Lethal Weapon – El Gringo Loco

By starrymag | October 3, 2017

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Two weeks after last year’s finale, Roger Murtaugh (Damon Wayans) watches Tito Flores (Danny Mora) walk into a Mexican hotel.  He reports his updates to Trish Murtaugh (Keesha Sharp), who asks when he’s coming home.  Trish confirms that the police department knows what he is doing, but Murtaugh tells her that he’s using his vacation days for this trip.  As Murtaugh vents about his struggle to find Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford), gunshots echo in the hotel.  A body lands on the car next to him, and Murtaugh tells Trish that he’s found Riggs.

 

Upstairs, Riggs ties up Flores in his underwear.  Flores begs for his life and promises Riggs anything he wants.  However, Riggs reminds him that he took away everything when he killed his wife.  Murtaugh steps out of the elevator and pulls out his gun as he walks through the bodies in the hallway.  Flores warns Riggs that he won’t make it out of the hotel alive, but Riggs smiles and tells him that they are going out together.

 

As Riggs points the gun at Flores’ head, Murtaugh bursts in.  Riggs is happy to see him, but Murtaugh demands that he lower his weapon.  Murtaugh attempts to talk him out of killing Flores, but Riggs warns him that it’s going to get messy.  Despite Murtaugh’s suggestion that they arrest him, Riggs believes that this is justice.  When Murtaugh tells him that his life will be over, Riggs agrees and tells him to leave.  However, Murtaugh refuses to leave and declares his love for Riggs as he is about to pull the trigger.  Riggs pauses and questions that Murtaugh really said ‘I love you.’  Murtaugh confirms that it came out in the moment and asks if Riggs has anything to say in return.  Riggs admits that he doesn’t, and Murtaugh is upset that he has nothing to say after he bared his soul.

 

Riggs tells Murtaugh to duck as Flores’ men arrive.  A shootout breaks out and Riggs and Murtaugh duck under cover.  Murtaugh sees Riggs pull out a grenade and asks for it.  Riggs throws it to him and he throws it towards Flores’ men.  During the explosion, Riggs grabs Flores as he and Murtaugh make their way out of the hotel.  As they walk to Murtaugh’s car, Riggs insists that he had the situation under control.  Murtaugh opens the trunk and they stuff Flores inside, planning to take him back to the station.  Riggs slams the trunk on Murtaugh’s finger and Murtaugh screams.

 

Three IA Agents (Beth Littleford, Merrick McCartha, and Anthony Vitale) question Brooks Avery (Kevin Rahm) about what happened with Murtaugh and Riggs.  Avery promises to cooperate fully, but tells them that he believes that Murtaugh and Riggs went fishing in Mexico.  Murtaugh is wheeled into the ER, but Riggs wants to hurry up and get Flores to jail.  Denise Barnes (Katie Walder) rolls Murtaugh into a room and Riggs hands him a cup with his severed finger.  Murtaugh freaks out and tells Barnes not to let Riggs near him.  She tells him that only family is allowed back, and Riggs tells her that Murtaugh told him that he loved him.  However, Murtaugh insists that he didn’t mean it.

 

Avery continues answering questions, but Sonya Bailey (Michelle Mitchenor) comes in to tell him that they have Flores.  Avery is happy by the news and tells the IA agents that the news will prove Riggs and Murtaugh’s professionalism.  He goes out and Murtaugh hugs him while high on morphine.  Riggs explains the situation and takes him to the car.  However, they find that Flores was shot in the head while they were gone.

 

The IA agents question Riggs and Murtaugh, and Riggs says that Flores had a lot of enemies.  One of the agents asks him if he would be on that list, and Murtaugh insists that they were just going to arrest him.  The agent plays a voice message of Riggs threatening Flores, and Murtaugh explains that he was trying to reason with him.  Riggs explains that he didn’t kill Flores because of Murtaugh’s love confession, and Murtaugh asks for that to be stricken from the record.  Murtaugh explains that he is high on morphine, but Riggs tells them to ask him anything.  They ask why he wanted to kill Flores, and he tells them that Flores killed his wife.  The agent tells them that they are indefinitely suspended.

 

Murtaugh gets angry with Riggs but Riggs insists he was just being honest.  Murtaugh believes he might have told Barnes about Flores being in the trunk when he was on morphine, but Riggs reminds him that they’re suspended.  Though Murtaugh reminds him that they never listen, Riggs announces that he’s done.  Murtaugh asks if he wants to find out who killed Flores, but Riggs says that he’ll buy a shot for them.  After Murtaugh asks if he wants to spend his life drinking in his trailer, Riggs tells him it’s a good idea.

 

Murtaugh comes home to find a party in his house.  He tries to turn off the music, but is unable to.  Riana Murtaugh (Chandler Kinney) and Roger Murtaugh, Jr. (Dante Brown) greet him.  Murtaugh gets angry with them for throwing an unsupervised party, but Trish comes in with food for the party.  He finds out that Roger, Jr. picked a college without him, but Trish reminds him that it was hard to contact him when he was in Mexico.  Murtaugh admits that he overreacted, but then sees that Riana has a bellybutton ring.  Trish and Riana get angry with him after he makes a rude comment, and Trish notices his finger bandage.  She gets angry that he didn’t tell her and he asks to start over.

 

Riggs drinks in his trailer and Maureen Cahill (Jordana Brewster) knocks and asks if he’s decent.  When he confirms that he has pants on, Maureen opens the door and comments on his trailer.  She shows him the note that Riggs left her before he left, and was worried that it was a suicide note.  Maureen questions how he feels about not being the one to kill Flores, and Riggs says that the world is better without him.  She asks about how he feels about ruining Murtaugh’s career, but Riggs says that he didn’t ask Murtaugh to come after him.  Maureen tells him that Murtaugh went because he cared about him.  She tells him that she’s glad he’s back and the world is a better place with him in it.

