Lethal Weapon 4

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Lethal Weapon 4

R

1998

2h 7m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

54%

Tomatometer

69 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Detective Riggs (Mel Gibson) tries to settle down with his pregnant girlfriend, Lorna (Rene Russo), while his partner, Murtaugh (Danny Glover), comes to grips with the marriage of his pregnant daughter, Rianne (Traci Wolfe), to fellow cop Butters (Chris Rock). But they find themselves and their families targeted by Chinese mobsters, led by Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li). Riggs, Murtaugh, Butters and private eye Getz (Joe Pesci) decide to go on the offensive before the gangsters get to their loved ones.

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Critics Consensus

Jet Li's arrival breathes fresh life into a tired franchise formula -- but not enough to put Lethal Weapon 4 on equal footing with its predecessors.

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TIME Magazine

08/25/2008

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.

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Leonard Klady

Variety

08/25/2008

It matters little that the film is rife with non sequiturs, nonsense and nihilistic violence, because its heroes are so darn buoyant and charming.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

06/24/2006

The climactic streetfighting clash between Mel and coldly charismatic martial arts star Jet Li is a bone-crunching classic.

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Don Shanahan

Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast

Jan 13

Jet Li, in his American introduction for many, adds imposing clout and an entirely new threat than any of the previous films. Leave it to Chris Rock to steal his scenes too.

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

Sep 19

3/5

Otherwise it's business as usual, with director Richard Donner laying on the requisite destruction as Gibson and Glover track down a ruthless Triad gang that specialises in smuggling immigrants.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

09/14/2020

8/10

An outstanding finale to the series, proving that some forms of overkill never get too old.

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Kauã M

@KauaMiguel May 14

To be repetitive about this franchise, the dynamic here remains fantastic and very funny, marking the disappearance of the classic mullet and with a finishing touch that I quite like, even if it's not the best in the franchise; here they still know how to use the formula that has always worked.

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Laurian D

@Laurian Jan 2

Terribly underrated action movie. Boy, are the critics wrong about this one! Definitely watch it.

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D.A. P

@Archives1987 Oct 19

Lethal Weapon 4 is one of the best classic action movies of the 1990's that I have ever seen. The plot is great, the characters are favorites returning to their beloved roles and it was before Hollywood was rocked with scandals out the wazoo. This movie has everything that a classic action movie should have to make it really good and it does. 4.5 out of 5 stars- I definitely recommend this movie to those who have not seen it- it will be worth your while.

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Cody W.

@Cwalton1994 Jul 15

The action and suspense in LETHAL WEAPON 4 is definitely first rate, and the entire cast and crew literally brought their A game on this one, but it is Chris Rock’s outrageous sense of humor that steals the show.

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THE NASHVILLE I

@Nshvlleindie 06/12/2025

As someone who crushes sequels…LW4 is not only the best in the series, but it’s a tremendous stand-lone flick. The cast and director understand you cant throttle an audience to death with action, and you cant crack jokes so much that nobody takes it seriously. This is a perfect balance. Somewhat lost to history…this is fortunately not a movie that requires the first 3.

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Eye C

@ECinc 04/20/2025

This is my comfort saga, all four of them are the greatest buddy cop movies of all time, and in this one that sense of family in an action cop movie is heartwarming, that scene with Riggs and Leo in the graveyard… ufff makes my eyes watering. Love them all.

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Richard Donner

Director

Mel Gibson

Martin Riggs

Danny Glover

Roger Murtaugh

Joe Pesci

Leo Getz

Rene Russo

Lorna Cole

Chris Rock

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Synopsis

Detective Riggs (Mel Gibson) tries to settle down with his pregnant girlfriend, Lorna (Rene Russo), while his partner, Murtaugh (Danny Glover), comes to grips with the marriage of his pregnant daughter, Rianne (Traci Wolfe), to fellow cop Butters (Chris Rock). But they find themselves and their families targeted by Chinese mobsters, led by Wah Sing Ku (Jet Li). Riggs, Murtaugh, Butters and private eye Getz (Joe Pesci) decide to go on the offensive before the gangsters get to their loved ones.

Director: Richard Donner
Producer: Joel Silver, Richard Donner
Screenwriter: Shane Black, Jonathan Lemkin, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Channing Gibson
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Production Co: Silver Pictures, Donner/Schuler-Donner, Warner Brothers
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 10, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $129.8M
Runtime: 2h 7m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)