The 1980s and 1990s were a wild time for the buddy cop sub-genre of action-thrillers. Oscar-winning actor Clint Eastwood was known as a key fixture of the sub-genre, having starred in his fair share of movies, perhaps being best known for his role as "Dirty" Harry Callahan in the classic Dirty Harry series. However, in 1990, Eastwood opted to ride the wave of buddy cop movies that were big business in that era due to the success of Lethal Weapon, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.