LETHAL WEAPON 4

Directed by Richard Donner

Starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover

Don't ever throw a handgun overboard, because as soon as it sinks, you're going to need it.

That's all the lessons you'll learn in yet the latest Lethal Weapon, and all you'll need to know. Fourth in a chain, this movie is lightweight and lighthearted, out not to change but to entertain the world and doing a fine job of it.

After a quick action sequence and a bit of exposition, the meat of the movie begins with Los Angeles Police Department vets Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) horsing around on Murtaugh's boat with their Leodmouth near-friend Leo Getz (Joe Pesci). Not 10 seconds after Riggs lobs Leo's pistol into the waves in jest, a massive freighter narrowly misses the puny fishing boat. Murtaugh and Riggs lose no time; a speedy flash of badge (very impressive from a distance, no doubt), leads the two cops, with minimal aid from Leo, to a shootout that eliminates the ship's crew and uncovers legions of illegal Chinese immigrants in the ship's hold.

As usual, partners Riggs and Murtaugh have found themselves a few nefarious bad guys. Dogged investigation and Murtaugh's offer of shelter to a few of the refugees mire the duo and their families deep in the machinations of the fearsome Chinese Triad gang. Busting the Triad's multifaceted criminal empire proves to be a tall order for the aging cops, who turn an old catch phrase of Murtaugh's into a new mantra now that running and fighting are taking a heavy toll on wellworn joints: "We're not too old for this shit!"

The devious Triad crime that challenges Murtaugh and Riggs so is, happily, exceptionally amenable to pyrotechnical screen displays. The film delivers all the broken glass and gas explosions your heart could desire. Action sequences max out on adrenaline, like one on the freeway where Riggs fights a thug in a moving prefab home, gets dragged behind an oblivious truck and then manages to jump back into the waiting car of Murtaugh, who promptly drives through a glass-walled building. Orange fireballs are more common than not on these streets of LA, and there is no fun in arresting someone if it is not done in a blaze of gunfire. These are truly spectacular special effects.

The photogenic violence is a legacy of earlier Lethal Weapon's, albeit not the only one. Leo is a retainer from the second, Riggs' girlfriend Lorna (Rene Russo) from Lethal Weapon 3, and the partners' past actions color every scene at LAPD head quarters. But never does the movie rest on the laurels of its predecessors. Many jokes are funny for the uninitiated even as they take on added resonance for those who have followed Riggs and Murtaugh through the years, and no jokes exclude those who are not die-hard fans. Old characters and running gags are neatly integrated into a compelling plot. The movie could easily stand on its own, without support from the Lethal Weapon name.

What really supports this film is its strong cast. As usual, Pesci turns in a maniacally fine performance, adding a sentimental riff here and there. Russo, looking remarkably unpregnant for someone who gives birth at the end of the movie, is sweet. Jet Li is magnificently creepy as a strong-and-silent, impeccably elegant villain. Alone among the principal supporting actors, Chris Rock, normally so funny, fails to fit his role as Murtaugh's young cop son-in-law. His edgy, larger than life comic persona makes Rock look like he is intruding on someone else's shtick.

Glover and Gibson take their characters far beyond the domain of normal sequel heroes. Murtaugh has always been the quintessential head of household, guarding his flock; Glover's understated performance captures the essence of a cautious man. Riggs has cleaned up and settled down since his first days as Murtaugh's partner, so Gibson doesn't have the crazed Vietnam vet side of his character to play with like he did in the original, but Gibson is equally adept with his characters mellowed thoughtfulness.

Together, the two share an almost palpable trust; the bond between the policemen seems more durable than ties of family. One is strong where the other is weak, and together they make a match for any crime ring in California. The Glover-Gibson partnership is also solid in less serious ways. Glover is a straight man of sorts to a more irrepressible Gibson, but both men have perfect timing when delivering the insulting, constant repartee that masks the deep affection between the two. Gibson and Glover turn the cops' bad habit of saving serious conversations for the middle of serious conflagrations into uproarious hilarity. Murtaugh and Riggs may be a pair of fools, but Glover and Gibson make them great.

As a sort of homage to longtime Lethal Weapon fans, the film ends with a not-quite-maudlin finale that merges with a multi-picture photo album underlay of the credits, but the real end of the movie comes fifteen minutes earlier, when Murtaugh and Riggs clasp each other and pause for a moment after vanquishing the last villain. They have come a long way from their early days, and the scene captures that feeling even for those who don't know the duo's history. Like that scene, the movie as a whole takes both characters a step past their development in previous films, yet also manages to be an amusing, entertaining film complete in itself. Lethal Weapon 4 is that rare thing, a sequel of the very highest class.