Mel Gibson’s 1998 action film with Hong Kong fight is judged by ex-mafia member

A former mafia member analyzes an important fight in Mel Gibson’s Deadly weapon4. Published in 1998, Deadly Weapon 4 is the fourth film in the action series that began with Deadly weapon in 1987. The fourth part features the return of LAPD officer Martin Riggs, who this time confronts Chinese gangsters. In addition to Gibson Deadly Weapon 4 features a leading cast including Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, Jet Li, Steve Kahan, Kim Chan, Darlene Love, Traci Wolfe and Eddy Ko.

In a insider Interview, former member of the Sun Yee On Triad Mafia Jimmy Tsui analyzes a key scene from Deadly Weapon 4.

Tsui analyzed a scene in which Li’s character appears as a martial arts expert and negotiator for his mafia group. According to the former triad member, this was “funny” because it was unrealistic. After all, these roles are “two different things” in triad groups. He further explained that while some triad members learned basic martial arts to get into the nightclub scene, it wasn’t really possible to be an expert in both. Check out Tsui’s full quote below:

“It’s funny. In real life, that would never happen. In this movie, Jet Li is the Triad’s negotiation expert. But he was also a martial arts expert. In the Hong Kong Triad society, there is a position for negotiation expert. It’s 425. White Paper Fan. But negotiation expert and martial arts expert are two different things. Only 426, The General, there is a martial arts expert. That’s different.

Okay, I can tell you the truth. In the ’80s or ’70s through the ’80s and early ’90s, the nightclub business was going crazy. A lot of new nightclubs were opening. They hired a lot of security. So, yes, back then, a lot of triad members learned a little kung fu. Because it was easier for them to get a job in the nightclub. That’s true. This one I give a 6, for positions like Jet Li, I don’t think there is that kind of person in real life who does both.”

How did Lethal Weapon 4 compare to its predecessors?

Considering the reception of Deadly Weapon 4It’s not surprising that accuracy wasn’t the film’s top priority. Deadly Weapon 4 is the lowest-rated film in the franchise, scoring 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. This score represents a drop from its immediate predecessor, Deadly Weapon 3which had a viewing rate of 58%, and an even more dramatic decline from 1989 Deadly Weapon 2which has a rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. Given the negative reviews, it is not surprising that Deadly Weapon 4 had problems with accuracy, as well as other aspects of the story.

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Aside from that, Deadly Weapon 4 did not have a great run at the box office. The third film was the highlight of the Deadly weapon The series grossed $321.7 million worldwide against an estimated budget of $35 million. Deadly Weapon 4 saw a drop in revenue to $285.4 million. Although it is not a dramatic drop in revenue, the gap becomes even larger when you consider that the budget for the film was $140 million. The tripling of the budget meant that Deadly Weapon 4 should do better than Deadly Weapon 3 to make a big profit, which unfortunately was not the case.

It is no surprise that Deadly Weapon 4The poor performance of ended the franchise. However, the road is not over yet for the Deadly weapon Films like Deadly Weapon 5 is in development. Back in 2020, Gibson confirmed that the sequel was in the works from original director Richard Donner. When Donner died the following year in 2021, Gibson took over directing the project. Deadly Weapon 5 doesn’t have a release date yet, but development by Gibson is confirmed, giving the series a chance at redemption.

Source: Insider / YouTube