The Lethal Weapon franchise keeps accruing co-stars it doesn't let go of. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are the film's two stars, of course. Joe Pesci was picked up by the second installment. Rene Russo was picked up in the third. In the fourth, they're all back with a new one, Chris Rock.

Lethal Weapon 4 has nothing new to offer as the first -- and to a lesser extent, the second -- did. However, it shows that the formula still works. The banter Gibson and Glover engage in under fire is still amusing. Gibson's character's edginess is still fun to watch. But that's all Lethal Weapon 4 will give you. The plot is a somewhat muddled handling of an illegal slavery plot. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but of course it doesn't matter -- what matters is that the bad guys are bad, and Gibson and Glover must kill them.

I liked, however, the sense of humor that went hand in hand with several of the action scenes, especially toward the beginning. Action movies are so common these days, and explosions are a dime a dozen. The usual explosive thrills don't cut it anymore. Lethal Weapon 4 maintains interest by giving some of the explosions a mild comic slant -- just enough to be funny without undermining the business at hand.

The bottom line is that Lethal Weapon 4 is not a great movie, but it will undoubtedly please fans of the series interested in seeing the characters in action again.