Lethal Weapon 4 Review

It`s hard to believe it`s eleven years since the first of the Lethal Weapon films. And now we have Lethal Weapon 4. Possibly it`s the last because even Danny Glover`s character Murtaugh wonders if they aren`t too old for all the mayhem in what is basically a reworking of a very familiar scenario. Riggs - Mel Gibson - and Murtaugh become embroiled in trying to break up a modern slave trade where desperate Chinese immigrants are illegally imported by a Chinese triad to be used as cheap labour in the United States. Our heroes` nemesis is played by Hong Kong action star Jet Li. Meanwhile Lorna Cole- Rene Russo, Riggs` live-in partner, is due to give birth to their child any moment and he`s going through a to-marry or not-to-marry crisis. And Murtaugh has problems within his family too, although he`s the last to know it. But let`s not get away from the main event here, which is action... The freeway chase is a really thrilling and funny sequence. But Lethal Weapon 4 is looking a bit tired. Gibson and Glover mug to the audience, thinking they`re being funny just by being there. It`s self-indugent really. And for my taste, too bloody. Joe Pesci returns with his kvetchy character Leo Getz and a new character is introduced, fellow detective Lee Butters, Chris Rock, whom Murtaugh can`t stand. Too many characters and not enough screenplay for any of them. The screenplay is actually pretty underdeveloped. Richard Donner directed, he`s had plenty of experience with the other three and he does action well. But you can`t get away from the feeling that everyone`s in it for the money, they`re just going through the motions. You sort of hope that Riggs and Murtaugh will feel like retiring real soon.