MEMORIES:
Mikey remembers...Danny and Mel did it yet again. That should come to no surprise to anyone. I believe this was Jet ... More »
Posted on 02/08/08
CATCH PHRASE:
In January of 1998, just seven months before its advertised release date, the $140 million final chapter in the Lethal Weapon franchise finally began shooting without a written ending. When the production was finished, the editing was done in an astonishing three weeks, resulting in more action, more comedy, and more summer blockbuster dollars. Several actors returned from the first three films: Mel Gibson and Danny Glover returned as the wise-cracking, butt-kicking partners, Riggs and Murtaugh; Joe Pesci as the motor-mouthed Leo Getz; Rene Russo as Rigg’s love interest, Lorna Cole. Adding to the fracas was standup comedian turned actor, Chris Rock as Murtaugh’s secret son-in-law and Jet Li in not only his first American production but also his first role as a villain. For the action sequences, director Richard Donner instructed Jet Li to slow down because his movements were so lightening quick that the camera’s shutter speed couldn’t record them.
The fourth film features as much, if not more, tangential comedy than any of the three previous. Riggs finds himself facing fatherhood as lady love Lorna has become pregnant with his child. Murtaugh, meanwhile, endures the new detective on the block, Lee Butters (Rock), who has secretly married his daughter Rianne. Internal Affairs once again rears its ugly head to query how Roger is so financially secure until it’s revealed that his wife is a famous romance novelist. And of course, Leo Getz “gets” in on the action by becoming a private investigator.
The main plot shows up in the form of an investigation into an illegal Chinese immigrant smuggling ring, which every character manages to probe from different angles. The instigator happens to be Wah Sing Ku (Li), a martial arts master endeavoring to secure the release of four overlords (among them, his own brother) from a Chinese prison using phoney money. When Riggs and Murtaugh spill the news to the Chinese, a small war erupts in which somehow, the cops emerge victorious. But victory has its price, and Wah Sing Ku is not so easily thwarted. With vengeance in his veins, it will take nothing less than a lethal weapon to stop him.
While the fourth film didn’t perform as well at the box office as its previous two predecessors, its overall take of $285 million worldwide is no pushover. Although Lethal Weapon 4 claimed to be the last entry of the franchise, a rumored fifth film has been in the works for some time. Mel Gibson turned down a $30 million offer in 2004, but began speculating in 2006 about a return.
