Well here ya go, another disappointed review of the fourth chapter of the Lethal Weapon franchise. Why only one review? Well truth be told I have received about 5 or so sterlingly positive reviews. Why do you not see them? Well first off all 5 come from anonymous mail servers, they are all written in sound byte-ese. None of the reviews had misspelled words or punctuation. In fact they were perfect reviews. Then I got a tip from a source inside Warner Brothers saying that I might be getting some falsely positive Lethal Weapon reviews... Hmmmmmm... Ya know that last Lethal Weapon review, the glowingly positive review seemed a bit fishy too. And I had one email tell me that came from Warner publicity. And some of those reviews I've read at Dark Horizons seem fishy too. So, is Warner Brothers mounting a campaign to falsify positive reviews? I don't know, this has happened before, way back with Alien Resurrection (hey what is it with 4th in series?) All I know, is if the publicity department of a studio has so little confidence in the product that they feel the need to manufacture reviews... well... the film might not be that great. I guess on Lethal 4, I'll just have to wait for regulars like my man in black below. He's reviewed under many names and Grendel might as well be another... Warning there are spoilers below...
Attended the "Lethal Weapon 4" press screening Thurs. night on the Warner Bros. Studio Lot along with a packed house of "civilians" and the usual suspects from the journalism world. On hand to introduce the film were executive producers, Joel Silver and Richard Donner who brought out a very funny, but very "potty" mouthed Chris Rock who let more than a few "F" words fly and Chinese film star/martial arts expert Jet Li, who portrays the villain in this fourth installment of the "Lethal" franchise.
The first five minutes are quite an attention grabber as Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and Riggs (Mel Gibson) battle a nutjob dressed in full body armor with a giant blowtorch, arbitrarily setting buildings and cars ablaze while shooting indiscriminately at everyone and everything. No doubt a take-off on last year’s North Hollywood bank robbery shootout. Murtaugh and Riggs dodge a "gazillion" bullets and a few explosions without so much as a scratch and of course safe the day, but not before each revealing to the other, a secret they were supposed to keep to themselves. Riggs is going to be a daddy (courtesy live-in lover Rene Russo who we were introduced to in "Lethal 3"), and Murtaugh is going to be a granddaddy (courtesy of his un-wed daughter who has yet to reveal the identity of the baby’s father).
Fast forward almost 9 months later to a late night fishing trip were Riggs, Murtaugh and our favorite annoyance, informant turned private eye, Leo (Joe Pesci) inadvertently stumble upon a Chinese tanker involved in the smuggling of illegal immigrants. As they begin their investigation, Riggs and Murtaugh are promoted to higher ranking desk jobs in an effort to keep them off the streets and out of trouble and the city safe from the destruction that seems to follow them around. Detective Butters (Chris Rock) is very funny as an over-the-top, too eager to please cop who kisses up to Murtaugh because he is the father of Murtaugh’s grandchild and has secretly wed his daughter, information that that Murtaugh has yet to be let in on. Riggs, Murtaugh and Butters re-open their investigation of a Chinese crime lord they believe to be involved in the smuggling ring, only to stumble upon a much, much bigger operation and a much more menacing villain. Jet Li, having long been a box office superstar in his native country, China, plays a very frightening and formidable nemesis with martial arts moves like I’ve never seen and one of those piercing looks that make bad guys so scary.
I probably don’t need to tell you the rest of the movie. As you’d probably expect there are a lot of brawls, car chases, explosions, mass destruction and other action scenes and of course, after being beaten to almost an inch of their lives, Riggs and Murtaugh defeat the bad guys, all the while keeping their sardonic sense of humor.
While I have to admit, the action scenes held my attention, the movie as a whole fell flat and the dialogue at times was just pitiful. There were some clever moments and repartee, most to the credit of Chris Rock, but Joe Pesci and Rene Russo were given very little to work with and the plot, well, it just didn’t work. For those of the squeamish at heart or considering bringing children, take note that of all the "Lethal’s" this was certainly the most violent. Worst of all was the schmaltzy ending which was intended to be cute but was very out of place.
Moviegoers unfamiliar with any of the other installments, will probably enjoy "Lethal 4" on pure adrenaline alone. But for those of us who remember one and two (let’s not even discuss 3 as I’d rather forget it), "Lethal 4" pales in comparison and is definitely a rental. I am not alone in this opinion. Numerous negative comments from journalists and "civilians" alike were overheard on the way out. But perhaps most telling of all was the guy next to me who when I asked what he thought, out of respect for our WB "hosts" and well aware that you never know whois standing behind you, paused and said, "I’ll tell you when we get off the lot."
That's all for now.
