Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) - 5 questions

Question: Even with Diplomatic Immunity surely the cops aren't just going to stand back and let their colleagues die? is Diplomatic Immunity REALLY that infallible?

Answer: Not in this case. This movie is notable for taking extreme liberties with the concept of diplomatic immunity. For one thing, the character was the head of a consulate, and would have had the much more limited 'consular immunity'. Generally, diplomatic immunity covers things like parking tickets, but even in cases of car injury and death, diplomats are not prosecuted in the host country, but can be expelled. In any case, diplomats cannot simply commit brazen crimes and get away with it.

Question: I've seen this movie many times, however I noticed something different when I was it on TV in the UK recently. In the cargo hold, Riggs is dodging in and out of cover behind shipping containers and shooting bad guys. In the TV version I saw, as Riggs breaks his cover and walks forward shooting we hear a voice-over from Riggs, repeating the names of those victims killed by the South Africans ending with Rika and Vicki. I have never noticed this before in any of the DVD / VHS releases. I checked my DVD and no voice-over. Am I going mad?

Answer: You might be going mad. :-) This voiceover is in every version I have ever seen, and it's on my VHS copy and my DVD copy.

Question: I have heard a rumour that there is a deleted scene where Riggs kills the two guys who dropped him off the pier in a straight-jacket. Apparently it was too violent to keep in. If this is true then where could I see the deleted scene?

Answer: This scene is already in the movie (maybe only the Director's Cut). Riggs surfaces just off the pier, picks up a chain, strangles one man with it and breaks the other man's neck. The scene is cut considerably for play on television.

Question: Why was it banned in South Africa?

Answer: Because the main characters were from South Africa (Afrikaners)and at the time aparthied still ruled that country. Since the Afrikaners were portrayed as evil, bigoted people, the South African governement refused to allow the film to be shown in their country.

Question: After the car crash near the start, Riggs finds that the driver has disappeared, and says "This guy's Mandrake." What does that mean?

Answer: 'Mandrake the Magician' was a comic strip that was popular (at least in Australia) in the 1970s. It featured the title character that was able to perform very elaborate magic tricks (including disappearing acts).