“This film takes the best of both worlds and creates a solid entry all around that is funny, has a lot of character development moments that honestly shine, some heart-throbbing action moments, and really, just a perfect series ender for the franchise.”
It’s been a wild journey traversing through each and every single adventure alongside Riggs, Murtaugh, and Leo Getz. I last watched all four of these films a little over a decade ago when I last reviewed them, and those written reviews were all technically rewatches... meaning this is the third time I’ve gone through these films. I’m a little disappointed in myself because, for the most part, they all felt like completely fresh, first-time watches. I had forgotten about so many things that happened in each and every single one of these films... yet, there was always one or two main things that I remembered from each franchise entry.
The first movie was more about the introductions of these characters and especially how crazy Riggs was. The second movie introduced you to the dislocating shoulder and, of course, the diplomatic immunity gag. The third movie is the most forgettable out of every film in the series, but it had a few fantastic action set pieces and jokes that land pretty well, as well as Murtaugh having, most likely, his strongest performance after killing his son’s friend in the line of duty.
This fourth film also has a few memorable things going on.
First and foremost, my man Jet Li. This movie came out slightly before Jet Li became a lot bigger in the U.S., but he still is kicking some major tail. Even though it’s laughable to think either Mel Gibson or Danny Glover... or both of them... could remotely take on Jet Li in his prime, I’ll forgive it given how absolutely memorable and iconic his presence is in the film. I would go as far as to say I believe his character is the best villain of the franchise. Not only just because it’s Jet Li and he’s doing kung fu, but really... the story is the strongest and most original out of all four films. You have smuggling Chinese into America, and you don’t know why at first, but it has something to do with counterfeit money and bribing someone to break some terrorists out of prison. It’s hard to lay out how it all fits together because you don’t really learn what’s actually happening until much later in the film, but trust me, it was actually some smart writing.
The second biggest memorable aspect of the film is this highway car chase later in the movie where Mel Gibson ends up on an overturned table that’s being dragged down the road, and he’s clinging on for dear life. While you can tell that a stunt performer is doing the brunt of this, and you know Tom Cruise would have volunteered to do it for real, it’s still a very cool scene. Most importantly, it goes on for a good while. Logically, you have to wonder why the driver didn’t slow down. There’s no way he or she had no idea they were dragging a guy on a table for a few miles... not a chance. However, it looks cool and was super tense.
One of the best aspects of the film, though, is that I would call this entire thing the best of both worlds. There have been some great moments in this franchise and some weak sauce moments as well. This film takes the best of both worlds and creates a solid entry all around that is funny, has a lot of character development moments that honestly shine, some heart-throbbing action moments, and really... just a perfect series ender for the franchise.
Do I have any negatives? I do. Mel Gibson, for the first time in the franchise... cut his hair. You can make fun of that mullet all you want, and I sure have as well... but it’s a part of his character. An extension. Without the hair, he’s just Mel Gibson, and you can tell when you watch it what I’m talking about. This is especially true given the fact that his character has grown throughout the franchise. There has been character development... he’s less crazy, he’s a lot more down to earth, and he just seems like Mel Gibson, not Riggs anymore. Character development, of course, is a great thing for a film series to have. It’s what you want, but I almost want to say they gave him too much development to the point where they made him transform into Mel Gibson, and all of what made Riggs so unique and different is entirely gone.
It’s not the end of the world, though, as his chemistry with Glover is fantastic. Leo Getz back in the middle of everything is hysterical. He keeps changing jobs: 2nd movie he was in witness protection, 3rd movie he was a real estate agent, 4th movie he’s a private investigator. It is always changing and I love it. Chris Rock is in the film as well, and these four stooges together... I don’t know what it is, but it’s fantastic.
This might actually be my favorite movie in the series, and you know what? My end score reflects that.
Unbiased/Technical Score: 42/50 (84%)
Biased/Entertainment Score: 46/50 (92%)
Total/Combined Score: 88/100 (88% or 4.5/5 on Letterboxd)