 

Murtaugh goes to talk to Barnes, but she is afraid of him and presses a security alarm.  She tells him that she knows he kidnapped and killed Flores, and that the real cops are on their way.  He sees that Flores’ men have pulled up outside with weapons and tells Denise that her life is in danger.  Murtaugh asks whom she told about Flores being in the trunk, and she tells him that her brother is a border patrol agent.  He demands that she open the door and she lets him in.  Murtaugh hides her in a supply closet and asks for a scalpel.  He hides as the men come in and uses the element of surprise to stab one of them with the scalpel.  He reaches for the dropped weapon, but the other men point their guns at him.  Suddenly, a gun shoots both men and Riggs calls out to him.

 

Murtaugh calls Sonya and asks her to put an alert out for Gordon Barnes (Eric Ladin).  As she pulls up his picture, Gordon walks in and confesses to killing Flores.  Murtaugh watches the taped confession, looking forward to being reinstated.  Avery asks if he still wants a new partner, but Murtaugh tells him that Riggs is leaving.  Riggs goes into the holding room and turns off the security camera.  He asks Gordon how it felt to kill Flores.  Gordon is confused by the question, but Riggs explains that he wanted to be the one who killed Flores.  The answers Gordon gives are vague, and Riggs asks him to elaborate.  Gordon is unable to, and Riggs is frustrated.

 

Murtaugh attempts to apologize to his family by getting their favorite foods, but Trish asks if he thinks that food is going to fix things.  He says that it’s a beginning of a month-long grovel.  Upon Trish’s glare, he agrees to tour Roger, Jr.’s college with him.  Murtaugh then tells Riana that it’s her body and that he will support her decision to get a bellybutton ring.  Riana asks if she can get a tattoo, but Murtaugh gets angry and then says that he’ll discuss it with Trish.  Murtaugh then tells Trish that all of the fires at home are not her fault.  Trish asks if the kids are healthy and in one piece.  Murtaugh asks to go back to the way things were before he left.

 

Trish answers the door and embraces Riggs.  He asks her about her job, and Trish points out to Murtaugh how thoughtful Riggs is.  Riggs compliments Riana’s bellybutton ring and Murtaugh forces him outside.  Murtaugh tells him to call like a normal person, and Riggs walks away.  Chasing after him, Murtaugh asks him what he wants to talk about.  Riggs presents his theory that Gordon didn’t actually kill Flores, and Murtaugh asks what evidence he has.  He tells Murtaugh that Gordon didn’t have the face of somebody that wanted to kill Flores, but Murtaugh reminds him that he won’t be reinstated unless they find Flores’ killer.

 

Avery argues that Murtaugh and Riggs should be reinstated because they took down a drug cartel, but the IA agents tell him that Raul Mendez (Manuel Uriza) took over the cartel after Flores’ death.  Sonya brings in a note that says that Gordon didn’t kill Flores, and Avery is frustrated with how difficult Murtaugh is making it to be reinstated.  Riggs and Murtaugh interrogate Gordon, but he continues to give vague answers about Flores’ murder.  They poke holes in his story and announce they will start paperwork for his release.  Gordon begs them to stop, and asks if he can stay in prison if he admits he’s innocent.  He explains Raul killed Flores and threatened his sister if he didn’t confess to the murder.  Gordon tells them that he recorded the conversation as leverage.

 

As they stock up on weaponry, Riggs insists that he will kill Raul and anyone who takes over the cartel afterwards.  Murtaugh insists that they bring down the entire cartel the right way and comes up with a plan.  At Flores’ funeral, Riggs barges into the church.  The cartel point guns at him, but Riggs shows them that his vest is strapped with grenades.  Riggs demands that those not involved in the cartel leave and several people run out.  Riggs makes a eulogy for Flores’ and talks about how many lives he ruined.

 

Murtaugh calls Trish, who is angry that he’s back in Mexico.  He attempts to explain the plan, but a man comes in and points a gun at him.  Murtaugh hangs up and fights the man.  Riggs tells Raul to stand up and applauds his killing of Flores.  Raul puts a gun to Riggs’ head, and Riggs tells him to kill him like he did Flores.  Murtaugh continues fighting, and Raul tells Riggs that his cartel won’t believe him.  Riggs calls for Murtaugh to play the tape, and finally gets the upper hand.  The tape finally plays and the cartel turns on Raul.

 

Raul grabs a grenade and throws it, but it doesn’t go off.  As the cartel starts shooting, Riggs jumps over the casket and Raul begs for his help.  He offers Riggs help to bring down the cartel, and Riggs helps him out of the church.  They jump out the window where Murtaugh pulls up to pick them up.  They shoot at the cartel as they jump in the car.  Murtaugh calls Trish as Riggs shoots a rocket launcher at a car outside the church.

 

Avery tells them that they are reinstated.  Maureen joins Riggs in the elevator and comments that he’s wearing his badge again.  Riggs tries to downplay it, but she tells him that she’s glad to have him back.  She tells him that they need to resume their meetings, but Riggs asks what they have to talk about.  Riggs visits his wife’s grave and talks to her as he buries his wedding ring.  Murtaugh recounts his experience in Mexico, but Trish tells him that she doesn’t need to know everything before kissing him.  Riggs arrives at the party, and Murtaugh is surprised he came.  Murtaugh attempts to get him to admit that he feels something for him, but Riggs denies it.