The Lethal Weapon Masterclass - Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)

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This September is Masterclass month at Catching Up On Cinema!

September is the anniversary month of Catching Up On Cinema, and this year we're celebrating the completion of 5 years of weekly podcasting.

For this year's Masterclass, Trevor and Kyle will be reviewing all 4 films in Richard Donner's Lethal Weapon series of films.

This week, Trevor review the last in the series, Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)!

After the massive box office success of Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), the series would go on extended hiatus for the first and only time in the history of the franchise, with the series finale, Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) not arriving in theaters until July of '98.

Historically known to be a somewhat troubled, and extraordinarily rushed production, Lethal Weapon 4 is a cluttered, but confidently constructed and agile film that skillfully allocates its screen time to giving series fans their money's worth.

Much like LW2 and 3, LW4 leans heavily on improvisation, with much of the cast apparently riffing and playing off of Richard Donner's various on-set prompts, though to the credit of the actors and the army of overworked writer's that apparently rewrote the script on the daily, the material feels tighter, more heartfelt, and ultimately more fun than in the previous film.

Featuring the most impressive and crisply executed fight choreography and stunt work in the history of the franchise, the film features Jet Li (in a rare villainous turn) in his Hollywood film debut as Wah Sing Ku, as well as host of familiar Asian American stunt and acting talent, with many scenes partially choreographed by Hong Kong legend, Corey Yuen.

As was the case with the transition from Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) to Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Lethal Weapon 4 swaps cinematographer's, this time trading out Jan de Bont, for Andrzej Bartowiak, who had served as de Bont's DP on his feature film debut, Speed (1994), and would go on to direct films himself, many of which featured Jet Li.

In addition to the aforementioned Jet Li as the chief antagonist, Wah Sing Ku, LW4 also introduces Chris Rock as Lee Butters, comedic foil for Joe Pesci's returning Leo Getz, and son-in-law to Danny Glover's Roger Murtaugh.

Frequently hilarious, and featuring far and away the most energetic, violent, and dynamic action in the series, Lethal Weapon 4 is an excellent sequel, and an exceptional and heartfelt finale to a remarkable franchise.

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