Lethal Weapon 4

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 25 Oct 2005, 08:25

Is this worth buying if I have the DC's of 1-3?

I really don't remember seeing it (if I ever did, it was the heavily cut UK version)

The R1 is very cheap (a fiver or something) at DVD Pacific.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 25 Oct 2005, 10:59

It's OK-ish. Chris Rock and Jet Li are OK in it... but the story is so-so, and Mel Gibson's jokes are borderline racist and not really funny, pretty insulting actually...
It's a bit of a TV-copmovie, only with a huge budget that seems to have gone to waste...

I'm not a big fan of the series or Mel Gibson, so if you do like the series and Mel, you might wanna check it out. i'm sure you can find it lying around in shops for a few pounds...

Personally, I'm not gonna bother picking it up. I'm sure it will be on TV enough...

IronMonkey · Post by **IronMonkey** » 25 Oct 2005, 11:14

It was on Channel 5 a few weeks back if I remember correctly.

I love the first 2 films in the series, and the 3rd was good too, but the 4th goes in a completely different direction. The darker tones of the first 2 films are gone completely and instead an all-out comedy direction is taken.

Its still a decent mindless action film, but not in the same league as the first 2 films.

If you do want to buy it, avoid the R2 version like the plague. I bought that before I knew about the cuts - most of Jet Li's action is cut to shreds!

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 25 Oct 2005, 13:54

If you liked the first three LW4 is worth trying for a fiver. Even if you don't like it you can flog it (and there's lots of extras). LW4 is the weakest thanks largely to poor writing and lazy direction but still manages to entertain on a dumb but fun level. Gibson and Glover carry the whole thing on their shoulders; Pesci is irritating for the first time in the series, and Rock, I just don't like. Maybe the man can't help it: but he reminds me of Steppin Fetchit. Jet is surprsingly effective as a villain and the end fight is a bloody cracker (in its uncut version). I wouldn't say the film was racist - we all know how Yi-Long tends to overreact about this subject -as a very sympathetic line is taken towards the refugees instead of a "those damn foreigners" approach. I found the race humour in LW4 to be less offensive than that in Rush Hour - the old Chinese dude gets the last laugh when he says "It's fried rice, you plick!" but horses for courses as they say...

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 25 Oct 2005, 14:56

Fair enough then Mark

I thought $8-ish at Pacific seemed a fair price.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 25 Oct 2005, 15:37

Markgway wrote:If you liked the first three LW4 is worth trying for a fiver. Even if you don't like it you can flog it (and there's lots of extras). LW4 is the weakest thanks largely to poor writing and lazy direction but still manages to entertain on a dumb but fun level. Gibson and Glover carry the whole thing on their shoulders; Pesci is irritating for the first time in the series, and Rock, I just don't like. Maybe the man can't help it: but he reminds me of Steppin Fetchit. Jet is surprsingly effective as a villain and the end fight is a bloody cracker (in its uncut version). I wouldn't say the film was racist - we all know how Yi-Long tends to overreact about this subject -as a very sympathetic line is taken towards the refugees instead of a "those damn foreigners" approach. I found the race humour in LW4 to be less offensive than that in Rush Hour - the old Chinese dude gets the last laugh when he says "It's fried rice, you plick!" but horses for courses as they say...

Actually, I didnt find Rush Hour to be offensive or racist AT ALL, only Mel Gibson's 'jokes' in Lethal Weapon 4 were just cheap shots for cheap laughs and not really funny at that...
I don't even mind 'racist' jokes, as long as they're funny and clever...

Didnt know I was known for being famous over this subject, as this is pretty much the only movie I've ever said to have distastefull, disrespectfull elements in them, based on prejudices...

But hey, that's just Mark for ya... (!)

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 25 Oct 2005, 15:51

What about Lethal Weapon 2, is that prejudiced? Mind you, it was made in 1989 when aparthied still went on.

IronMonkey · Post by **IronMonkey** » 25 Oct 2005, 16:29

Whether its racist or not, Lethal Weapon 2 is still the best of the series.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 25 Oct 2005, 16:42

I do love the un-PC ness of it all

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 25 Oct 2005, 17:50

grim_tales wrote:What about Lethal Weapon 2, is that prejudiced? Mind you, it was made in 1989 when aparthied still went on.

I have no idea: way too long ago that I saw it...

