Buddy Cop night.

Tonight's marathon is more than just a marathon. It's an event. This one is about the teaming up of two different cultures and classes of people in the realm of law enforcement to hunt down and stop some vicious drug dealers, kidnappers, terrorists, and counterfitters. This marathon pairs Caucasian along with African American as well as Chinese, but also tackles on cultural issues such as race and wanting to be appreciated and make a difference. We have on this evenings menu:

Lethal Weapon 1987, Rush Hour 1998, Die Hard with a Vengeance 1995, and Lethal Weapon 4

Lethal Weapon emerged from the late 1980s, a decade in which action movies were allowed to roam free without compromise or restrictions, while also building on formulas that have become relevant in today's society. Lethal Weapon pairs up two up and coming actors at the time named Mel Gibson, fresh off The Bounty, The River, and the first two Mad Max films, and Danny Glover from The Color Purple, Silverado, and Witness. 1985 was a major breakout year for Danny, and Lethal Weapon transformed him into a action star as well as Gibson. Directed by Richard Donner who just finished helming The Goonies at the time, he crafts a brilliant and iconic action comedy about Glovers character Murtaugh, celebrating his 50th birthday, and as a present, he's paired up with a new partner whose been registered as a Lethal Weapon. What starts out as an unwanted partnership becomes a bond between the two men that runs thicker than blood. Through each other, they are able to team up and take down a powerful drug ring and form a partnership that becomes a rather silly reckoning for criminals. Lethal Weapon is not just a great movie but has great dramatic moments instilled in the film such as Gibson's struggle with suicide over the death of his wife in a car crash, and the epic fight in the front yard of Danny Glovers home. It is essentially a movie about a man finding the will to live again with by being partners with a senior officer. Rush Hour continues the buddy cop theme of the marathon, though this time pairing up African American with an officer from Hong Kong. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan's team up is even more ridiculous than what Lethal Weapon unleashed, as the two must put aside their differences with each other culturally and solve the case of a kidnapped 11 year old Chinese girl of a Hong Kong ambassador. Rush Hour is hands down the best film of it's series because it keeps the plot simple and realistic, but also allowing it to have tons of fun in the process. The third film in the marathon titled Die Hard with a Vengeance pairs Bruce Willis character John McClane with a racist African American electrician from Harlem named Zeus, played by Samuel Jackson. The twist here is the humor stems from the fact that Zeus hates anyone whose white, and turns every situation into a race issue, even though the evil terrorist named Simon played by Jeremy Irons, targets many sectors of New York without any limitations regarding skin color.. He goes as far as to target a shopping store, a public train, a school in New York, and a Cargo ship in a form of anarchy to hide his own hidden agenda of stealing the gold from the Federal Reserve bank. Of all the Die Hard installments this film hands down is the most effective in terms of handling the buddy cop element of the story, with the first film being right behind it. Lethal Weapon 4 not only is the perfect ending to the Lethal Weapon series, but it gives the marathon and the characters of Riggs and Murtaugh proper closure. They've reached a point where both men realize that they have finally become too old for this shit, and need to accept it and move on. Not only do they become captains in this film, but they also become fathers and grandfathers to their respective wives and daughters. Lethal Weapon 4 also takes the action to newer heights with the legendary Jet Li in his first American role as a villain, demonstrating his quick fighting skills and ruthless villain persona. The end fight between Riggs, Murtaugh, and Jet Li's character is one of the greatest and most brutal fight scenes in cinema history.

Buddy Cop night carries all the essential elements that make up a great action movie. Great action, great characters that you care about, tasteful humor, legit bad guys that you grow to completely hate, and satisfying endings along with carrying with them heart.