Physical Media Releases (Lethal Weapon) Lethal Weapon (1987)
Lethal Weapon's home-video history runs from a 1987 Warner Home Video VHS through the September 2024 Warner Bros. 4K UHD SteelBook released for the film's 35th anniversary. The picture has consistently been a Warner-controlled release; there are no boutique-label editions of the original film (the franchise box sets and the international LaserDiscs are the closest non-WHV variants). The 2024 4K UHD is the current reference edition.
The Director's Cut
A defining feature of the film's home-video history is the existence of two cuts. The 1987 theatrical cut runs 110 minutes; the Director's Cut, first issued on LaserDisc in 1992 and on DVD in 2000, runs approximately 117 minutes and restores seven minutes of material. The principal restored sequences are:
- An extended Christmas-tree-lot bust in beat 7 with additional dialogue between Riggs and the dealers.
- A subplot scene with Amanda Hunsaker before her death — a longer cold-open sequence at the Hunsaker high-rise.
- An extended trailer scene at beat 4 with additional Riggs-and-Sam (the dog) interaction.
- An extended scene at the Murtaugh dinner table at beat 16.
Donner has said in interviews that the theatrical cut is his preferred version and that the Director's Cut is the cut Warner Bros. asked him to assemble for home-video collectors.
"The Director's Cut isn't really a director's cut. It's the version with the scenes I cut put back. The picture I made was the theatrical. The picture the LaserDisc has is the picture I made plus seven minutes of audition reel." — Richard Donner, Vulture oral history (2017)
VHS and Betamax (1987-1995)
Warner Home Video released the theatrical cut on VHS and Betamax in October 1987. The release used a full-frame transfer (the picture was shot 1.85:1, so the open-matte VHS framing is approximately the original aspect ratio with negligible cropping). Audio was Dolby Surround stereo. The original VHS retailed for $89.98 (rental-priced); a sell-through reissue at $19.98 followed in 1989.
A Japanese laserdisc edition was issued in 1988; a U.S. laserdisc followed in 1989 from Warner Home Video, with a 1.85:1 letterboxed transfer.
The 1992 Director's Cut LaserDisc
Warner Home Video issued the Director's Cut on LaserDisc in 1992 — the first home-video appearance of the seven-minute extended cut. The LD presented the film in a 1.85:1 letterboxed transfer with Dolby Surround audio. A Donner audio commentary track (his first, and at the time one of the earliest commentaries on a major Hollywood action picture) accompanied the disc. The commentary covered the spec-script acquisition, the casting of Gibson and Glover, and the lawn-fight choreography.
The 1997 DVD
The first DVD was issued by Warner Home Video on March 18, 1997 — among the earliest DVD releases for any major Hollywood title. The disc contained the theatrical cut only, in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer with Dolby Digital 2.0 surround audio. Special features were limited to the theatrical trailer and a small still gallery. No commentary.
The 2000 Director's Cut DVD (and the four-film Special Editions of 2006)
Warner Home Video issued a Director's Cut DVD in November 2000, restoring the seven-minute extended sequences and adding a previously-unreleased Donner commentary, a "Pure Lethal" production featurette (~22 min), and the original theatrical trailer. The disc presented both cuts via seamless branching.
In 2006, Warner Home Video released a Special Edition DVD box set covering all four films. The Lethal Weapon Special Edition disc carried over the Director's Cut, the Donner commentary, the "Pure Lethal" featurette, and added a new ~30-minute featurette ("Stunts and Action of Lethal Weapon") plus the four-film franchise retrospective.
The 2012 25th-Anniversary Blu-ray
Warner Home Video released Lethal Weapon on Blu-ray on May 22, 2012, for the film's 25th anniversary. The disc was a BD-50 with a 1080p AVC encode at 1.85:1, averaging 24 Mbps, and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio. The transfer was sourced from a 2K master struck for the Blu-ray release, not from a 4K rescan of the original camera negative. Reviewers were generally positive about the transfer though some noted DNR-related softening in close-ups.
The disc included:
- Both the theatrical cut and the Director's Cut via seamless branching
- The Donner audio commentary (carried over from the 2000 DVD)
- The "Pure Lethal" featurette (SD)
- The "Stunts and Action of Lethal Weapon" featurette (SD)
- A new 25th-anniversary retrospective featurette (~22 min) with Donner, Gibson (limited participation), and Black
- Original and re-release trailers
A four-film Blu-ray franchise box set was released the same day. (blu-ray.com)
The 2024 4K UHD SteelBook
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released a 35th-Anniversary 4K UHD + Blu-ray SteelBook on September 17, 2024 (later than the actual 35th, which would have been 2022; release was delayed by the WGA/SAG strikes that disrupted late-2022 home-video schedules). The release is the current reference edition.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Disc type | BD-100 (4K) + BD-50 (Blu-ray) |
| Video codec | HEVC H.265, 2160p |
| Average bitrate | ~64 Mbps |
| HDR | Dolby Vision / HDR10 |
| Aspect ratio | 1.85:1 |
| Audio | Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 core), DTS-HD MA 5.1, plus dubs |
| Subtitles | English SDH + 12 additional languages |
| Source | New 4K scan from the original camera negative |
The 4K disc carries:
- The theatrical cut only (the Director's Cut is on the included Blu-ray)
- A new Dolby Atmos remix
- The Donner audio commentary (carried over)
The included Blu-ray carries the Director's Cut, all legacy featurettes, and the 25th-anniversary retrospective. (blu-ray.com)
Release history at a glance
| Format | Year | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| VHS / Beta | 1987 | Warner Home Video | Theatrical cut, full-frame |
| LaserDisc | 1989 | Warner Home Video | Theatrical cut, 1.85:1 letterboxed |
| LaserDisc (Director's Cut) | 1992 | Warner Home Video | First DC release; Donner commentary |
| DVD | 1997 | Warner Home Video | Theatrical cut, no commentary |
| DVD (Director's Cut Special Edition) | 2000 | Warner Home Video | DC + theatrical via branching, Donner commentary, "Pure Lethal" featurette |
| DVD Box Set | 2006 | Warner Home Video | Four-film Special Editions |
| Blu-ray (25th Anniversary) | 2012 | Warner Home Video | 1080p AVC, DTS-HD MA 5.1, both cuts |
| 4K UHD SteelBook (35th Anniv.) | 2024 | Warner Bros. Home Ent. | Native 4K, Dolby Vision, Atmos remix; theatrical on UHD, DC on BD |
What's missing
The film has no boutique-label release (Criterion, Indicator, Arrow). Warner Bros. has retained the rights and has not licensed the picture out. The most-cited gap in the home-video history is the absence of a feature-length documentary on the spec-script acquisition and the production — the closest equivalents are the Hollywood Reporter, Vulture, and Empire oral histories of 2017, none of which are on disc.
A Mel Gibson contemporary-period interview is also absent from every release. The 2024 4K SteelBook was issued without a Gibson reflection, against the practice of including current-day star material on legacy releases. The omission is consistent with Warner Bros.'s post-2006 caution about Gibson's industry status — see Mel Gibson's 1987 Star Persona and Critical Reception and Legacy (Lethal Weapon).