Product Details

• Actors: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock
• Directors: Richard Donner
• Writers: Alfred Gough, Channing Gibson, Jonathan Lemkin, Miles Millar, Shane Black
• Producers: Dan Cracchiolo, Ilyse A. Reutlinger
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Run Time: 127 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (203 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0790738953
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,534 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  #3 in	Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Series & Sequels > Lethal Weapon
  #7 in	Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Action Directors > Richard Donner
  #14 in	Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Action Stars > Jet Li

• For more information about "Lethal Weapon 4" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 4 in The Lethal Weapon Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In the fourth and reportedly final film of the Lethal Weapon series, director Richard Donner reunites with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, who reprise their roles as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh for one last hurrah in a film that is decidedly better than the third and first chapters. This time the pair are pitted against Jet Li, who plays the leader of a Chinese organized crime unit. Li, a veteran of hundreds of Hong Kong action films, more than holds his own against the more established team of Gibson, Glover, Renee Russo, and Joe Pesci with his subtle yet strong portrayal of the quietly irrepressible Wah Sing Ku. As always with the Lethal series, the plot is incredibly simple to follow: someone steals something, someone gets killed, and Murtaugh is reluctantly thrown into the mix while Riggs dives into the case with gleeful aplomb. As with the previous movies, we watch for the sheer action and chemistry alone. The action sequences throughout the fourth installment are exquisite, from the opening scene involving a flamethrower, a burning building, and a half-naked Murtaugh strutting like a chicken (don't ask, just watch), to the climactic showdown that pays genuine tribute to Jet Li's masterful martial art skills. As for chemistry, the bond between these characters is so strong by now that you sometimes feel like you're watching a TV series in its sixth season, such is the warm familiarity between the audience and the personalities on the screen. The humor is more fluid than ever, aided immeasurably by the casting of comedian Chris Rock, who like Li does a great job of making his presence known in some memorable verbal tirades that would bring a smile out of the Farrelly brothers. But it's the verbal and emotional jousting between Glover and Gibson that makes this fourth episode especially appealing; both are in peak form with great physical and verbal timing. One can only hope that if this is indeed the last of the Lethal films, that it won't be the last time we see Glover and Gibson together on screen. --Jeremy Storey

Product Description

This sequel involves an action packed battle with a Chinese ganglord.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Lethal" Action, Better Than Ever, December 1, 2000

By	Reviewer - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

An explosive beginning once again kicks off the action for our favorite team of Los Angeles Detectives, Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, in Richard Donner's "Lethal Weapon 4," starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. In this fourth installment of the popular action/drama series, the pair are confronted with a murderous Chinese Triad with links to Hong Kong, that deals in counterfeiting and the smuggling of illegals into the country, where their new lives become nothing more than virtual slavery. It's a subject that touches a nerve with Murtaugh (Glover), which brings about an irrational decision when he thinks he can help. But not to worry; Riggs (Gibson) is there to back him up, and together they take on one of their most formidable opponents yet, Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li), head of the Triad, who happens to be in the process of discharging a personal agenda from which he will not be deterred. And making matters all the more complicated, Riggs and Murtaugh each have personal issues of their own to deal with: Murtaugh with his daughter, Rianne (Traci Wolfe), and Riggs with Lorna Cole (Rene Russo), the first woman with whom he's had a long standing relationship since the death of his wife. With three highly successful "Lethal" outings under their belts, it would have been easy for director Donner and his stars to phone this one in, make a few bucks and move on. But not these guys; Refusing to rest on their laurels, they deliver yet another exceptional, action-packed movie that maintains the quality and consistency of the first three. Gibson and Glover manage to take their characters to yet another level, keeping it all fresh and refusing to cruise through the comfort zone on auto pilot. Russo, as well, turns in another winning performance; she and Gibson really click together, rivaling the kind of chemistry Bogie and Bacall brought to the screen. Their relationship is extremely well developed and handled with skill by Donner, as is the entire story; it all moves ahead quickly and is never allowed to slow down or meander, which keeps the emotional level and tension high throughout the film. The action is possibly the best of any of the series, with some sequences so good they deserve comparison to John Woo's best. Jet Li is absolutely dynamic, and brings a real sense of menace to his character of Ku. For the first time, you get the feeling that Riggs and Murtaugh may be up against more than they can handle by themselves. And even with all this series has going for it already, in this one they manage to introduce yet another character that adds even more to their formula for success: Chris Rock joins the team as Lee Butters, the next generation of law enforcement, an officer with a degree in psychology. He adds some humor to the proceedings, but more than that, he makes Butters likable and seems to have an immediate grasp of who he is and where he fits in. And fit in well he does, essentially becoming the third member of the team. Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) is back as well, this time as a private investigator still trying his best to ingratiate himself with his friends, Riggs and Murtaugh. Interestingly enough, one of the more touching scenes in the film (near the end) develops during a conversation between Getz and Riggs, one that offers the audience (as well as Riggs) some insight into what makes Getz tick. The supporting cast includes Steve Kahan (Capt. Murphy), Darlene Love (Trish), Eddy Ko (Hong) and Mary Ellen Trainor, reprising her role of Police Psychiatrist Dr. Stephanie Woods for the fourth time. Working from another exceptionally well written script (this time by Channing Gibson), Donner and Company have scored yet another triumph with "Lethal Weapon 4," which can stand on it's own, or as a part of one of the best action/drama series ever made. Which one of the four is the best? Toss a coin; these are movies the way they ought to be made.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie to end the series, September 9, 2000

By	retrowens (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Lethal Weapon 4 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I like all the Lethal Weapon movies, and this one is no exception. I don't see why anybody wouldn't like "Lethal Weapon 4" because it's everything most people would expect it to be. It has a lot of fast paced action, good special effects, and a lot of laughs. What made "Lethal Weapon 4" one of the best two of the series in my opinion is the comedy that's in the movie. Without a doubt, it has more comedy in it than the other three movies in the series by far. Some of the funniest parts are when Joe Pesci makes friends with a shark, and the laughing gas scene at the dentist's office. Like always, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover put on great performances, and Joe Pesci is hilarious. I'm not crazy about Chris Rock's stand up comedy show, but he was actually pretty good in this movie. Jet-Li also shows off some of his awesome fighting moves at times in the movie.

