Mel Gibson and Danny Glover return for a third round as LAPD detectives Riggs and Murtaugh, this time facing off against a former colleague turned arms dealer who's using his inside knowledge of police procedure to funnel stolen weapons to street gangs. Director Richard Donner leans further into buddy-comedy banter alongside the series' signature explosive action, adding Rene Russo as an internal-affairs officer who becomes Riggs' love interest and combat equal. Less tightly plotted than its predecessors but commercially the franchise's biggest hit, it cemented the buddy-cop formula the series helped define.