LETHAL WEAPON (1987) MOVIE POSTER, PHOTO SHEET, 80'S ACTION
Condition Very Fine / Near Mint (9.0)
Size AU Photo or Lobby Sheet (28" x 40")
Lethal Weapon (1987) Original Photo Sheet, Movie Poster Starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Directed by Richard Donner is in Very Fine/Near Mint Condition. Movie Poster and Condition Condition:...
Lethal Weapon (1987) Original Photo Sheet, Movie Poster Starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Directed by Richard Donner is in Very Fine/Near Mint Condition.
Movie Poster and Condition
Condition: This Original Photo Sheet is presented in Very fine/Near Mint condition, Folded as issued. Very slight handling/storage wear. This Original Photo Sheet Movie Poster is currently stored folded and will be shipped in an acid free polyprop bag with acid free backing board. This authentic Photo Sheet from 1987 represents a classic piece of 80's action cinema memorabilia, showcasing the iconic buddy cop film that launched one of Hollywood's most successful franchises.
Movie Synopsis
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American action film directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as mismatched LAPD detectives who must put aside their differences to bring down a dangerous heroin-smuggling ring. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) is a suicidal Vietnam War veteran and loose cannon detective who has become reckless following the death of his wife. His new partner, Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), is a cautious family man approaching his 50th birthday who just wants to survive until his pension kicks in.
The film opens with Murtaugh investigating what appears to be a routine suicide but quickly escalates into a complex conspiracy involving drug smuggling, corruption, and military connections. When the daughter of Murtaugh's old friend Michael Hunsaker becomes involved, the stakes become personal. The antagonist, Mr. Joshua (Gary Busey), is a sadistic killer working for a sophisticated drug operation run by former Special Forces personnel led by General Peter McAllister (Mitchell Ryan).
What makes Lethal Weapon exceptional is its perfect balance of intense action sequences and genuine character development. The buddy cop dynamic between Gibson and Glover creates both comedic moments and emotional depth as their partnership evolves from mutual distrust to genuine friendship. Richard Donner's direction keeps the pacing tight whilst allowing character moments to breathe, particularly Riggs' struggle with suicidal thoughts and Murtaugh's desire to protect his family.
The supporting cast includes Darlene Love as Murtaugh's wife Trish, Traci Wolfe as their daughter Rianne, and Tom Atkins as the ill-fated Michael Hunsaker. Shane Black wrote the screenplay in just six weeks at age 23, earning $250,000 for the script that would revolutionise the action genre and establish many tropes still used in buddy cop films today.
The film's production was notable for several reasons. Shot on a relatively modest $15 million budget, Lethal Weapon grossed over $120 million worldwide, proving that character-driven action films could be both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound and spawned a franchise that includes three sequels and a television series.
Lethal Weapon's influence on 1980s action cinema cannot be overstated. It helped establish the template for modern buddy cop films and showcased how action movies could blend spectacular set pieces with genuine emotional storytelling. The film's success made household names of its leads and cemented Richard Donner's reputation as one of Hollywood's premier action directors.
To find out more about Lethal Weapon (1987) click here to go to IMDB.com.
Special Notes
Images may have a small 'MPA' digital watermark and this does not appear on the poster. Posters are being held by magnets in the corners to take photographs, so you may see some magnet and shadows from the magnets in these areas. The magnets are not included in the sale of the item.
Postage, Insurance & Your Country Taxes
Postage costs are quoted for this item, include insurance up to AUD$100, but if you reside outside of Australia, the price does not include any import taxes/fees that you may be required to pay when the item reaches your borders. Please check with your local authorities for any additional taxes or fees. If you would like full insurance coverage for your purchase, please message me and I would be happy to quote the additional cost (estimate is AUD$2.50 p/AUD$100 or 2.5% of the item value, up to a maximum item value of AUD$5,000).
FAQ
At Movie Posters Australia, the love and conservation of movie posters comes first, and we like to share this passion. Our commitment to quality means we will provide high quality memorabilia to our customers. Posters are carefully chosen and authenticated to ensure originality and value. We want our customers to trust MPA, so we always try to be as open and transparent as we can, provide detailed condition information and images, to ensure customers are comfortable and confident in their purchase.
While the industry does have a few condition rating standards, there is no movie poster condition rating system that has become the accepted standard world wide. This unfortunately makes condition terms vary from movie poster dealer to movie poster dealer. Terms like Mint, Near Mint, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, seem to be universal to most condition rating standards, but most standards still lack definition about what and how many flaws/defects/damage defines a specific condition level. For more information on how Movie Posters Australia grades the condition of its movie posters, daybills, lobby cards and other ephemera please see out Movie Poster Condition and Grading page.
In the early days of cinema, posters were primarily hand-drawn and printed in various sizes, often tailored to fit the available space in theaters or promotional areas. In the United States, the "One Sheet" size (some times called '1 Sheet' or '1SH' approximately 27" x 41", became the standard during the 1930s. This size was manageable for theater display and suited the needs of a growing film industry.
Different countries developed their own poster sizes and styles, which also changed sometimes over the decades, and were influenced by local preferences and practical considerations, like available paper sheet sizes and how many posters could be printed on one sheet.
In Australia, the most popular size, the Daybill, has evolved over the decades. Australian Daybills sizes in chronological order are:
- Long Daybills (15" x 40"), from 1920's to pre-WW2 or pre-1941, were printed two to a sheet, longer than current Daybill versions. There were size variances in width from 14.5" to 15" and in height from 39.5" to 40".
- War Time Daybill (10" x 30"), during WW2, for a short time to conserve paper during a war time shortage, four Daybills were printed on one sheet. Information from Press Sheets also referred to these War-Time sizes as "New Size Daybills".
- Post-War Daybill (13" x 30"), this 13" x 30" Post-War size carried through until the 1980's, but also varied in size from 13"-14" x 29.75"-30.25".
- Post-80's Daybill (33cm x 66cm, or 13" x 26"), over a few years in the late 80's, the size changed again to a metric 33cm x 66cm, although these have also varied from 32-33cm x 64.5-66cm. New sizes from the late 80's were created, sometimes called a Mini Daybill or Mini Poster, in 9" x 12", 11" x 17" and 13" x 20".
In the UK, the somewhat unique 'Quad' poster, measuring 30" x 40", became popular, offering a larger landscape format that allowed for more elaborate designs.
In Japan, movie poster sizes were smaller, such as the "B2" (20" x 28"), which suited the more compact living environment of larger cities, smaller advertising spaces, and unique aesthetic sensibilities.
The 1970s and 1980s, witnessed the rise of the "six-sheet" (81" x 81") format, reflecting a trend towards larger and more visually impactful advertising.
Overall, the variation in movie poster sizes across different countries and decades highlights the interplay between technological printing advancements, paper resource availability, paper sheet size changes, cultural preferences, and the evolving nature of movie marketing.
At Movie Posters Australia we tag each poster we sell with a 'size' and 'condition' description at the very top of the page for our customers to easily see. There may however be some slight variations to sizes by up one inch due to variations in production and guillotine methods by printers over the decades.