Review of Lethal Weapon 4

Introduction

The magic is back yet again, kind of. Our two wrinkled heroes whip out their Zimmer frames once more in an effort to keep the streets of LA safe from crime. `We`re too old for this s***`, they assert. `Yes, you are`, agree the audience, before the sight of a titanic explosion once again distracts them. Yes, it`s time for another Lethal Weapon movie, made 12 years after Roger Murtaugh first announced to his family that he was ready to retire. OK, Lethal 4 isn`t as bad as I make out above, but if they continue churning them out every few years, senescence is inevitable, and while Lethal 4 does contain the requisite action and comedy, is that a faint mustiness I can detect?

Both Riggs and Murtaugh have reached a turning point in their personal lives. Riggs is about to become a father with Lorna Cole, while Murtaugh is about to become a grandfather for the first time courtesy of his daughter Rianne. Murtaugh is unimpressed with Riggs unmarried state, but the same situation for his daughter is infuriating. Unbeknownst to him though, Rianne has already married the father of her unborn child, who against her father`s wishes is Lee Butters, a cop who he works with, and is being peculiarly considerate of his unwitting father in law. Is that enough comedy for you? If not, Leo Getz is back and Internal Affairs are concerned at Murtaugh`s sudden profligate wealth.

In the real world though, people smugglers are bringing in shiploads of illegal immigrants from China and selling them into virtual slavery. Riggs, Murtaugh and Leo Getz rescue one such family when a cargo ship rudely interrupts their fishing trip. But this family`s entry into the United States is payment for an artist`s work in creating the perfect counterfeit money to secure the release of one of Hong Kong`s most notorious triads from imprisonment in China. Riggs and Murtaugh find themselves caught up in explosive action when Wah Sing Ku will stop at nothing to secure the release of his brother. Have the two finally met their match?

Video

Lethal Weapon 4 is presented in the original 2.35:1 ratio, anamorphically enhanced for your DVD viewing pleasure on a 2-sided single layer disc. The picture is very good, clear and sharp with little print damage to speak of, just as you would expect from a recent film. The film is full of great action sequences with little or no pesky CGI, just great stunts.

Audio

The explosive first scene heralds the English DD 5.1 soundtrack and immediately gives your speakers a workout setting the standard for the rest of the film. The familiar Lethal Weapon music makes an appearance and it`s like an old friend. The film is subtitled in English and Arabic.

Features

While Side A is devoted to the film and some filmographies, Side B is solely devoted to the extras, and while the first three films were released as bare bones discs, Lethal 4 has extras relevant to the series as a whole.

The filmographies are repeated here on Side B just in case you missed them on Side A.

The meatiest addition is the Pure Lethal documentary presented by Danny Glover. It lasts 30 minutes and is presented in 4:3 and DD 2.0. It`s a humorous retrospective, with a few interviews and copious amounts of outtakes and bloopers.

The Cut/Extended scenes show the footage that was excised from the first three films and totals up to 17 minutes of footage. However this section has been rendered redundant by the release of the Directors Cut editions of the first three movies. FYI, they are presented in letterbox formats with DD 2.0 sound.

Then there is the Interview Gallery, which has interviews with Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, Jet Li, Richard Donner and Joel Silver. There is just a bit of repetition from the documentary but this is minimal and the total running time is 18 minutes. 4:3 ratio, 2.0 sound.

The B-roll footage runs for 10 minutes, and for a change it is actually quite interesting to watch. 4:3 ratio, 2.0 sound.

Finally there are theatrical trailers for Lethals 2, 3 and 4. Anamorphic ratios and 2.0 sound.

All the extras except the trailers have English subtitles.

Conclusion

Lethal Weapon 4 is perhaps one Weapon too far. The format has become a little stale and predictable, and much of the film seems to be a rehash of all the best bits of the first three movies. The first Lethal Weapon back in 1986 was a great action comedy, with a dark edge, quickly followed by a sequel much in the same vein. The third was played more for laughs, yet a little of the darkness that so informed the first two films was still there. There`s none of that with Lethal 4, indeed the manic energy that so informed the character of Riggs has vanished. Riggs is now a family man, he`s just a tad eccentric. Now when you see Riggs hanging off a building, or being dragged behind a truck, or facing up to a bad guy, the tension has gone.

Perhaps, it`s because for the first time, they really are too old for this s***. Riggs is well into middle age, and Leo Getz looks positively decrepit. Strangely, Murtaugh is in the best shape of the lot, and indeed they make a big point of this by getting Danny Glover to strip down to his undies in the opening scene. Gone is the girdle that caused hilarity in Lethal 3 and we are presented with a lean, mean fighting machine. To make a change, Mel`s butt remains hidden for the first time in a Lethal Weapon movie. To their credit the producers have noticed that their stars are rapidly heading for pensionable age and indeed subvert their favourite catchphrase. "We`re not too old for this s***!" they exclaim while trying to hold back the years. There`s also an attempt to add some new blood in the form of Lee Butters, to a questionable degree of success.

The cast reunite for the fourth outing. Mel Gibson is obviously having fun as Riggs, but the lack of crazy antics in the character is palpable compared to the first three films. Gone with the mania is the mullet, indeed my own personal theory is that with the loss of his locks, Riggs loses his strength a la Samson. In contrast, Danny Glover is on top form as Roger Murtaugh. His comic timing is excellent and he provides most of the laughs in the film with brilliant reaction shots. Joe Pesci is back as Leo Getz and joining him in the humour stakes is Chris Rock as Lee Butters. Pesci is his usual irritating self, taking the character to new heights of self-parody, while Chris Rock uses the film as an opportunity to wheel out a stand up routine. Separately they border on the tedious, but the one scene they have together makes up for that, and I`m in stitches each time I see it. The rest of the cast also reprise their roles, René Russo as Lorna Cole, Steve Kahan as Captain Murphy, the family Murtaugh, but these characters are so fleeting and inconsequential to the story that the are hardly worth commenting on. However the biggest disappointment of Lethal 4 is Jet Li as the bad guy, Wah Sing Ku. The first three films had meaty bad guys who could chew scenery with the best of them. Jet Li is there only for some wire-fu antics, and as a character is practically invisible. There is no sense of adversity for the heroes, and the film has to fly solely on the humour alone. However, this isn`t Jet Li`s fault alone. Greedy blood-sucking distributors, wishing to increase their profits insisted on a 15 rating in the UK, prompting the BBFC to excise 1 minute and 33 seconds of violence from the film, losing much of Jet Li`s despatching of his foes in painful style. This effectively neutered the character.

So Lethal 4 isn`t a patch on the first films. It`s tired and the format is worn with the film feeling like a re-run for the most part. The plot is pointless and most of the characters are wasted. But I still sit through this film with a grin on my face every time I watch it. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover together are box office gold and they fill the screen whenever they are on it. Richard Donner directs with his customary frenetic style and the film`s pace is relentless, never pausing for breath. Forget the plot, the action is stupendous and refreshingly low on CG enhancement. It may be the weakest Weapon yet, but it`s still enjoyable and the perfect note to end the franchise on.