Richard Donner’s 1987 film Lethal Weapon was the first film in the action comedy franchise starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover that follows two LAPD detectives, Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh. The film was a huge box office success, grossing $120 million worldwide against a $15 million budget. It has since become a favorite to many movie lovers, and one of its scenes has had them hooked on to the movie even decades after its release.
The scene is the final fight sequence between Martin Riggs and Mr. Joshua, during which Gibson is seen doing a triangle choke. And that one move holds intriguing facts not widely known among fans.
Mel Gibson’s Triangle Choke Predates the UFC Popularity Surge
Long before the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) brought mixed martial arts into the mainstream spotlight, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover’s 1987 film Lethal Weapon introduced a wider audience to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The final fight scene of the film features Riggs using triangle choke to subdue the antagonist Joshua, portrayed by Gary Busey. While the move has been practiced for years under Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, its appearance in Lethal Weapon predates the UFC’s official inception of triangle choke in the mid-90s.
The movie’s widespread popularity helped to introduce the fighting style to a broader audience and contributed to its growing recognition as a formidable martial art. It is also considered to be significant in martial arts history, as it served as an early introduction to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu long before UFC brought MMA into the spotlight.
Mel Gibson Trained With Rorion Gracie For Lethal Weapon
The final fight sequence in the film is considered to be one of the best in the movie and has continued to captivate fans. And it seems appropriate considering both Mel Gibson and Gary Busey trained under the renowned Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor Rorion Gracie for the fight sequence.
He also choreographed the triangle choke, which Gibson used to subdue the villain, Joshua, in the film’s climactic scene. In an interview with the Aikido Journal, Gracie shared that a production assistant suggested his name to the makers after he saw him in a fight against a kickboxer.
“The man who had seen me told the director: “Look, you’ve got to meet this guy. He’s the best.” So the director hired me to choreograph the fight and teach Mel Gibson and Gary Busey for Lethal Weapon I.”
The martial artist shared that the film had a big fighting scene, and the makers needed an instructor. He was then hired on the production assistant’s suggestion and trained the two stars for the 1987 movie, and later worked with Rene Russo in the Lethal Weapon threequel. He was also hired as a stuntman for Lethal Weapon 3.
Lethal Weapon is available on Prime Video.
