Arma letale 4

This movie is the end of a series which spanned almost two decades.

This time around Riggs (Gibson) is facing three very personal problems. 1) Age is catching up to him, 2) his g/f is pregnant and he's facing being a daddy, and 3) he's facing the dilemma of wanting to remarry. Also, Murtaugh (Glover) is about to be a grand-daddy to a baby by his oldest daughter, and she is secretly married to Detective Butters (Chris Rock), which everyone is keeping a secret from him.

Add to this the fact that both they are now taking on one of the most powerful crime syndicates in the world, the Chinese Triads, in an effort to stop slave trading and money laundering. The task of a bad guy this time goes to Jet Li, who made his American debut (atleast from an American Film Company) in this movie. Yes, this is the movie which launched him here in the states, and he deserved it.

This movie is as good as the rest of them, though nothing beats part 2 in my opinion. Lethal Weapon 4 really hits home on a lot of subjects, such as facing responsibility, to coming to terms with who you are. And it ended the series in a way that makes you smile and love it even more.

I give it a 9 out of 10.

By this point in the series, it seems that they just aren't trying as hard with these films, which is kind of a shame. The Lethal Weapon series is really a good group of action films, but part 4 doesn't really seem to take itself seriously. It clearly had the biggest budget and probably some of the most elaborate stunts and action scenes (as well as some of the most exciting, such as that thrilling freeway chase scene), but many of the other elements of the film have deteriorated badly.

I think that with the addition of Chris Rock, while he delivered a satisfactory performance as far as the role that he was playing, caused the film to detract into too much goofy comedy, which unnecessarily diverted attention away from the surprisingly interesting smuggling plot involving illegal Chinese immigrants and counterfeit money. Joe Pesci was just as funny as ever, which is probably the reason the Chris Rock actually took away from the film as a whole. Pesci is all the comic relief that a Lethal Weapon movie ever needed, and Rock is another substantial addition of comic relief that just isn't necessary.

Danny Glover and Mel Gibson work great together for the fourth time; I'm beginning to wonder if they couldn't go on with this great duo forever. And of course, Renee Russo is back, with her and Riggs picking up with their quirky relationship, right where they left off at the end of part 3. But the person who really steals the whole show is Jet Li. Man, I thought Jackie Chan was fun to watch! Even though it's not all exactly real, this guy pulls out some unbelievable martial arts moves that give Lethal Weapon 4 a much-needed boost of energy. I wonder how long it will be before Jet Li and Jackie Chan come out with a movie together. Probably never, because if they worked together, no one could touch them, and if they were enemies, neither of them would be able to end up as the loser or the bad guy. Oh well, we can still hope, right? Even though the 4th installment in the Lethal Weapon series is not nearly as good as any of the previous three, it still remains a quality action film, despite its many weaknesses.

Above average Hollywood formula action movie that is also the worst of the LETHAL WEAPON series but still is a cut above the typical Hollywood action fare.Why?Star chemistry is the key as with the rest of the other LETHAL WEAPON efforts.This one was too watered down for more mainstream appeal (quick cash) and had a much more comedy atomsphere,thus in effect,lampooning themselves.Average script and below average screenplay.Action packed but cartoonish in style.The acting was passe as well.Star power and charm simply carried this energetic movie.Only for big police action movie fans.........

Talking about the other films for a minute, while not perfect, the first film is very good and one of the best buddy-cop films there is (important to the development of them too). 'Lethal Weapon 2' was almost as good, and while 'Lethal Weapon 3' was a little disappointing it was still fun.

Which is pretty much the same personal opinion for 'Lethal Weapon 4', though a slight improvement over the third. Like the third film, its weak link is the story, except it's even messier than that and sometimes has a going through the motions, tame feel, especially when one can't help comparing to the first two. It also could have done with having less going on and less characters, it did feel over-stuffed and muddled.

'Lethal Weapon 4's' script is also the weakest in this component of the series. Not awful, as some of it is very funny and still intrigues, but there seemed to be too much of an emphasis on sentimentality and especially humour. The humour works better, because there are actually some funny moments like the dentist scene and the fried rice line but there were other parts where it was overdone. The sentimentality really doesn't work, am aware it's for character development but it was done in a very mawkish and under-cooked way and felt really odds and tacked on with the rest of the film.

Was mixed on Chris Rock. Was expecting him to be a disaster and be completely out of place. The good news is that he is a little better than expected, there are times where he is amusing and has some good lines and moments with the rest of the cast. Not so good is that he featured in the film too heavily and some of Rock's shtick is overdone and annoying, when you already have Joe Pesci as a motor-mouth it feels overkill.

