MovieChat Forums > Lethal Weapon (1987) Discussion > Lol at how in this movie, which presents...

Lol at how in this movie, which presents its cops as pure GOOD GUY HEROES...

posted a year ago by TheMan18 (13188)
14 replies | jump to latest

... you have one scene, and with KIDS as well, DISTRUSTING cops, saying to that Alfred kid stuff like "if you tell him your name, he's going to put you in jail etc" (what, just like THAT?) or that "Do policemen really shoot black people?" (implying that they are RACIST and carry out such acts because of skin colour like that ALONE)... And this is in a FILM THAT, THROUGHOUT ITS WHOLE RUNNING TIME...

Presents, albeit in slightly implausible situations, the two cops as GOOD GUY HEROES and nothing more - certainly nothing WORSE, nothing darker etc.

But, besides that, what did we think and also...

What was the film trying to ACTUALLY say here? (Was it meant to be satirical? Or a statement in a way to and made by kids - don't believe everything you see in action movies?)

Thanks.

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[–] rateater (10247) a year ago

i'd have to ponder on this but leo does say that they are bad cop/bad cop in the sequel and they do treat people (jumpers/criminals/jaywalkers/leo) and property (personal/public) disrespectfully.

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[–] TheMan18 (13188) a year ago

Do you mean to say, they do not treat them "respectfully"? Maybe they're not perfect but not exactly bad abusive terrible police level and certainly not evil unlike the bad guys they fight.

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[–] rateater (10247) a year ago

yes i just fixed it

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[–] TheMan18 (13188) a year ago

True, but even still...

And at least in this movie, they are almost good throughout, and those kids suspect them of being racist to the point of shooting (dead?) people of skin colour and putting people in jail for no reason other than knowing someone's name.

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[–] Magicdave (1013) a year ago

I took it to mean that they thought that all cops are bad. Something they heard or were taught by their parents.

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[–] rateater (10247) a year ago

no they are definitely not as bad as their adversaries.

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[–] TheMan18 (13188) a year ago

But I wonder why those kids suspected those two cops of being bad etc?

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[–] rateater (10247) a year ago

richard donner possibly added this in because he likes to put his protests in these movies but it could have been in the original shane black draft?

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[–] TheMan18 (13188) a year ago

Well, its fairly plausible.

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[–] TheMan18 (13188) a year ago

Also, I hope it doesn't sound even UNINTENTIONALLY racist but...

Yeah, we know in REAL LIFE there is a sad harsh reality around it too, but then again, life is not a fictional action movie.

Even if police, as suggested by the kid, does "shoot black people"... Do they do it really out of purely RACIAL intention, and do they really shoot or say inappropriately mistreat white people LESS? And if that is the case, then WHY? Aren't police supposed to be generally good, aren't they taught especially in modern times like ours that racism is wrong? How many of those black people are truly innocent by the way or at least not deserving of any shootings or mistreatments?

And does justified outrage and this being called out, well, does it reach out to them and have ANY effect, however small?

Cheers.

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[–] moviechatterer (16326) a year ago

thats far too big a subject to answer here.
You could start by reading every thread on the Derek Chauvin page - that'll keep you busy for a bit :D

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[–] TheMan18 (13188) a year ago

Who is "Derek Chauvin" and how is he relevant to this discussion?

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[–] moviechatterer (16326) a year ago

if you dont know , youre not ready for the discussion you started.

see also Rodney King

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[–] TheMan18 (13188) a year ago

Rodney King I've heard of though.

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