If you like movies with a lot of action and a lot of comedy, I recommend getting "Lethal Weapon 4."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very good,but flawed in several areas, December 16, 2006

By	Some Gravity (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lethal Weapon 4 [VHS] (VHS Tape)

3 1/2 stars.

Being a huge fan of both comedy and action films,I love seeing films that have both action and comedy in them being made and released. And despite how dark the first "Lethal Weapon" film was,the humor in LW2 and LW3 alllowed the idea of the fourth LW film being an action/comedy film to be a great idea. Not only was the idea to bring back Mel Gibson,Danny Glover,Joe Pesci,and Rene Russo for what has become the last LW film a excellent,the addition of Chris Rock was both smart and creative,while it was a pretty cool idea at the same time. Having Jet Li play the villian here was a nice touch,especially since Li now shares the honor with Gary Busey of being one of the two famous actors who share the honor of being one of the only two famous actors playing lead villains out of the LW series,for the LW film that Busey was in (LW1),and for the LW film that Li is in (LW4).

The story is well developed,and is sort of a direct follow-up to the first LW film,with leftovers and flashback information from both LW2 and LW3. A combination of the story for the first LW film and the story for the second LW film,this film finds Mel Gibson reprising his role as Martin Riggs,and Danny Glover reprising his role as Roger Murtaugh. In this installment of the LW films,not only do you find both Riggs and Murtaugh going through personal struggles in their own lives (Riggs being engaged to Rene Russo's character of Lorna Cole and Cole being pregnant,with Riggs not feeling like the time is right for him to be a father,while you find Murtaugh being worried about his daughter Rianne making him a grandfather,and what resulted in Rianne doing just that for Murtaugh),they have another tough assignment to deal with. That tough assignment is to bring down a murderous Chinese group by the name of The Triads,lead by a man named Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li's character)who bring illegal Chinese immigrants into America to begin new lives under slavery.
This becomes difficult for Riggs and Murtaugh not only because of the level of the assignment,but also due to Riggs and Murtaugh being so busy in their own lives during this period of time,and an official new member to their "team" of Riggs,Murtaugh,and Joe Pesci's Leo Getz. That official new member turns out to be a younger and more recent officer of the LAPD,Detective Lee Butters (Chris Rock),who finds himself having problems with Murtaugh that,once you discover them,will make you laugh and realize how far the producers of this movie expanded the first three LW films for this film itself.

As I already said,this movie is very good,but flawed in some areas,so let me address all of that. While it was nice to see Richard Donner and the producers of this film turn this film into an action/comedy with LW2,LW3,and even some of LW1 having signs of comedy to them,a problem results in this script due to that. The humor in this film works,but is usually tied into the movie story and results in less action,something that hurts this film a little bit. Don't get me wrong--the jokes here are good,but are still nowhere close to Chris Rock's humor outside of this film and Joe Pesci's humor in the first two "Home Alone" films. Also,the action in here is the weakest out of all of the action scenes from the first three LW films. This time,the action here is more martial arts than the original style of action from the first three LW films,making the movie a little bit hard to follow and deteriorating it from some--but not all--of its potential. For the last LW film,you would surely think that the action would be more real and more towards the style of the action that was used in the first three LW films--something that every film needs for its sequels.

There are some really good scenes in this movie though,which pulls this movie off. Not only do Mel Gibson and Danny Glover do a good job at bringing out the original personalities of Riggs and Murtaugh in this movie (a good sign,considering the fact that Gibson and Glover were a lot younger when they made the first three LW films,compared to Gibson and Glover both getting older during LW4's filming),Chris Rock is a good supplement to Gibson,Glover,and Joe Pesci. Rock being in this film allows this film to have more chemistry and humor in it,which works on behalf of Rock's scenes with not only Joe Pesci,but also the scenes that find how Rock's character of Butters is like around Murtaugh and to see how Butters,Riggs,Murtaugh,and Getz all work together as a team in this movie.
There is also a lot of energy that is brought out in this movie,which keeps it on a somewhat similiar level that the first three LW films were set on. The drama here,which is brought out very well by the script (most notably the graveyard scene with Gibson and Pesci at the end of the movie),does a good job at letting the producers of this movie make it more serious and more funny then the previous LW films,at the same time.

The "Behind The Scenes" feauture that appears at the end of this VHS is good,and a good substitute for the fact that as of this writing,LW4 has not been issued as a director's cut (something that the first three LW films got). It is also worth adding that a lot of good music from older bands/musicians (Van Halen,Eric Clapton,etc.)appear here,and prove themselves to be excellent supplements to this movie.

Overall,while this film could have been better,it still does a good job at living up to the standards that it was intended for,and is worth watching after you have watched LW1,LW2,and LW3 in order. Hopefully,this will be issued as a director's cut like the other three LW films were. I would say that this film does a good,worthwhile,and interesting way and job at ending the series of "Lethal Weapon" films.