Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

With their joints creaking almost as much as the script, this instalment of the franchise sees “Riggs” (Mel Gibson) and “Murtaugh” (Danny Glover) start they way they mean to go on - pyrotechnically! This time, it’s the encroaching Triad gangs from China who are involved in some people smuggling and currency forging that could end up facilitating an all-out war in Chinatown between the menacingly stylish “Wah Sing Ku” (Jet Li) and local mobster “Uncle Benny” (Kim Chan). Just to add to the mayhem, IAD detective “Lorna” (Rene Russo) is about to have a baby (with “Riggs”); his partner is soon to be a grandfather courtesy of his daughter and another fellow cop, “Butters” (Chris Rock) and then there is the wacky “Leo” (Joe Pesci) whose words of wisdom and frenetic techniques have to be heard/seen to be believed. “Murtaugh” takes pity on the recently arrived “Hong” family and sufficiently narks the Triad so they invade and set fire to his home. He and “Riggs” only just manage to save the family and now the battle lines are drawn. Chris Rock and Joe Pesci just annoyed me from start to finish, but there is compensating chemistry from Gibson and Glover who know each other inside out by now and this features one of the most entertaining car chases cinema has ever produced. I hope the city had a great deal of insurance! It’s quickly paced and the writing, though heavily laden with unnecessary expletives, does deliver some pithy one liners, especially for Gibson, as it heads towards it’s lively denouement with bullets and fists flying all over the place as yet more concrete crumbles. It’s a formula that has worked well until now, pitching two charismatic actors into frying pan and fire environments with little jeopardy but enough humour. Perhaps that emphasis ought not be on enough now, and they should all retire to Palm Springs, rear frogs and leave us to recall this duo in their heyday?