Still Shooting
Lethal Franchise Tries One More Time

When a movie has a sequel, something strange occurs. For some reason, the studio which owns the series becomes convinced that if one sequel is good, two would be better. After that, the movie franchise takes on a life of its own, as if the fact that it is lodged in the public subconscious gives them the right to continue making movies ad infinitum. Sometimes (i.e. James Bond movies) it works. Most of the time, it doesn't.

Lethal Weapon 4 falls somewhere in the middle. For fans of the series, it reunites some memorable characters and throws them into familiar situations. While the story seems hopelessly contrived at times, it allows for some great humor and banter between the cast members.

In this installment, Sgts. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) are starting to feel their respective ages. Martin's love interest from Lethal Weapon 3, Lorna Cole (Rene Russo), is pregnant with his child. Likewise, Roger finds out that he is going to be a grandfather.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Lethal Weapon movie if there wasn't some sort of action. True to form, trouble has no problem finding Riggs and Murtaugh when a cargo ship filled with illegal immigrants from China runs aground off the coast of Los Angeles. In an effort to track down the source of the immigrant smuggling operation, Riggs and Murtaugh must take on an enigmatic Chinatown heavy named "Uncle Benny." Little do they realize, there is more at stake than illegal immigration.

Through it all, there is a lot of action including gun fights, a chase scene across the rooftops of Chinatown, and a car chase that leads -- well, you have to see it to understand. Adding to the action is the Hong Kong star Jet Li, who plays an assassin working with Uncle Benny. Since I am a big fan of martial arts action, these scenes gave me the biggest thrill. Li's moves were more artistic than any car chase or explosion could ever be.

Joe Pesci reappears as everyone's favorite whining toady, Leo Getz, who has given up his former life in crime and is now a private detective. Chris Rock (one of the animal voices in the Eddie Murphy hit Dr. Dolittle) is introduced as Lee Butters, one of the young detectives in the precinct, who appears to be falling over backwards to get into Murtaugh's good graces.

Unfortunately, with a bloated cast, some of the characters get little screen time. Russo is wasted in the movie, and it's a wonder they used her at all. Pesci is demoted to second funny man with the spotlight clearly shining on newcomer Rock. Even the storyline gets bogged down with one too many plot lines to follow. A secondary storyline regarding Murtaugh being under investigation by Internal Affairs is poorly handled.

Ultimately, Lethal Weapon 4 has little to offer other than a rehash of the characters which have been introduced over the past three movies. The story, no doubt pulled from the action film slush pile at Warner Bros., is so generic it is a wonder they even thought to tie it to this series. If you're not a fan of the series, I'd advise you to lower your expectations before going.

Lethal Weapon 4 is rated R for violence and adult language. It's not a movie for kids, but adults who want simple action and humor will enjoy it.

MY RATING: 5 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 125 min.