Bag_of_Cancer This sequel was decent, but it definitely didn't come anywhere close to the grittiness and intensity of the first two. The Chinese storyline was incredibly weak and uninteresting; the proposed neo-Nazi terrorist plot from the first script sounds far more intriguing than what we got from the Triad in this, even if Germans/neo-Nazis have been done to death in cinema. There were a lot of characters in this, which can be nice, but then nobody really stands out, which happened in this one. Adding Chris Rock's character "Butters" was completely unnecessary, although I did find a bit of humor in some of the misunderstood gay jokes, admittedly. The tone of the movie was much more light-hearted than the first two, but about on par with the third in that it was more comedic and sentimental than gritty and hard-hitting. The action scenes were great, especially the brutal final showdown, but it takes a lot of doing nothing to get to the good stuff, which is about three big sequences spread throughout the movie (the opening encounter with the pyromaniac at the start, the highway chase near the middle, and the warehouse sequence at the end).The running gag was Murtaugh and Riggs ("finally") getting too old to do the things they used to, and it works pretty well, but it's also a bit sad to see. Murtaugh was always too old even in the first movie, but Riggs was young and a fearless ass kicking machine in the first three, and in this one he's almost a shell of his former self. He's getting beat up and outpaced by just about everyone around him, and he's no longer the kung fu guy, this time around relying more on a brawling style, which I don't understand how or why that was changed. Sure, you can't move as fast when you're older, but to change an entire fighting style seems unrealistic. That's just one of the downfalls of this sequel, though.The Chinese sucked as villains. They weren't threatening enough. Jet Li's character was silent fury, sulking in a room until he had to throw down, but that's about it. He was criminally underused, and it seems like his abilities were toned down for the final fight in order for Riggs and Murtaugh to beat him. I could tell Mr. Joshua from LW1 and the Aryans from LW2 meant business. I could somewhat believe Jack Travis from LW3 was psychotic and brutal. I really didn't care about the Chinese villains in this one. Something was really lacking with them.Overall, this one is pretty interchangeable with LW3, but both are a huge step down from LW1 and LW2. Don't go into this expecting much.

Jennifer (LadySailor1975) This is my favorite of the "Lethal Weapon" series. Yes, I know it didn't do as well as the other three. But, that's fine by me. Those who haven't seen it missed out on some great stuff.First, I really liked the addition of Jet Li as the primary antagonist. He is a good actor who can play either good or bad character roles. (I like the little ponytail, too). The late Kim Chan was good and can be very entertaining and makes an antagonist almost likable. Stuntman/actor Jeff Imada (the Chinese thug with long hair that sets the house on fire) is a very multi-talented man. I would like to see him do more acting! I enjoyed the big car chase scene right after the fire. It's the most entertaining car chase scene that I have seen and I still watch it over and over. I almost wore out the VHS tape (when the movies were new to video) and now I have the DVD and blu-ray. I especially loved when Riggs (Gibson) pulls the second Chinese thug (Simon Rhee) from the driver's seat of the Mercedes. That's a great action! Only Richard Donner can give us that! Of course, bumper-cars with real cars and driving through an occupied building make for a heart-pounding chase! Joe Pesci, one hilarious man, gives us the great comic relief that we expect from him; along with the usual f-bomb thrown from his mouth almost every second. I miss watching him acting and hope he returns soon. (Come on, Joe!) Steve Kahan, like the other three LW films, is the perfect choice for the captain. He is a talented actor and it's a shame that he decided to retire. But, I wish him the best in whatever he does.Altogether, this is a very entertaining and exciting movie with excellent acting and great comedy. Today's movies just don't compare. The four original "Lethal Weapon" films are the only ones, in my book. I will never see any remakes of these. Now, go watch it.

Python Hyena Lethal Weapon 4 (1998): Dir: Richard Donner / Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, Jet Li: High powered action that attempts to broaden character yet evaporates into mindless action violence. Rene Russo is pregnant and Mel Gibson wrestles with the idea of marriage. Danny Glover's daughter is also pregnant but he is unaware that the father is fast talking rookie cop Chris Rock. Joe Pesci discovers the pains of being a detective. Plot regards the smuggling Chinese into America for illegal money making labour. Jet Li is the new villain and he is so swift that he can handle Gibson, Glover and Russo all at once in an ass kicking bout. Routine story that owes much to its spectacular stunts. Gibson and director Richard Donner collaborated on all three previous Lethal Weapon films as well as Conspiracy Theory. Glover is still the bunt of jokes but perhaps the biggest is the reality that his daughter is pregnant with Rock's kid. Russo wrestles with her future as a mother and wife. Rock is a nice edition with his usual psycho-babble that gets under Glover's skin. Jet Li plays off a fine villain who ends up warding off Gibson, Glover and Russo with near ease. The basic purpose of the film is to continue the series and big fans of the franchise will no doubt enjoy the action and stunts and all the other implausible hijinks performed throughout. Score: 5 / 10

SnoopyStyle Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are back fighting a crazy armored guy with a flamethrower. Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) is pregnant. Roger's daughter Rianne is pregnant and secretly married to young detective Lee Butters (Chris Rock). Riggs and Murtaugh is shark fishing with Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) when a Chinese ship almost run them over. They exchange fire and discover a Chinese people smuggling ring. Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li) is the high ranking Triad bad guy. Murtaugh finds a boat full of people and he takes them home with him. The city can't find insurance for the guys to be on the streets so they made them captains to hang out on desk duty. Instead they take Butters along on their investigation.I thought Murtaugh was retiring. Even Riggs is getting too old for this sh!t. That should be enough but this is crazier, more explosive, jokier, and more ridiculous. It is overloaded. What started as a fun duo has expanded each and every sequel into a whole gang. It overshoot its target and has become an unmitigated mess. There are way too much story and too many characters. It takes forever to get the story moving because the audience has to catch up with all the characters, both new and old. It's odd that the addition this time is an angry Chris Rock. He's probably the funniest guy in the cast but his character is more tiring than funny. Any time the movie starts to move, it gets bog down with jokey side stories and various diversions. Also there isn't any compelling about the investigation. The bad guy Jet Li is revealed right away. The only thing left is for him to do is some kung fu fighting. The rest about the bad guys is meaningless and a waste of time. This is simply a rambling tiresome end to a great franchise.