However, the way 'Lethal Weapon 4' is shot and designed screams slick and stylish while Richard Donner once again directs with an assured hand. The score is atmospheric and groovy.

Parts of the script doe entertain hugely and crackle in wit and tension, especially the aforementioned moments.

Once again, the action is slick and bursts with excitement and tension, with terrific stunts and the sheer scale of them being worthy of huge admiration. The freeway scene and Jet Li's final fight are two of the series' best action sequences It is very easy to see why the chalk and cheese chemistry of the polar opposite characters of Riggs and Murtaugh became so popular, very rarely in a buddy-cop film has this kind of chemistry been so entertaining and perfectly pitched.

Mel Gibson continues to excel in a performance as witty and intense has before. Danny Glover gives Murtaugh the right amount of spirit, subtlety and no-nonsense attitude.

Joe Pesci, despite the character being a thrown-in plot device, is closer to the funny character he was in the second and not the irritating one in the third. Rene Russo's role is not as fresh and fairly side-lined but she is a lovely presence. While underused, Jet Li is a calmly sinister villain with some truly indestructibly awesome fighting skills, for me the second best overall villain of the series after Gary Busey in the original.

In summary, fun if not blowing the mind. Doesn't see the series going out with a bang, but a long way from a whimper despite a few sizeable flaws threatening to make it so. 7/10 Bethany Cox

After what was by far the longest gap between "Lethal Weapon" movies, the fourth installment in the quadrilogy finally came into theatres, six years after the third one. I was only about six months old when the original was first released, and by the time this fourth one came out, I was nearing adolescence, but was still too young to watch R-rated movies. I've seen all four LW films for the first time this year. Watching this 1998 action comedy's three predecessors, it seemed to me that each one showed a slight drop in quality from the last, so I had fairly low expectations for this fourth one, but still planned to finish watching the series. Many may disagree, but I think this one actually showed a slight improvement after "Lethal Weapon 3".

Sergeant Martin Riggs' girlfriend, Lorna Cole, is now pregnant, so he will soon be a father. Sergeant Roger Murtaugh, meanwhile, will soon be a grandfather, as his daughter, Rianne, is pregnant. One night, Murtaugh and Riggs are out on a fishing trip on Murtaugh's boat with their chatterbox friend, Leo Getz, who has become a private investigator. However, on this trip, trouble finds them once again, as their boat is struck by a large vessel! After a fight against Chinese men aboard this vessel, Riggs discovers that it is full of Chinese slaves! Detective Ng believes that Chinatown crime boss "Uncle Benny" Chan has something to do with this smuggling. Since Cole is pregnant, she cannot help out much on this mission, but Riggs and Murtaugh are sent along with Getz and Detective Lee Butters, the father of Murtaugh's grandchild, to take on the Chinese Triads. Riggs and Murtaugh are now both showing signs of aging, which unfortunately will not help them on this mission.

In addition to the action in the "Lethal Weapon" franchise, you also expect humour, and there's lots of that here. I definitely laughed during the intro, with Murtaugh clucking like a chicken in his boxers during a confrontation on the street. Joe Pesci once again plays Leo Getz, and this character is still funny, with his conflict with the two main characters, and the scene around the beginning with the shark on the boat. This third sequel also introduces Detective Lee Butters, played by Chris Rock. The confrontation with Butters and Getz on the road had me in hysterics! There are some good action sequences as well, with fights and chases, which definitely had me in suspense. Unlike LW 3, Rene Russo doesn't steal the show here as Lorna Cole, though she could have if the character had not been made pregnant. Also, the romance between Cole and Riggs, while maybe still not perfect, was done a bit better here than in the previous film. The film also has some significant problems, however. The laughing gas scene is rather tedious, our heroes take a tad too many blows in the fight sequences, and the film left me wanting just a bit more.

Like probably most people, I would say the original "Lethal Weapon" is the best of the bunch. However, I think "Lethal Weapon 4" comes in third, inferior to both LW films from the 80's, but better than the first one of the 90's. I know many would disagree, but I would say this fourth installment in the quadrilogy was a good end to the series. There have been talks about "Lethal Weapon 5" coming out in 2012, which have been on again and off again. Since I've found contradicting news articles on this project, I don't know whether it's happening or not (maybe nobody does), but I don't know if it would be a good idea anyway. It's been over a decade since the last installment in the series, and too many sequels can be a problem. Well, whether they make a fifth movie or not, and whether it turns out to be any good or not, overall, the four films that have already been made make a good action comedy series.