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 25 Oct 2005, 18:04

Yi-Long wrote:Actually, I didnt find Rush Hour to be offensive or racist AT ALL, only Mel Gibson's 'jokes' in Lethal Weapon 4 were just cheap shots for cheap laughs and not really funny at that...

That's where we disagree. For me it was the other way round. In LW4 the Chinese guy has the last laugh on Mel Gibson, but in Rush Hour, we have to spend the whole movie watching Chris "as funny as the plague" Tucker making snide slurs against Jackie Chan. Is that not deemed racist because he's black? But Mel Gibson is white, so hey, that's bad.

I don't even mind 'racist' jokes, as long as they're funny and clever...

You mean like when Chris punches Jackie because "Y'all look alike". Nice. Can you tell me the jokes in LW4 you deem racist? Maybe I missed them? Jackie would NEVER have been allowed that line in reverse, but it's now OK to make fun of chinkys. Hollywood rule: Darkies? No. Chinkys? Yes.

Didnt know I was known for being famous over this subject, as this is pretty much the only movie I've ever said to have distastefull, disrespectfull elements in them, based on prejudices... But hey, that's just Mark for ya... (!)

I've always found you're very vocal in your condemnation against racism (which is fair enough) not just in relation to specific movies.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 25 Oct 2005, 18:21

Markgway wrote:
Yi-Long wrote:Actually, I didnt find Rush Hour to be offensive or racist AT ALL, only Mel Gibson's 'jokes' in Lethal Weapon 4 were just cheap shots for cheap laughs and not really funny at that...
That's where we disagree. For me it was the other way round. In LW4 the Chinese guy has the last laugh on Mel Gibson, but in Rush Hour, we have to spend the whole movie watching Chris "as funny as the plague" Tucker making snide slurs against Jackie Chan. Is that not deemed racist because he's black? But Mel Gibson is white, so hey, that's bad.

Nothing to do with black and white and yellow... it's about being funny. To me, Chris Tucker has a good comic timing and he had some funny jokes...
Mel just had variations on the age old 'flied lice' jokes, which werent funny. So it has to do with comic timing and if it's funny or not...

I don't even mind 'racist' jokes, as long as they're funny and clever...

You mean like when Chris punches Jackie because "Y'all look alike". Nice. Can you tell me the jokes in LW4 you deem racist? Maybe I missed them? Jackie would NEVER have been allowed that line in reverse, but it's now OK to make fun of chinkys. Hollywood rule: Darkies? No. Chinkys? Yes.

If Chris Tucker would have done flied lice jokes and the eye-pulling stuff etc... then I wouldn't have found it funny either: it's old, it's disrespectfull... and just not funny.
Plus, big difference, Chris Tucker in the movie is a complete IDIOT who's making the jokes, whereas Mel Gibson is supposed to be the cool, clever guy...

Didnt know I was known for being famous over this subject, as this is pretty much the only movie I've ever said to have distastefull, disrespectfull elements in them, based on prejudices... But hey, that's just Mark for ya... (!)

I've always found you're very vocal in your condemnation against racism (which is fair enough) not just in relation to specific movies.

Actually, Lethal Weapon 4 is probably the only (azn related) movie I have a slight problem with, and it has come up once or twice before within a 4-5 year period or something, so you are totally exaggerating my problem with the movie (which isnt even the whole movie, just Gibson's character...) ... thus you are full of BULLSHIT.

...but hey, I'm already used to you trying to label me as an anti-american, a woman-hater, and now obviously as a guy who cant sleep at night cause Mel Gibson has made some flied lice jokes in a movie...
I guess it's easy to just put people in a box and labeling them, just so you won't have to listen to arguments, or question your own opinion on these matters. In each and every discussion about America or about religion or whatever, you come out, misenterpret (or just don't read) my posts, yell some BS about me, and it's an easy score for you I bet...

Anyway, back on topic: LW4... mediocre movie, some good parts from Li and Rock, and some 'questionable' jokes by Gibson... it's cheap so you won't lose much by buying it.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 26 Oct 2005, 00:04

Fair enough... I like to stir the pot sometimes.

I don't find Tucker funny which I'm sure factors into it.

I don't remember eye-pulling in LW4... that's uncool. Maybe it's worse than I remember? I thought the "fried rice, you plick" joke was pretty much it. If I'm wrong then I'm gonna look like the stupid plick!

