Synopsis

Aging Los Angeles detectives Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh face a dangerous Chinese smuggling operation while coping with major changes in their personal lives. With their families expanding and retirement seeming closer, the partners join forces with rookie detective Lee Butters and private investigator Leo Getz. Their investigation leads to a violent confrontation with a ruthless Triad enforcer.

Factoids & Trivia

• Released on July 10, 1998, the film is the fourth and final theatrical entry in the Lethal Weapon series.
• The production was unusually fast-tracked. Filming began on January 8, 1998, and was completed on May 13, only weeks before the summer release.
• Jet Li made his international film debut as the principal villain. Jackie Chan had reportedly been considered for the role but declined because he did not want to play a villain.
• Jet Li's speed created a filming problem during the action scenes. Richard Donner reportedly asked him to slow down because some of his movements were too fast for the camera to capture clearly.
• The final confrontation was expanded beyond a one-on-one fight after rehearsals suggested that Riggs defeating Li's character alone would not seem convincing.
• Murtaugh's boat is named "Code 7," a reference to the Los Angeles Police Department radio code for a meal break.
• Unlike the earlier films, Lethal Weapon 4 did not receive a soundtrack album at the time of its release. Michael Kamen's score was later issued with the series' music collection in 2013.
• The trailers include footage from deleted or alternate scenes, a consequence of the hurried editing schedule.