Lethal Weapon 4 . Tucson Weekly . 07-20-98

Lethal Weapon 4

DIRECTED BY: Richard Donner

REVIEWED: 07-20-98

The idealized masculinity initially presented in the first Lethal Weapon is finally called into question in the fourth installment in the series. This makes for an overall engaging action film, especially as the genre tends most often to present clichéd, unsympathetic, hypermasculine fighting machines. The former polarization of the nihilistic Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) collapses into the middle, resulting in numerous references to the aging bodies of the characters (and, by extension, the actors) and their inability to live up to former expectations of themselves. This reconfiguration of masculinity is perhaps an attempt to update a series which began over a decade ago, though it still offers a rather narrow definition of manhood. The story itself is standard cop-chase-villain fare, largely an excuse to showcase the fine-tuned banter of Riggs and Murtaugh. Rene Russo and Joe Pesci return in supporting roles; and though the addition of Chris Rock is an obvious attempt to attract younger viewers, he's nevertheless enjoyable as Murtaugh's son-in-law. The generic convention of foreign adversaries is forced and outright offensive at times, as the jokes often poke fun at the ethnicity of the Chinese bad guys (to wit, the tired "flied lice" dig). Though we can expect to find such stereotypes in other incarnations of the genre, it appears that this film closes the book on the series as the lethal weapon of the title, Riggs, concludes his inner struggle by becoming a family man.

--Higgins

Full Length Reviews
Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4

Capsule Reviews
Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4

Other Films by Richard Donner
Assassins
Conspiracy Theory

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