Lethal Weapon 4 Script
1 EXT. L.A. STREETS - NIGHT 1
An unmarked cop CAR GUNS through traffic, cherry top
flashing. Slides through a turn. SCREECHES to a stop.
2 INT. CAR 2
MARTIN RIGGS driving, ROGER MURTAUGH riding shotgun.
Both stunned at what they’re seeing.
MURTAUGH
Oh, shit...
3 THEIR POV 3
Hell. A dozen different fires light the street. In the
center of it all, two blocks away, walking away from
them, squirting a flamethrower with one hand and FIRING
an AK-47 with the other, a human tank wearing level-3,
full-body armor, facemask, etc. He napalms another car.
4 ANGLE BACK 4
MURTAUGH
What’re we gonna do?
RIGGS
Run him over.
Riggs FLOORS it at the guy.
MURTAUGH
What if he turns and shoots us with
that friggin assault rifle?
RIGGS
Maybe he won’t. He hasn’t yet.
MURTAUGH
Right. But what if he does?
RIGGS
Try being positive for once, Rog.
We’re cops.
MURTAUGH
Unlike you, my life matters to me.
RIGGS
You got another way to stop him?
(CONTINUED)
2.
4 CONTINUED: 4
MURTAUGH
... No. Okay, you’re right, we’re
cops... I hope he doesn’t turn.
RIGGS
Then do be a Do-bee, don’t be a
Don’t-bee. Will him not to turn.
MURTAUGH
Will him.
RIGGS
Will him. Yeah. C’mon...
(chants)
... Don’t turn, don’t turn...
C’mon, Rog, will him with me...
MURTAUGH
(beat; what the
hell)
Don’t turn, don’t turn...
TOGETHER
... Don’t turn, don’t turn...
RIGGS
He’s turning.
MURTAUGH
Oh, shit.
5 EXT. STREET 5
The CAR SKIDS sideways as Riggs throws the wheel over.
The human TANK OPENS UP on them. BULLETS SHRED the
vehicle. Riggs and Murtaugh bail out and take cover
behind the wheels. There’s fire all around them.
MURTAUGH
Had to turn so my side faced him?
RIGGS
There’s no right turn here.
The shooting stops. Riggs and Murtaugh pop up FIRING.
SLUGS BOUNCE off the guy’s body armor. They drop back.
MURTAUGH
We’re in trouble.
RIGGS
It’s your fault, Rog.
(CONTINUED)
3.
5 CONTINUED: 5
MURTAUGH
My fault? How’s it my fault? I
said the words.
RIGGS
You said ’em. But I know you
didn’t believe ’em.
Murtaugh rolls his eyes. Peeks. The human tank’s
walking toward them. MORE BULLETS. He torches a kiosk.
RIGGS
Okay. I’ll draw his fire. You
run for cover.
MURTAUGH
No, no, no. I’ll draw the fire,
and you run for cover.
RIGGS
I got less to lose, so you do the
running.
MURTAUGH
You’re younger, in love --
RIGGS
And you got a wife and kids. Are
you nuts, Rog? I got lots less to
lose. I’m going first.
MURTAUGH
Riggs...
RIGGS
Get ready to run, Rog.
MURTAUGH
... I’m not supposed to tell you
this, but... Lorna’s pregnant.
You’re gonna be a father.
Riggs wasn’t expecting that one.
MURTAUGH
She’s afraid to tell you. You
never discussed having children.
RIGGS
... That kid with the crayon...
MURTAUGH
What kid?
(CONTINUED)
4.
5 CONTINUED: (2) 5
RIGGS
He draws stuff and it comes to
life... Draws the moon so he can
walk in the moonlight... Purple
crayon... Don’t remember his
name... Just popped into my head
when you... A baby...
MURTAUGH
Yeah, a baby. And I’m older, and
I’ve been a dad, so I’m going
first.
RIGGS
(then)
You can’t go first, Rog.
MURTAUGH
Why not?
RIGGS
’Cause there’s something I’m not
supposed to tell you, too...
Rianne’s pregnant. You’re gonna
be a grandfather.
MURTAUGH
Rianne can’t be pregnant. She’s
not married... Oh, shit...
RIGGS
It was an accident. She and the
guy aren’t serious... She was
gonna tell you this weekend when
you were nice and relaxed.
Riggs peeks at the human tank, now standing a short
distance away with his gun leveled. Riggs ducks back as
BULLETS RAKE the car again. Murtaugh looks sick.
MURTAUGH
Not sure I want to live now.
RIGGS
The kid needs a grandad, Rog...
Take off your clothes.
MURTAUGH
’Scuse me?
RIGGS
Strip, Rog. Fast.
(CONTINUED)
5.
5 CONTINUED: (3) 5
MURTAUGH
What the hell for?
RIGGS
You run. He turns. Seeing you in
your undies distracts him -- it’d
distract me -- and that’s when I
shoot.
MURTAUGH
Shoot what?
RIGGS
The one place he’s vulnerable --
MURTAUGH
You mean gonna shoot him in the --
RIGGS
No, not there. The valve of that
napalm tank.
MURTAUGH
You’re gonna hit a little bitty
valve before he shoots me?
RIGGS
... Trust me, Rog.
MURTAUGH
Trust you?
Beat. Murtaugh starts stripping.
MURTAUGH
I gotta be crazy.
RIGGS
A second ago, you didn’t care if
you lived.
MURTAUGH
That was before the prospect of
ending up dead in my underwear.
