| Lethal Weapon 4 | | Cast : | Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock | | Director : | Richard Donner | | Studio : | Warner Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | July 10, 1998 | | DVD Released Date : | February 03, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | April 14, 2005 | | Summary | The French Connection + The Love Bug = LW4 | Content
 | OK, it's easy to dump on the Lethal Weapon films; they've always been all swagger, few brains. But hasn't that always been the point? Drop the pretense of being in any way logical or (groan) 'reality-based', and simply deliver a well-crafted, well-played rush. We applaud Jackie Chan's sense of silly fun as much as his physicality, and Lethal Weapon 4 has got both in spades.
This installment finds the extended 'family' of Riggs (Gibson), Murtaugh (Glover), Leo (Pesci), and Lorna (Russo) joined by new faces Chris Rock and Jet Li, as a particularly nasty bad guy. The plot involves the smuggling of Chinese counterfeiters into the U.S. by a crime triad, but all that is really just a coathanger for the collection of action sequences and gags that director Richard Donner has skillfully assembled.
Like a predecessors, LW4 is an odd hybrid of The French Connection and The Love Bug (imagine LW5 with Herbie as Riggs, Dean Jones as Murtaugh and the late Buddy Hackett as Leo, but I digress). The chemistry between Gibson and Glover continues and, in spite of the often trite dialogue that is written for them, they infuse their exchanges with an infectious energy and enthusiasm.
What negative criticism I would level at LW4 regards the lack of darkness that so imbued the first two films. There were moments of real danger in those films that made the comedic elements seem astounding in their mere existence, let alone effectiveness. LW3 took a major step away from that, and towards a goofier, glossier, more (if you will) Love Bug-ier sheen, with lesser results. LW4 is an improvement on that film's formula, but someone should have remembered that Rigg's unhinged self-destructiveness was part of why the series was so compelling in the first place. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 29, 2004 | | Summary | Could be better, but overall not bad. | Content
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I can agree with P. Burdette's review to a certain extent. Lethal Weapon 4 could have been better, and I do think this film is vastly inferior to any of its predecessors, but overall, it isnt too bad. I appreciate comedy, even in an action movie, but I think they went way overboard with it. Like that scene where Murtaugh gloated that he was boinking Ebony Clark DURING A GUNFIGHT!!!, like any normal person would think about that while being shot at. The acting isn't as good as in the first 3 movies, but not bad enough to ruin the film. LW isn't a bad way to kill a few hours if you're bored, but nothing worth making a special effort to see. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 28, 2004 | | Summary | A MELLOWER MEL | Content
| Wouldn't it make sense after three movies that Mel Gibson's character would mellow out? He's older, not as fast, not as crazy...that's kind of true to life, huh? At any rate, I enjoyed this fourth entry in the great series. Gibson and Danny Glover continue to mesh in their comraderie, Joe Pesci is back as obnoxious as ever; Chris Rock joins in to be even more obnoxious than Pesci; Rene Russo is going to have Gibson's baby and the flying fists and feet of Jet Li give Gibson and Glover some tough competition.
The expected gags are there; poor Murtaugh's home becomes a battle zone again; and some of the stunts are out of this world. Credit director Richard Donner for maintaining the high quality in all four films. They weren't all great, but the series as a whole is one of the best! |
| Rating | | | Date | August 13, 2004 | | Summary | Jet Li is the only good thing in this film.... | Content
| This supposedly "last" Lethal Weapon film has little to offer in terms of entertainment. If you've seen the first 3, then you've seen this one.
The ONLY notable thing about this film is the incredible stunt work by Jet Li; if I am not mistaken, this was the first time Americans were exposed to this incredible action star and his debut was quite impressive (It made me a big fan).
The other cast members are a real drag, especially Chris Rock doing his step-n-fetch-it routine as a rookie cop. Blech! |
| Rating | | | Date | July 23, 2004 | | Summary | Still good | Content
| I wasnt sure what to expect of LW4. I mean, its the 4th movie, how could it still be good? The first 3 was great, but I was worried that the time between the third and the fourth movie would have reduced the magic and Chemistry between Glover and Gibson. Luckily, I had no reason to be worried. In fact, I really enjoyed it. The biggest stars of the show are as usual Gibson and Glover, and while the jokes themselves are a bit tired(Apart from some real gems), the chemistry itself is topnotch, untouched after 6 years since the 3rd Movie.
The only problem I had with LW4, was that it started to feel a bit soft. Glover was always a bit soft in the series, but Gibson felt tired and soft. Not the same crazy maniac he was with a good heart, even in the 3rd.
Picture quality, sound and filming generally is good, but the atmosphere from the first 3 is a bit lacking. Script is generally good, but the weakest of the 4.
So, to sum it up, the Magic is still there, but the fun and craziness of the first 3 is toned down. If they were to make a number 5, they should rather turn up the action, and work more on the laughs. Gibson and Glover and Co still got it, so after seeing number 4, I`m all up for a 5`er.
Bring it on. |
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