Roger Murtaugh
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Roger Walter Mayfield Murtaugh | |
---|---|
Lethal Weapon character | |
First appearance | Lethal Weapon (1987) |
Last appearance | Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) |
Created by | Shane Black |
Portrayed by | Danny Glover (films) Damon Wayans (television)[1] |
In-universe information | |
Alias | Mayhem |
Nickname | Rog |
Title | Films: Sergeant Patrolman (Lethal Weapon 3) Captain (Lethal Weapon 4) Television: Detective Captain |
Occupation | Police officer |
Spouse | Trish Murtaugh |
Children | Films: Rianne Murtaugh Butters Nick Murtaugh Carrie Murtaugh Television: Roger "RJ" Murtaugh Jr. Riana Murtaugh Harper Murtaugh |
Relatives | Films: Lee Butters (son-in-law) Victoria Butters (granddaughter) |
Religion | Christian |
Nationality | American |
Status | Films: Alive Television: Alive |
Roger Murtaugh (/ˈmɜːrtɔː/) is a fictional character in the Lethal Weapon film series created by Shane Black. Murtaugh was originally played by actor Danny Glover in all four films from 1987 to 1998,[2] and later by Damon Wayans in the Fox television series from 2016 to 2019.
Lethal Weapon (1987)
Murtaugh is a cynical homicide detective and family man. He was a
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Murtaugh is targeted by a South African gang drug cartel fronted by ruthless diplomat Arjen Rudd, who has Murtaugh and his wife assaulted in their own home, forcing Murtaugh to temporarily move his family out. To assist Riggs' investigation of the South African consulate, Murtaugh portrays a man named Alphonse who wants to emigrate to South Africa to help overthrow apartheid. Following this, Murtaugh fights off two attackers in his home with a nail gun and rescues new friend Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), a federal witness, from the cartel. He helps Riggs track down and kill the other members of the cartel when it is revealed that the cartel murdered Riggs' wife. This includes an assault on a cargo ship which ends in the death of the remaining members of the cartel, including Rudd, whom Murtaugh kills after he shoots Riggs.
Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
Murtaugh and Riggs mishandle a car bomb, which destroys a building. As punishment, both are demoted to patrolman, but earn their previous rank when they foil an armored car robbery and expose a gun running cartel. While investigating this cartel, Murtaugh kills a fifteen-year-old boy to protect Riggs; the boy is revealed to be Darryl, the best friend of Murtaugh's son Nick. Murtaugh is overcome by guilt and succumbs to alcoholism and depression until Riggs helps him move on. Murtaugh works with Riggs and Internal Affairs officer Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) to destroy the cartel. As a comical sidelight, Murtaugh also helps Riggs quit smoking by giving him dog biscuits instead; he does show some hostility towards Riggs, however, when he believes that Riggs is becoming romantically involved with his daughter Rianne. However, Riggs opens up to him, admitting that he sees Murtaugh's family like his own family, the kids like his own children. In the midst of it all, Murtaugh enlists the help of Getz to sell his house, but in the end decides to keep the house when he decides not to retire.
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
When the city loses its insurance carrier due to all the property damage that Riggs and Murtaugh have caused on the job, they are temporarily promoted to
Weapons
In all four films Murtaugh's signature weapon is a 4" Smith & Wesson Model 19 .357 Magnum revolver which Riggs calls a "Six-shooter...A lot of old-timers carry those". In movies 2-4, he also uses a Smith & Wesson Model 5906 9mm pistol as a backup gun.
In popular culture
Murtaugh's catchphrase "I'm too old for this shit" has become associated with Glover, who uses the catchphrase (and variations of it) in other roles as well, such as his role as the patriarch in Almost Christmas, a cameo in Maverick and his guest spot on Psych. In the How I Met Your Mother episode "Murtaugh", Ted Mosby, portrayed by Josh Radnor, has a "Murtaugh List" of things which he has gotten too old to eat, do, and enjoy.[7]
In the season 7 episode "Ransom" of NBC's
Reception
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Critics have given the character a mixed reception.
References
- ^ Stanhope, Kate; Goldberg, Lesley (February 12, 2016). "Damon Wayans to Star in Fox's Lethal Weapon Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ Collura, Scott (March 18, 2009). "Top 10 Movie Bromances". IGN. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ Jefferson, Whitney (March 13, 2012). "The Quintessential "I'm Too Old For This Shit" Supercut". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- Huffington Post. Archived from the originalon September 12, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ Eric Lichtenfeld, Action speaks louder: violence, spectacle, and the American action movie, Wesleyan University Press, 2007, p. 116.
- ^ a b Wilmington, Michael (July 7, 1989). "MOVIE REVIEW : A Lethal 'Weapon 2'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
- ^ Zoromski, Michelle (March 31, 2009). "How I Met Your Mother: Murtaugh Review". IGN. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (2020-04-17). "'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Recap: Must Love Dogs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
- ^ Susan Jeffords, Hard bodies: Hollywood masculinity in the Reagan era, Rutgers University Press, 1994, p. 55.
- ^ Stanford M. Lyman, Color, Culture, Civilization: Race and Minority Issues in American Society, University of Illinois Press, 1995, p. 192.
- ^ Rachel Adams, David Savran, The masculinity studies reader, Wiley-Blackwell, 2002, p. 217.
- ^ Jim Collins, Hilary Radner, Film theory goes to the movies, Routledge, 1993, p. 205.
- ^ Jon Lewis, The new American cinema, Duke University Press, 1998, p. 184.
- ^ Sharon Willis, High contrast: race and gender in contemporary Hollywood film, Duke University Press, 1997, p. 37.
- ^ Kenneth Chan, Remade in Hollywood: the global Chinese presence in transnational cinemas, Hong Kong University Press, 2009, p. 111.