This movie leans
more toward comedy than action, with the makers going overboard by adding Chris
Rock to a role Joe Pesci already had a handle on. It doesn’t stand out as one
of the best in the series, partly because the plot feels lazier compared to what
we saw in Lethal
Weapon 1 and Lethal
Weapon 2. While Lethal
Weapon 3 may have had the best intro scene, it also suffered from a
lackluster script, feeling more like “let’s get a girl for Riggs” than “let’s
make a solid buddy cop movie.”
This time, the
duo faces off against the Kung Fu-fighting Jet Li. His introduction brought a
martial arts element to the action-comedy, but director Richard Donner didn’t
quite succeed in making this a masterpiece. Still, as a standalone, it’s an
enjoyable action-comedy.
The score, done
by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton, and David Sanborn, was solid in the earlier
movies, but the attempt at a more hip sound here didn’t resonate with me as
much as before.
In this
installment, our buddy cop duo is up against the Chinese Triads. Riggs,
Murtaugh, and Leo were out fishing when they stumbled upon a smuggling ship,
and, as usual, they accidentally crashed it. This leads them into a mix of
human trafficking and the investigation of three murders on the ship. The
Triads, led by Jet Li’s Wah Sing Ku, are running operations in America, and
Riggs and Murtaugh must figure out the connection between their schemes and the
human smuggling.
Meanwhile, both
Riggs and Murtaugh are expecting new additions to their families. Riggs’
girlfriend, Lorna, is pregnant with their first child, and Murtaugh’s eldest
daughter, Rianne, is expecting hers. Roger, however, doesn’t know who Rianne’s
baby daddy is—but Riggs does. It’s Detective Lee Butters (Chris Rock), and
Riggs uses this knowledge to prank Roger into thinking Butters is gay.
I have to
commend the producers for maintaining continuity in the cast. From the first to
the fourth movie, the Murtaugh family—husband, wife, and three kids—has
remained consistent. Riggs’ new love, Lorna, introduced in the third film, is
still here. The captain has been the same throughout the series, and Leo Getz,
introduced in the second movie, also stuck around.
What can I say?
I enjoyed watching the crazy duo again for the fourth time, and the DVD box set
of all four movies is one I’d recommend owning.
There are plans for a reboot or continuation of the Lethal Weapon franchise, and I just hope they don’t blow it.
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