My 5 Favorite Cameos from LOADED WEAPON 1

Loaded Weapon 1 is a Comedy written and directed by Gene Quintano (writer of the Allan Quatermain movies and Police Academy 3 and 4) and was released on February 5, 1993. It's a very obvious and effortless parody of the Lethal Weapon films (Part 3 had just come out the year before) so despite a lot of its weaker spots it was mildly exciting to me because the main thread was referencing something I knew so well. But more than that, the movie was visibly satirizing the entire Action Movie genre - not with the budget or bravura of Last Action Hero, but certainly with a much less subtle approach. I'd argue that it's even more broad and obvious than Hot Shots! Part Deux, but the point remains that '93 was fixated on self awareness - especially when it came to the most popular movie genre of the moment. (Goddamn we could use some of that nowadays.) I'm guessing this is how they assembled such a sprawling collection of cameos in this clunky chuckler of a matinee - everyone involved was anxious to playfully vilify the often self serious shoot-em-ups that dominated the day.

There are at least two dozen speaking parts in this movie by folks who are clearly there to lend their likeness as a punchline, and they all work (in different ways). Here are 5 of my favorites. 

- Paul

F. Murray Abraham

Dr. Harold Leacher

I don't think anything was spoofed as much in the early 1990s as Silence of the Lambs was - particularly the Lecter intro. There are several people in this who also popped up in Last Action Hero (Rick Ducommun, Frank McRae) but F. Murray really seems to revel in making fun of himself more than anyone in these films. 

Phil Hartman

Officer Davis

Phil showed up everywhere this year (Axe Murderer, Coneheads) and understandably so: he'd already been on SNL for 8 years at this point but now everyone knew him best as Bill Clinton. Added to that, his brief scene here gives off major Lionel Hutz vibes. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Themselves

This one's weird, but interesting. At one point Emilio's character gets lost in the sewer and finds himself superimposed in front of a scene from the 1990 Turtles movie in which the teens are playing Trivial Pursuit in April's apartment (?). It's equal parts clumsy and clever how New Line could just reach into their vault for legit Turtles footage and use it in some ramshackle way. Even weirder: Donatello's Corey Feldman voice has been redubbed here (much like in Secret of the Ooze) even though Corey himself actually cameos in this movie. 

Robert Shaye

Interrogation room fan

Speaking of, New Line founder Bob Shaye clearly loved to act (Wes Craven would attest to this). He'd show his face in a lotta things, Elm Street movies mostly, but always in his few frames of screentime he'd bring a mixture of casual realism and comedy - much as he does in his brief moments here as he lustfully waits for Kathy Ireland to present her "gratuitous beaver shot" in the style of Basic Instinct, depicting each cutaway to the studio president in various states of undress. 

Bruce Willis

John McLane

I use John McLane loosely; Bruce Willis in a white tank top is John McLane the way John Wayne in an eyepatch is Rooster Cogburn. And there's some common sense here: no one explicitly says it, but the punchline is Hey, this isn't Die Hard, this is Lethal Weapon! Out of all the macho Action stars of the 80s and 90s, Bruce was the true comedian and earned his moment of commentary on the bloody and gratuitous shenanigans of Box Office Gold.