Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

54% of critics liked it
(63 reviews)
70% of users liked it
(234,536 ratings)

Detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) re-teamed for their fourth foray together in this buddy-cop action comedy series based on characters created by Shane Black. With the passage of years, Murtaugh's daughter Rianne (Traci Wolfe) is now about to upgrade Murtaugh to… More Detectives Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) re-teamed for their fourth foray together in this buddy-cop action comedy series based on characters created by Shane Black. With the passage of years, Murtaugh's daughter Rianne (Traci Wolfe) is now about to upgrade Murtaugh to grandfather status, while Riggs' relationship with internal affairs officer Lorna Cole (Rene Russo) means he'll become a proud papa. Elsewhere on the family front, Chinese triad members in Los Angeles smuggle families from the mainland, but this is only one item on the criminal agenda of triad leader Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li), who executes balletic martial arts maneuvers with blinding speed (fight sequences were staged by Hong Kong director Corey Yuen). The film opens with fire (when Riggs and Murtaugh encounter a flame-thrower in a bulletproof suit) and travels an entertaining popcorn plot path to a frightening, watery climax (which we won't reveal here). In between, Riggs and Murtaugh tackle the troublesome triads with an assist from wickedly witty, sharp-edged newcomer Lee Butters (Chris Rock) and private detective Leo Getz (Joe Pesci), the character first seen as a mob accountant in the second film of this highly popular series. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 7 min.
Directed By: Richard Donner
Written By: Jonathan Lemkin, Channing Gibson
Genres: Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Jul 10, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Jun 5, 2001
Studio: Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

, TIME Magazine
Mindless, sadistic violence juxtaposed with rote sentimentality: this is how Hollywood has finally solved the family-values conundrum, the question of how to entertain the blood- and sex-starved masses and be morally proactive at the same time.
Leonard Klady, Variety
It matters little that the film is rife with non sequiturs, nonsense and nihilistic violence, because its heroes are so darn buoyant and charming.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
One could argue about which Lethal Weapon is the best, but No. 4 is certainly the funniest, warmest and most idiosyncratic.
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
The relationship/humour stuff in Lethal Weapon 4 is pretty much excruciating, mawkish and inane... The second part of Lethal Weapon 044,the action sequences, are much better.
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
There's no plot worth describing, no repartee wittier than 'Oh shut up,' no acting moments that rise above the level of posing.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
Pardon me for having groaned in anticipation of what, in the full perspective-warping heat of the summer movie season, turns out to be one of the nicer blow-'em-ups around.
Elliot Panek, Common Sense Media
Hong Kong action plus buddy cop formula.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Cynical and contemptuous of its audience, this lazy sequel oozes an insufferable air of self-satisfaction.
, Film4
You're best advised to put your head in the sand and avoid all three sequels.
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
a fine ending
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
The very definition of a meaningless, mindless summer sequel.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
The climactic streetfighting clash between Mel and coldly charismatic martial arts star Jet Li is a bone-crunching classic.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
I heard audience members yelling out, 'Rewind it -- I wanna see that again!'
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com
A moderately entertaining entry in an overrated series that sorely lacks the hard-edged toughness director Walter Hill brought to his two superior 48 HRS films.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
Offers absolutely nothing new.
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews
The surreal opening scene, featuring an armor-clad flamethrower-brandishing villain, is a clear indicator that few things in this film should be taken seriously.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
a flaccid, unnecessary wrap-up to a once-glorious series ...
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
No, it's not very exciting. And that's the film's big flaw.
Jeanne Aufmuth, Palo Alto Weekly
Fourth time's the charm for the Lethal Weapon series; I say case closed and let's go out on a high note.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
The bad guy plot is dull and tiresome; the real charm of the film lies in its comedic elements and character relationships.

Read all 22 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jeff "

By the fourth entry in the Lethal Weapons franchise, it's clear that the whole franchise was staying in the toilet, not that I ever truly cared much for the Lethal Weapons. By this time around, the series is so tongue in cheek that its lost it's credibility and it's… More
By the fourth entry in the Lethal Weapons franchise, it's clear that the whole franchise was staying in the toilet, not that I ever truly cared much for the Lethal Weapons. By this time around, the series is so tongue in cheek that its lost it's credibility and it's hard to see it as a solid action film. Some casting decisions are plainly terrible. Joe Pesci and Chris Rock are bad in this, and it's surprising to have Pesci be annoying as hell here because he was terrific in Goodfellas and Raging Bull. Lethal Weapon 4 is one of the worst action films that I've seen. Lethal Weapon 4 is a blunder and doesn't work half the time. The fm is entertaining, but it feels so tonguie in cheek like I said it losses the fire to make it a truly memorable action film. The acting I thought was mediocre and it's not one of the best films with Mel Gibson. For me The Mad Max films and the first Lethal Weapon and Braveheart are his best performances, but in this film he falls flat. The best way to summarize Lethal Weapon 4 is that it's a mediocre fourth film that scraps the bottom of the barrel. The film could have been good, and there was some entertaining parts, but it wasn't enough to redeem the poor final product that is this film.
Conner R