Tucker is supposed to be dumb, BUT, alos cool at the same time. We ARE supposed to - believe it or not - LIKE him. So I still think his Chinese-bashing (which pervades the entire movie) is unacceptable - and blatantly one-sided. When Jackie INNOCENTLY uses the word "nigger" all hell breaks loose. You can slur a Chinese man for 90m but ONE slip in the other direction is a no-no.

I don't mind filmmakers making a satirical point with racial humour but racist gags aren't necessary and are cheap ways of getting a laugh. Thankfully though we're a long way from Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 26 Oct 2005, 08:08

Markgway wrote:Fair enough... I like to stir the pot sometimes.

I don't find Tucker funny which I'm sure factors into it.

I don't remember eye-pulling in LW4... that's uncool. Maybe it's worse than I remember? I thought the "fried rice, you plick" joke was pretty much it. If I'm wrong then I'm gonna look like the stupid plick!

Tucker is supposed to be dumb, BUT, alos cool at the same time. We ARE supposed to - believe it or not - LIKE him. So I still think his Chinese-bashing (which pervades the entire movie) is unacceptable - and blatantly one-sided. When Jackie INNOCENTLY uses the word "nigger" all hell breaks loose. You can slur a Chinese man for 90m but ONE slip in the other direction is a no-no.

I don't mind filmmakers making a satirical point with racial humour but racist gags aren't necessary and are cheap ways of getting a laugh. Thankfully though we're a long way from Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

I don't think there was any eye-pulling... I just meant it's in that catergory of easy 'humour'...

You can slur a Chinese man for 90m but ONE slip in the other direction is a no-no.

Actually, I felt that was part of the joke, these black guys being so damn over-sensitive when someone ELSE calls them niggah, but they do it among themselfs all the time and against other minorities...

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 26 Oct 2005, 20:36

Actually, I felt that was part of the joke, these black guys being so damn over-sensitive when someone ELSE calls them niggah, but they do it among themselfs all the time and against other minorities...

I'd like to think you're right... but I have a sneaking suspicion you're giving them far too much credit.

brooce-leroy · Post by **brooce-leroy** » 03 Nov 2005, 01:24

I didn't really find Rush Hour movies racist. They are more playful than racist. And Jackie says the N word in RH1, so you can't really moan about Tucker. What Jackie said is not meant to be in a racist context, but everyone interprets differently. I thought it was really funny when Tucker bawls at JC:

Can you understand the words comin' out of ma mouth?????

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 03 Nov 2005, 09:25

Nice to have you on here Bruce

I love your sig BTW

IronMonkey · Post by **IronMonkey** » 03 Nov 2005, 10:38

Actually brooce-leroy, I believe the quote is:

"Do you understand the words thata comin' outta ma mouf?!"

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 03 Nov 2005, 15:26

brooce-leroy wrote:I didn't really find Rush Hour movies racist. They are more playful than racist. And Jackie says the N word in RH1, so you can't really moan about Tucker. What Jackie said is not meant to be in a racist context, but everyone interprets differently. I thought it was really funny when Tucker bawls at JC:

Can you understand the words comin' out of ma mouth?????

Well, I disagree... and I suppose that's what a forum is all about. And you can say "nigger" Bruce. We're all grown ups here.

biguy · Post by **biguy** » 15 Nov 2005, 18:37

Nope didnt like Lethal Weapon 4.....

JETE was good in it...as the non-english, quiet and deadly killer.......

But the whacked out ending where he got beat by gibson was just INSULTING..Sure if he had beat him some other way but VS Jet in hand-to-hand combat..come on

!!

IronMonkey · Post by **IronMonkey** » 15 Nov 2005, 18:40

Don't forget, the Martin Riggs character was trained in ju jitsu when he was younger so it's not such a far-out battle in my opinion. After all, he did have Murtaugh to "help" him out.

biguy · Post by **biguy** » 15 Nov 2005, 18:45

Kind of like what happened between Mission impossible 1 and 2...suddely Cruise is a martial arts/stunts expert...where in one he was just a spy who was good at fighting!!!

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 15 Nov 2005, 22:23

biguy wrote:Nope didnt like Lethal Weapon 4.....

JETE was good in it...as the non-english, quiet and deadly killer.......

But the whacked out ending where he got beat by gibson was just INSULTING..Sure if he had beat him some other way but VS Jet in hand-to-hand combat..come on !!

I love that fight. It's the best part of the movie. I wish more Holywood fights were of that level. Matrix, my arse!