Lethal Weapon 4
Dir Richard Donner
Written by
Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, Jet Li, Steve Kahan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe.
In the years since the last film, Sergeant’s Riggs and Murtaugh (Gibson and Glover) are still partnered; Riggs is still with Lorna (a returning Russo), and they are expecting a child; and Murtaugh is to become a grandfather.
On a random night out fishing with Leo (returning for his third time Pesci), they have a gunfight with a Chinese ship, and discover it was smuggling illegal immigrants. After being promoted to Captain’s, they decide to investigate – which leads them to high ranking Generals and triads.
Storyline, it starts with a bang again, but ultimately the entire plot feels a bit convoluted and a bit all over the place. Plot wise, it might be one of the weakest entries in the franchise.
There is some good direction from Donner, with great action sequences and choreography. There are some fun fight sequences with the very quick moving Li, and some fun car chases. Action wise, it makes up for the script.
The cast all work very well together, with all of the original Murtaugh family returning for their individual fourth movies. Pesci’s Leo is back for his third outing, and has a genuinely touching moment at the end of the film. Russo is back for her second outing, and third film colab with Gibson, so their chemistry is on point. The main pairing, of Gibson and Glover which is the main draw – has some heart-warming moments, as these guys have been friends for the better part of two decades.
The screenplay is a good mix of comedy and heart, especially for Riggs, whose growth over the four movies is actually quite touching. He went from being the literal ‘lethal weapon’ in the first movie, to a more grown individual – ready for fatherhood, and being remarried – and he too is finally to old for this sh.. Being the fourth film, there is plenty of history to work with to give a good feeling of nostalgia.
This was critically the worst film in the franchise, but I still think it holds its own in the series. The final credits sequence and the ‘we’re family’ added to the finality of the film series. That being said, there is reportedly going to be a 5th film made, so watch this space.
3.5/5