Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
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Two veteran police officers must navigate a complex web of Chinese Triad crime and human trafficking while dealing with personal family secrets.
The story
LAPD Sergeants Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh, along with Leo Getz, uncover a Chinese immigrant smuggling ring after an oceangoing vessel runs aground. While Murtaugh offers shelter to a family seeking to avoid deportation, Riggs discovers a secret regarding his partner's daughter's pregnancy. The investigation leads the officers into the dangerous world of the Triads, specifically a crime boss operating out of a Chinatown restaurant. As the officers attempt to dismantle the smuggling operation, they find themselves caught in a violent conflict involving high-ranking Triad negotiators and a corrupt Chinese general.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Lorna Cole is pregnant with Sergeant Martin Riggs's baby, while Murtaugh's daughter Rianne is also pregnant by Detective Lee Butters, a secret the family hides from Murtaugh. The officers and Leo Getz discover a Chinese smuggling ring and Murtaugh takes in the Hong family to protect them from deportation. The investigation leads them to 'Uncle' Benny Chan and Triad negotiator Wah Sing Ku. After a confrontation at a Chinatown restaurant, the Triads kidnap the Hongs and set Murtaugh's house on fire, though Ping helps the group escape. Ku later kills the Hong family to ensure their uncle continues a counterfeiting operation. The officers interrogate Chan and learn that Ku is negotiating with a corrupt Chinese general to release the 'Four Fathers.' During a final confrontation at a warehouse, a massive firefight breaks out between the Triads, the general's army, and the police. The general executes the Four Fathers before being killed by the Triads. Murtaugh kills Ku's brother, and Riggs engages Ku in a brutal fistfight on a pier, eventually killing him. The film ends with Riggs and Lorna symbolically marrying before she gives birth to their son, while Murtaugh accepts Butters as his son-in-law.
- First release year
- 1998
- Runtime (minutes)
- 127
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Richard Donner
- Writers
- Channing Gibson · screenplay; Jonathan Lemkin · story; Alfred Gough · story; Miles Millar · story
- Cast and characters
- Mel Gibson · Riggs; Danny Glover · Murtaugh; Joe Pesci · Lee Butters; Rene Russo · Lorna Cole; Chris Rock · Leo Getz; Jet Li · null
- Genres
- action; comedy; thriller
- Themes
- Family; Immigration; Loyalty
- Tone and mood
- Action-packed; Comedy; Violent
- Premise and plot tags
- Buddy Cop; Crime; Action; Human Trafficking
- Franchise connections
- Lethal Weapon
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was not considered a runaway financial success compared to its predecessors, though it was among the top ten grossing films of its release year.
- Awards and nominations
- Razzie Award · Worst Supporting Actor · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was the most expensive entry in the Lethal Weapon series.; The character Lee Butters was originally written to be a homosexual detective.; The film's music was composed by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton, and David Sanborn.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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