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?
Question: Mel Gibson says "They killed them both." I know he's referring to his wife, but who's the second person?
Chosen answer: Rika Van Den Haas, the South African woman he was seeing whose body he finds tied up under water.
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: Prior to the 2010 Blu-Ray release; this scene was always heavily edited in the UK (in both the theatrical and all home video releases - including so the 'Director's Cut') thanks to the BBFC, to remove a lot of the violence. The voice over was still there but severely truncated as the corresponding footage had been removed. Some TV airings from 2000 onwards however used the original 'uncut' (i.e. No BBFC cuts) versions, which featured the violent footage and voice over in full. It's possible the version you saw on TV was the uncut version, while your VHS and DVD copies were the cut versions. Another indicator of which version you were watching is the scene right after Riggs emerges from the water having freed himself from his straitjacket and discovered Rika's body. If this scene was followed by Riggs climbing aboard the dock and taking out 2 South Africans in a violent rampage, you were watching the uncut version. If it cut straight to Riggs on the dock, 're-locating' his shoulder on the car (with noticeable soundtrack skip) ; you were watching the cut BBFC version.
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?
Chosen 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).
Question: Why was it banned in South Africa?
Answer: The film was never banned in South Africa. It was released uncut and was a box office hit.
Question: What exactly is Leo talking about with the processing of laundering money? Neither Riggs or Murtaugh get it and I don't either.
Answer: Leo is describing a money laundering scheme, with the intent of taking dirty drug money and making it legit. Money laundering is largely about confusing the source of the money, to make it look like it came from a legitimate source. Leo is saying that the dealer gives the money to a courier, who gives it to a guy to put it into a dummy company. The dummy company writes a check to the courier in the dealer's name. This puts about 5-6 steps in the chain of custody of the money already. The dealer takes out a loan using the check as collateral (let's say a $10000 loan with a $10000 check as collateral). The dealer never repays the loan, so the bank keeps the check (nobody loses because the amounts are equal). This puts even more steps in the chain of custody. If a law enforcement agency wanted to try and track the money back to the source, they would have to unwind all those steps, being able to prove each step occurred with evidence. Very hard to do.
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?
Chosen 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.
Answer: It all depends on the level of immunity and who the person is. If the Diplomat commits a serious crime, there are a few courses of actions. They can ask the Diplomat to leave the country, they can ask the foreign country's government to recall the Diplomat, they can expel the Diplomat, or they can request the government of the Diplomat's country to waive Diplomatic Immunity. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2018-DipConImm_v5_Web.pdf.
Question: In real life, can you really get away with anything if you have diplomatic immunity?
Answer: In short, diplomatic immunity would prevent a host country (such as the United States) from charging a diplomatic agent or diplomatic staff member with any crime (if they've been granted immunity). However, the agent's home country may waive immunity if the crime is deemed serious enough or the home country can prosecute the agent themselves. However, the host country can still expel a person with diplomatic immunity from the country and ban them from returning. And while diplomatically immuned people have committed serious crimes in the past, diplomats are usually seasoned and respected civil servants in their countries and can damage their careers if they cause any embarrassment while visiting a host county and tend to comply with local laws and customs out of respect.
The host country can also ask the Diplomat to leave, and the Diplomat's country may also recall them. Https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2018-DipConImm_v5_Web.pdf.
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 and in all versions of the movie in the UK prior to the 2010 UK blu-ray release (including the Directors Cut) - although some TV airings since 2000 have used the full uncut version.