Movie #406 - Lethal Weapon 4

Lethal Weapon 4

1998 - Rated R - 2 hr 7 min
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, Jet Li, Kim Chan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe

This late-90s edition of Riggs & Murtaugh branches out into new territory.  Although Murtaugh didn't retire at the end of 3, like he said he was going to, age seems to be weighing down on both partners now, as well as personal responsibilities.  With a baby on the way for Riggs and a grandson on the way for Murtaugh, the added pressure provides a very realistic feeling to the movie.

With the Chinese Triad and Jet Li as the bad guys, the 4th movie seems to heighten the stakes all around.  The plotline is decent, bringing back the whole gang and introducing young cop Butters, played by Chris Rock.  I think this was my favorite one because it seems to have a reverent feeling to it. They're all in it, knowing this is it, and the nice warm fuzzy ending brings closure to a strong quadrilogy (is that the word?)

Of course, I just saw that a Lethal Weapon 5 is due for release in 2012... so hey. Maybe it's not the end, after all.

Movie #392 - Kiss of the Dragon

Kiss of the Dragon
2001 - Rated R - 1 hr 38 min
Director: Chris Nahon
Starring: Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tcheky Karyo, Max Ryan

It's been a while since my last viewing of this movie so I couldn't even really remember what it was about when I sat down to watch it.  Yes, Jet Li kicks butt -- that's to be expected.  But this movie does have a little more substance to it than your run-of-the-mill action flicks.

Apparently based on a story by Jet Li himself, this one chronicles a Beijing cop framed for a murder in Paris.  Behind the frameup is a chief Parisian inspector who's been abusing his power left, right, and center, unbeknownst to his superiors.  Bridget Fonda and her daughter are caught in his evil web and she winds up square in Li's path to clear his name.  Their mutual hatred unites them (obviously) and they work together to achieve their individual goals.  Clean and simple, but full of some great action scenes too.  Aside from a scene where Li takes out a full class of black-belts, there aren't really any stand-out performances.  What you see is what you get here, but if you've got a love of some good Jet Li action.

Movie #266 - Hero

Hero
2002 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 39 min
Director: Yimou Zhang
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Waj, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang, Donnie Yen, Daoming Chen

No one fights in the air quite like the Chinese.  Bollywood has their dancing, Chinese film has their aerial fighting.  Good times.

In this movie, most of the action is in the past.  Jet Li's character claims to have defeated three assassins who've been out to get the emperor for years.  He says he got 'em, so he gets private audience with the man himself.  Is it all a true story or is it an elaborate scheme to get a new, unknown assassin within striking distance of the throne?

Once this issue is cleared up, there's more to talk about.  Flash backs to epic battle scenes and alternate versions of the events help to break up the present day lack of action.  The film is well balanced, the plot line enough of a ride to keep you well engaged, and the characters strong and compelling.  I really enjoyed this one a lot.

Movie #137 - Cradle 2 the Grave

Cradle 2 the Grave
Warner Bros Pictures
2003 - Rated R - 1 hr 41 min
Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Starring: Jet Li, DMX, Tom Arnold, Gabrielle Union

All right, this one's not exactly my kind of movie. It isn't bad, it's just not for me.  So watching it again was not an enjoyable experience. I was bored, I'll admit it.

Jet Li is awesome, of course, and DMX, the featured raptor (that's rapper/actor), can actually act enough to pull this off. Of course the best part about this movie is the eight-year-old girl who kicks some serious ass to try to escape from her captors (that's not a clever hybrid, they are actually captors). But this movie doesn't really do much for me.

The gratuitous car chases and action scenes make this all guy from beginning to end. Snore.