Weapon films -- two of which are great. He also made a kid's film that is seminal for a whole generation and a modern holiday classic which has also become a cable TV staple around Christmas.
I remember seeing on Wikipedia that Donner was slated to direct a theoretical Lethal Weapon 5, which would have reunited the embattled to say the least Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. It seemed a little far fetched that this movie would happen but also its a tribute to Donner's longevity that I wouldn't have been shocked if it did indeed eventually get made.
Donner was widely beloved by his peers and his personal buoyancy clearly carried over into his best films. No one is going to rank him among the great auteurs but he knew how to make a crowd pleasing hit, that's fo sure. And although his career was not without it's share of failure -- 1982's The Toy is both one of the worst movies I've ever seen and one of the most racially insensitive -- he also left behind some films that are going to be viewed over and over again for decades, which is all any director could hope for.
Here are my favorite films of his long and varied career:
The Omen - The movie that was Donner's breakthrough is sometimes overshadowed by the other great '70s horror film, The Exorcist. It treats its absurd premise -- the devil's spawn teams up with a psychotic nanny to wreak havoc -- with credibility and features a solid late career lead performance from Gregory Peck. A fun, fast-paced pop horror film.
Superman - Although the experience took a bad turn with his firing from Superman II, Donner's vision and execution of this movie is note perfect. He managed to wrangle Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman and turned Margot Kidder and especially Christopher Reeve into stars. A movie that works for every generation and is still arguably one of the high water marks of the genre.
Inside Moves - A smaller, more intimate film than Donner became known for features a very moving performance by the underrated John Savage as a physically disabled man who befriends a basketball player and finds a new lease on life. If this film had been better received commercially I'd be curious to know what direction Donner's career would have taken, but ultimately he was a blockbuster guy.
The Goonies - It took me longer to embrace this loud, raucous '80s kid comedy than most. It definitely wasn't a movie I grew up with (we were more of an Indiana Jones household) but now I see it's ramshackle charms. The movie is a bit of a mess and beyond ridiculous, but it's easy to see why kids can't get enough of it. It's the ultimate staying home from school and the parents aren't around movie.
Lethal Weapon - People don't realize what a gamble this movie was back in 1987. Danny Glover was best known for a dramatic role in The Color Purple and while the Mad Max films had a cult following here in the states, Mel Gibson was far from the A-list leading man he would become. The darkest entry in the series (Gibson is suicidal) and the most satisfying. It became the gold standard of mis-matched cop buddy movies.
Scrooged - It was an infamously troubled production and he clashed with star Bill Murray, but the result is an angry, unconventional holiday movie classic that showcases Murray when he was neck and neck with Eddie Murphy for the mantle of biggest comedy star in the world. I've learned over the years, it is definitely not for everyone's taste. But it's a really creative reboot of most iconic Christmas story ever.
Lethal Weapon 2 - Donner goes bigger and bolder with this victory lap of a sequel. Sometimes this one is conflated with the original -- but it adds more comedy, some Joe Pesci and some very nasty international villains ("Diplomatic immunity!"). The franchise would start to lose it's way a bit after this one, although all the films are fairly watchable. The dude knew how to shoot a good balls to the wall action sequence, that's for sure.
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