Date: Fri 02-Oct-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: SHIRLE

Quick Words:

Playing-Lethal-Weapon-Gibson

Full Text:

NOW PLAYING: It's Time To Close the `Lethal Weapon' Deal

By Trey Paul Alexander III

Alright, already! Enough is enough! At least that's how I felt about Lethal

Weapon 3, the type of sellout, travesty of a film that gives sequels a bad

name. Although the movie introduced the welcome Rene Russo into the macho male

mix of Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and Joe Pesci, it was an otherwise negligible

offering that sullied the edgier thrills of the original film and the broader

actions canvas of the second. After feeling burned by Lethal Weapon 3, there

was no way I could get excited about a fourth outing in this very tired

franchise.

Nevertheless, along came summer '98, a tidal wave of movies whose combined

box-office numbers broke records, and among the legion of films that washed up

on the season's shore was Lethal Weapon 4, which is currently playing at

Newtown's Edmond Town Hall theater. Another Lethal Weapon film... oh, joy.

I have nothing against sequels, per se. I've seen every Star Trek film and

will stand in line for the ninth (!!!) in December; I'm biting my nails in

anticipation of the next Star Wars movie due next May; I'm hoping that

Harrison Ford decides to do another Indiana Jones adventure; and I see no

problem with James Bond prospering in a franchise whose number of films more

than double his 007.

But the problem with the Lethal Weapon films is they've become a caricature of

what the first film examined rather seriously by comparison -- what happens

when Roger Murtaugh (Glover), a veteran, family man cop, teams with Martin

Riggs (Gibson), an unstable, loner detective. They've become nothing more than

violent cartoons featuring characters (no matter how likable the actors

playing them) who grow increasingly irritating due to their decibel-breaking

and monotonous bickering.

For Lethal Weapon 4, director Richard Donner (the helmsman of all four films)

continues to build his motley crew by adding Chris Rock to the mix. Rock plays

a ranting cop whose name the detectives can't remember and for some reason

always finds occasion to constantly fawn over Murtaugh. Pesci is back in the

mix as Leo Getz, now a private investigator, and Russo returns once again to

play with the boys as internal affairs officer Lorna Cole, who continues her

relationship with Riggs.

The plot of Lethal Weapon 4 centers around Riggs and Murtaugh and their

increased awareness of how age is catching up to them. (Haven't they been

battling this issue since the second film?) Although they're slowing down, the

duo continues to be front stage and center in explosive, destructive conflicts

that cost the city a fortune, thus forcing their reluctant captain to promote

them in order to keep them off the streets. Their new posts bring them into a

contact with Chinese gangsters and a ring of immigrant smuggling and

counterfeiting that draws them into the sights of an aggressive, young warlord

(Jet Li).

Although Lethal Weapon 4 is business as usual for the most part, Hong Kong

martial arts star Li is the real deal and is mesmerizing to watch. He is a

charismatic presence and a truly formidable villain, thus upping the ante a

bit in this installment. Donner and his technical crew stage plenty of

intricately choreographed action sequences, but it's the lethal hand-to-hand

style of Li that leaves the most impact. Both the character and the actor are

not to be underestimated.

Lethal Weapon 4 is rated R for an abundance of foul language and the usual

mayhem and violence. To the filmmakers' credit, it tries a lot harder than the

last movie, and ultimately is better than its predecessor. But that's faint

credit, and despite the goodwill generated by actors who obviously enjoy

making these movies, it's time to hang up this franchise before someone's

reputation gets hurt.