If this truly is the last entry in the series, it was quite the finale. Jet Li is quite possibly the most lethal of all the villains that Riggs and Murtaugh have gone up against and downright evil. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover still have so much chemistry after four movies and feel so… More
If this truly is the last entry in the series, it was quite the finale. Jet Li is quite possibly the most lethal of all the villains that Riggs and Murtaugh have gone up against and downright evil. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover still have so much chemistry after four movies and feel so genuine as best friends and partners. I liked seeing the cast that has grown over the years all brought together for this, it's a great family. The action in this movie continued to follow it's predecessors, being ridiculously cool and realistic at the same time. This one seemed to have the most emotional weight tagged on to it and it would almost be hard not to shed some tears at the end for Leo's frog story.
Chris W

This is an alright movie, but it could have been better. It's obvious that things were losing steam by this point. The stunts and action sequences are well done though, and this does bring a decent close to the story, so that's cool I guess. I did however really like the… More
This is an alright movie, but it could have been better. It's obvious that things were losing steam by this point. The stunts and action sequences are well done though, and this does bring a decent close to the story, so that's cool I guess. I did however really like the humor. It's fun to see Rock and Pesci interact with one another.
Mike S

There's a lot of things to love about the Lethal Weapon movies: the action, the humor, the heart and wonderful characters. The list goes on. But the best thing about them is that they're so consistently good. I don't think I've ever seen a film franchise, where… More
There's a lot of things to love about the Lethal Weapon movies: the action, the humor, the heart and wonderful characters. The list goes on. But the best thing about them is that they're so consistently good. I don't think I've ever seen a film franchise, where each and every sequel maintains the magic of the original. But I guess we owe that to the fact that they all have the same director - namely Richard Donner. A man whose contributions to the action-comedy genre is worthy of great praise. Just too bad his magic died when he entered the 21st century.
Candy R

The final of the lethal weapons stars Jet Li as the bad guy. Chris Rock is also good in this movie. Riggs and Murtaugh investigate a Chinese gangster.
Anthony L

Not as good as the first 3 but still lots of fun and a good send off! It also has some great lines. ?Blow in my fuckin ear?!
Jason O

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.… More
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." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. This or 2 is the best LW. My rankings: LW4, 2, 1, 3
Tsubaki S

A shame to see Jet Li playing the usual stereotype here. Bruce Lee would not be happy at all.
Wildaly M

Only watched this one because of Jet Li. Got some laughs from Rock. Other than that I'm not exactly crazy about these kind of films though I enjoyed the action in this one.
Cassandra M

Well, the script in the film is brilliant. Joe Pesci, as always, makes the crowd laugh until they have tears in their eyes. Just by having Chris Rock in the cast makes the film worthy of watching. Just like the other lethal weapon films, there's the great duo that makes this film… More
Well, the script in the film is brilliant. Joe Pesci, as always, makes the crowd laugh until they have tears in their eyes. Just by having Chris Rock in the cast makes the film worthy of watching. Just like the other lethal weapon films, there's the great duo that makes this film shine, and of course that i am talking about Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. My favorite part of the movie is where Joe Pesci has a little "argument" with Danny Glover, and the constant mistakes by Mel saying the name of Cris Rock's character are hilarious. The roof top jumping and the last fight with Jet Li was also great. So if you haven't seen this, get some some money from your parents and go and rent it!!!
xGary X

Rather better than the dismal third instalment, and Jet Li's star presence is a welcome addition, but we've seen it all before.
Aaron N

Roger Murtaugh: Since I met Riggs, I've had my house destroyed, my car wrecked, and now my BOAT SUNK. What's left? Leo Getz: I think that's about it. The last part of the series, everyone returns and Chris Rock and Jet Li join in. It's hard to say that despite how… More
Roger Murtaugh: Since I met Riggs, I've had my house destroyed, my car wrecked, and now my BOAT SUNK. What's left? Leo Getz: I think that's about it. The last part of the series, everyone returns and Chris Rock and Jet Li join in. It's hard to say that despite how unnecessary this movie is, that it's not enjoyable. No point in watching for story, the movie is built around it's action and comedy scenes, and it does those well. Joe Pesci vs. Chris Rock is a great thing to see. Gibson finally cut his hair. Jet Li is just really mean. Roger Murtaugh: What do we do? Martin Riggs: Run him over. Roger Murtaugh: What if he turns around and shoots us with that assault rifle? Martin Riggs: He HASN'T yet. Have you thought about that? Don't be a don't-be, be a do-be. Come on, Rog, be POSITIVE, now. This a very fun movie to watch. Lee Butters: Somebody took my phone number and called Afghanistan. Afghanistan. I've never talked to anyone in Afghanistan, I don't know nobody in Afghanistan, and even if did know anyone, I wouldn't talk to that Afghan ass for three hours. I won't talk to my daddy for three hours.
Dean !

Probably the best of the series, mixing great stunts, action and humour. Jet Li appears this time to give the buddy cops a real tough time.
Khris N

slowed down - but still good - Jet Li adds the extra slam, Chris Rock gives the extra slang.
Dean M

This is getting more fast, furious and feverishly funny with the return of Riggs and Murtaugh in this final film than <i>Lethal Weapon</i> series.
danny d

great flick, chris rock and joe pesci played off of each other well
Al S

A barrels blazing, fist and feet flying great time. A great action movie that concludes the series nicely. Explosively hilarious and action-packed.
Jason S

A fun way to end the series.
Luke B

Enjoyable action seeing Mel and Glover together again. Some great wit and comedy from Gibson. Jet Li adds an aspect of action and Chris Rock fits well into the cast. Overall pretty much the same, just with more.
Steven V

Better than the 3rd one. This is getting more fast, furious and feverishly funny with the return of Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh in this final film than Lethal Weapon series.