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    The summer movies of 1987 were pretty mind-blowing in retrospect: "RoboCop," "Beverly Hills Cop II," "The Untouchables," "Predator," "Full Metal Jacket" and "Spaceballs." As incredible as that roster is, consider this: before the big summer onslaught, a little police thriller got shoved into theaters in the dead zone of March 6, alongside a quirky comedy from these dudes named the Coen Brothers ("Raising Arizona") and a flick titled "Angel Heart," where Cliff Huxtable's daughter got naked. It starred Mad Max (Mel Gibson) and the guy from "The Color Purple" (Danny Glover), and 25 years later it is still one of the best buddy-cop movies of all time.

    To celebrate all things "Lethal Weapon" in honor of the May 22 release of the whopping 5-disc Blu-ray collection, we give you 10 things you probably didn’t know about the adventures of Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh.

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    1. Before Richard Donner ("Superman," "The Goonies") ended up behind the camera, a few other directors circled the project, including Leonard Nimoy. Allegedly uncomfortable with the violence, he instead opted to direct "Three Men and a Baby."

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    2. Director Franco Zeffirelli credits the scene in the first "Lethal Weapon" in which Riggs contemplates suicide by putting a gun in his mouth with convincing him that Mel Gibson could play Hamlet.

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    3. Martin Riggs was supposed to die at the end of the first movie. Donner also toyed with killing him at the end of the first sequel.

  • Youtube via atomica79
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    4. When Riggs “assists” the suicidal jumper, the pair are supposed to be handcuffed together when they take the plunge. But as they take the leap (in slo-mo, pictured), the plastic safety handcuffs clearly break, and the stuntmen try to hold hands right after to compensate for it.

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    5. Screenwriter Shane Black, who created Riggs and Murtaugh, is also the actor who played the bespectacled grunt Hawkins in "Predator." He's the guy who keeps trying to make the big Native American laugh.

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    6. Which installment has the highest body count? "Lethal Weapon 2," with 33 kills.

  • Flickr via jondoeforty1
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    7) In "Lethal Weapon 3," we learn that Roger Murtaugh’s boat is named Code 7. That’s LAPD slang for a lunch break.

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    8) Donner’s plan for an unmade fifth movie featured Riggs, Murtaugh and family traveling cross-country in a motorhome.

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    9. In the first movie, when Murtaugh explains to Riggs how Hunsaker saved his life in Vietnam (while Riggs eats a cart dog), a movie theater marquee in the background advertises “The Lost Boys.” Doesn’t seem weird now, but in 1987 that movie wouldn’t be released until almost four months later. Director Richard Donner produced it, and threw in the subtle teaser.

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    Next: Hilarious: The Worst Parents Ever

    10. The power ballad that plays during the end credits of the first movie is called, yes, “Lethal Weapon.” It was performed by the Canadian rock band Honeymoon Suite, whose biggest hit was 1983’s “New Girl Now”. They are still around and are still touring.