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Lethal Weapon 4
1998 - R - 127 Mins.
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| Director: Richard Donner | | Producer: Joel Silver, Richard Donner | | Written By: Jonathan Lemkin, Channing Gibson, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar | | Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, Jet Li |
| Review by: John Ulmer |
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Lethal Weapon 4 starts out with a boring and ridiculous beginning. I remember watching it the first time and thinking, "oh no, another bad sequel."
However, once past the first ten minutes, the film starts to pick up its pace and retreat into familiar Lethal Weapon style.
Just like film 2 and 3, Lethal Weapon 4 isn't as good as the original, but it never gets to the point of unbearable. It is quite entertaining and fun to watch, with some very great actors, that have some very great chemistry between each other.
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover fit like a glove, and Joe Pesci is perfect as the comedy relief, not being like the recent "side kicks" we always see, that are so obnoxious we want to punch them. Mr. Pesci is a very talented actor, and he always makes me laugh, whether it's Lethal Weapon 4 or Raging Bull and Casino.
Rene Russo provides Mel's love interest yet again, and though I found the marriage thing a bit of a throw-in, it was still good for the story. It provided some laughs at the end of the film.
Chris Rock stars in one role where his character is not completely annoying or loudmouthed, mainly because he wasn't extremely famous yet, and had only been on SNL and a few small roles in film... Joes Pesci and him throw back and forth a few insults and jokes, and bounce off each other, which helps me welcom Rock a bit more.
Jet Li's first American film, I believe, proves he can be a quite and intriguing character, which later helped him get roles in films like Kiss of teh Dragon and The One.
Another thing about this franchise is that director Richard Donner directed all four films, and it's always good to use the original director for a sequel, rather than a lesser director, as we have countless examples of. (especially horror films!)
From the opening jazz music we have come to love, Lethal Weapon provides enough entertainment and fun to keep one entertained, and it's definitely worth watching. I hope they stop while they're ahead, and do not make another Lethal Weapon film, because it's rare for a film series to still be entertaining and imaginitive after these many sequels.
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