Lethal Weapon IV

Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover
Director: Richard Donner
Genre: Action / Comedy
Year: 1998
Rating: 4 / 5

Lethal Weapon IV is exactly what every newspaper review says it is. Formulaic. Done before. Unoriginal. Yet despite all of this, I feel that this Lethal is the best since the original, proving that the franchise is in fact not dead, but getting stronger. I had previously mourned the passing of this comic tandem, one of the modern pioneers of the cop buddy film, as stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover has seemingly passed the torch to the likes of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys. Fortunately, some things get better with age, and these two certainly seem to fit that bill.

Lethal Weapon IV follows a pattern similar to the previous films, where Martin Riggs (Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Glover) are pitted against an international villain with a grandiose plot who will stop at nothing, including attacking the officers' families, to achieve his ends. Insert Lee Butters (Chris Rock) as the fresh blood into this outfit, teaming with Riggs, Murtaugh, Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), and the pregnant Lorna Cole (Rene Russo). Everything these detectives do has been done before, but they are out to prove that they can do it better. Riggs is as funny as he has been in the entire series, and Butters is a welcome addition, allowing Rock to show off anple amounts of his stand-up shtick. As usual Murtaugh capably plays the straight man, moaning to Riggs early and often about how "I'm too old for this shit." Getz is the annoying pest he was in the most recent two movies, though he could arguably be considered more annoying here. Cole is merely window dressing in this film, as she spends most of it with an infant tucked neatly inside her stomach. Her presence merely allows the series to keep its continuity and illustrate the changing face of Riggs' life.

The most pleasant surprise for me was the casting of Asian action star Jet Li as the ruthless Wah Sing Ku. Hailed as the heir apparent to superstar Jackie Chan, Li most assuredly lives up to the advance billing, showcasing moves I have not seen recently on the big screen. He plays Ku as pure evil, and while he exercises limited usage of English, he nonetheless is able to convey his intentions quite clearly. And unlike other villains seen in films nowadays, Ku is not one to be undone by some foolish flaw. In one early scene, he is able to pummel both Riggs and Murtaugh, while each is pointing a gun at him! No average man is going to cut this villain down!

Find something that works, and stick with it. Director Richard Donner has done just that with the Lethal Weapon series. I admit I was skeptical about the release of the fourth installment, save the addition of Rock, but I was pleasantly surprised. Six years have passed since the release of the last Lethal movie, and it turns out that I actually did miss our two heroes. Gibson may be remembered for roles like William Wallace or Mad Max, but Glover will always be Roger Murtaugh in my book, just as Joe Pesci will always be Leo Getz. (I choose to ignore his turn in Casino, and the carnage contained therein.) Lethal Weapon IV is a movie that delivers what it promises, and in this day and age, that is good enough for me.

Cast:

Mel Gibson..........	Martin Riggs
Danny Glover..........	Roger Murtaugh
Joe Pesci..........	Leo Getz
Chris Rock..........	Lee Butters
Rene Russo..........	Lorna Cole
Jet Li..........	Wah Sing Ku

Certification: Rated R for language.
Running Time: 127 minutes.

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