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.
