As the younger man moves to cut one of the two wires, his hand betrays not even the slightest tremble. Just before he makes the cut that will either defuse or detonate, he looks to his partner. An almost fiendish gleam appears in his eyes as he asks, "Aren't you gonna miss all this when you retire, Rog?"

Detective Roger Murtaugh (DANNY GLOVER) doesn't really have to answer that question. Nor does his longtime partner, Martin Riggs (MEL GIBSON), really expect one. After a long and distinguished career with the LAPD, Murtaugh is just seven days away from retirement, and looking forward to it. While most officers would use this time to lighten up on their official duties and ease their way into civilian life, Sgt. Murtaugh will not be afforded the luxury of such an easy transition.

For one thing, he and Riggs are currently investigating the disappearance of a cache of illegal firearms slated for destruction. Stolen from police lock-up, these weapons have begun to resurface on the streets, most recently in the hands of street gang youths.

In the course of their investigation, the detectives find two things -- first, the evidence points to the involvement of an ex-cop named Jack Travis (STUART WILSON), and second... they're not alone on this case. The Internal Affairs department has been following Travis for some time now, and Detective Lorna Cole (RENE RUSSO) isn't interested in sharing. She doesn't want or need the assistance of Riggs and Murtaugh, which of course, only makes Riggs even more determined to get to Travis first.

To add to that, Murtaugh's house is up for sale, and his real estate agent is none other than Leo Getz (JOE PESCI). Since his last encounter with Riggs and Murtaugh, Leo's gone legitimate, but he hasn't lost his taste for police procedure, or for interfering in the work of his two favorite cops.

The biggest obstacle standing in the way of Roger Murtaugh's retirement, however, may just be his partner. Despite his protestations to the contrary, Riggs refuses to believe that Murtaugh is "too old for this shit." After all they've been through together, if Murtaugh does get to retire, he's not going to do it without a fight.

Mel Gibson and Danny Glover continue the adventures of Detectives Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh in a Silver Pictures Production of a RICHARD DONNER Film, "Lethal Weapon 3." Donner, who directed the previous "Lethal Weapon" films, returns to direct the third installment in the series, which is produced by Donner and JOEL SILVER.

Also returning to the cast are Academy-Award winner Joe Pesci as Leo Getz and DARLENE LOVE, TRACI WOLFE, DAMON HINES, and EBONIE SMITH, playing the Murtaugh family. "Lethal Weapon 3" also stars Rene Russo as Lorna Cole and Stuart Wilson as Jack Travis.