RIGGS
Just hurry, Rog. It’s getting a
little warm here.
MURTAUGH
... Is he black?
RIGGS
Can’t tell with all that armor.
(CONTINUED)
6.
5 CONTINUED: (4) 5
MURTAUGH
Not him. The father of the baby.
He’s black, right?
RIGGS
I don’t know.
MURTAUGH
Please let him be black. Not the
blond kid with pits in his face.
... Bad enough she did that condom
commercial. She could’ve at least
used ’em
RIGGS
C’mon, c’mon...
MURTAUGH
(finishes undressing)
I don’t wanna die in my underwear.
Riggs looks. Murtaugh’s wearing pink satin boxers.
RIGGS
What’s --
MURTAUGH
Not now.
RIGGS
Are those pink --
MURTAUGH
Not now. Just hit the damn tank.
Riggs drops it. They get set to move.
RIGGS
Also, flap your arms and make
noises like a bird.
MURTAUGH
What for?
RIGGS
It’ll distract him more. I need
him to turn. Ready? On two.
MURTAUGH
On two? We always go on three.
RIGGS
Change of pace, okay? One, two --
(CONTINUED)
7.
5 CONTINUED: (5) 5
Murtaugh bolts from behind the car, flapping his arms and
making noises like Riggs told him. The guy turns... and
the sight does make him pause. Just long enough for
Riggs to stand and SHOOT.
Riggs’ slug tears off the stem of the flamethrower tank,
releasing napalm in a high-pressure, burning jet that
rockets the human tank off the ground and through the air
toward a nearby gas station. He impacts a gas pump.
Fuel ignites. The STATION EXPLODES. A tanker TRUCK
offloading gas is BLOWN upward OUT OF FRAME.
Riggs and Murtaugh watch the inferno. Beat.
MURTAUGH
I’m too young to be a grandfather.
RIGGS
What about me? I’m gonna be someone’s
dad.
MURTAUGH
... Think that bird thing really
helped?
RIGGS
Nah, I just wanted to see if
you’d do it.
Something catches their eye. They look up.
RIGGS/MURTAUGH
Oh, shit!
They start running. A moment later, the tanker drops
from the sky behind them. A few tons of metal falling at
9.81 meters/second/second. Right onto their car... Riggs
and Murtaugh get to safety. Look back. Beat.
RIGGS
Never a dull moment, huh, Rog?
MURTAUGH
Not since I met you.
AD LIBS: 1) Wasn’t that a gas?
2) That’s oil, folks.
MAIN TITLES.
8.
6 EXT. PRISON (PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA) - NIGHT 6
A detail of Red Chinese soldiers waits outside the gates.
SUPERIMPOSE: NINE MONTHS LATER
The gates open. More PRC soldiers escort out four
Chinese men wearing prisoners’ shock belts. The oldest
of the four is in his 70s, dignified. The youngest is
50ish and menacing, eye like a pit viper... They’re led
toward a vehicle in a waiting convoy. A young PRC
soldier touches the older man’s arm to help him in. In a
flash, the pit viper strikes the soldier dead for the
offense. Executes a gravity-defying flying double kick
that snaps the soldier’s neck. Another soldier quickly
jabs a button on a remote control unit. 50,000 volts
from the shock belts jolt the prisoner’s bodies. Three
of them drop instantly to the ground in agony... Not the
pit viper... Incredibly, he stays on his feet. Teeth
gritted. Muscles quivering from the punishing electric
current. Staring back at his tormenter. A full ten
seconds... The soldier releases the button. The flow of
electricity stops... As the pit viper moves to help the
old man up --
7 EXT. AIRPORT (CHINA) - NIGHT 7
The four prisoners and the PRC Army guard detail board a
large, commercial-type jet. The door’s shut and sealed.
8 INT. JET - COCKPIT 8
CLOSE ON a navigation plotter. Destination: L.A.
9 EXT. AIRPORT 9
The jet takes off into the dark sky.
10 EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT 10
Murtaugh’s boat bobs on the sea.
11 EXT. MURTAUGH’S BOAT 11
A 12-foot, live shark thrashes madly inside the cockpit,
jaws snapping. REVEAL Riggs, Murtaugh, and LEO GETZ
looking down at it from the tuna tower. Clearly, they’ve
scrambled there to escape the furious beast.
(CONTINUED)
9.
11 CONTINUED: 11
MURTAUGH
That shark damages my new boat,
I’m taking it outta you, Leo.
LEO
I didn’t mean to catch it.
RIGGS
Then why do you want to keep it?
MURTAUGH
Yeah, what the hell you want a
a shark for?
LEO
The teeth’ll look good on a wall.
RIGGS
They gotta stop snapping first.
LEO
... Maybe it’ll go to sleep.
RIGGS
Go have a conversation with it.
MURTAUGH
Doesn’t look tired to me.
RIGGS
Eating Leo might wear it out.
LEO
Ha-ha.
MURTAUGH
It’s a thought.
LEO
Fun-ny.
RIGGS
Do sharks eat their own kind?
LEO
Stop, I’m in stitches.
Riggs and Murtaugh move to grab Leo. Leo moves away.
LEO
Okay, okay... It’s my fish, I’ll
take care of it.
Leo moves off, down a hatch into the cabin.
(CONTINUED)
10.
11 CONTINUED: (2) 11
RIGGS
Why’d we bring Leo along, anyway?
MURTAUGH
He said you invited him.
RIGGS
He told me you did.
The shark thrashes some more.
RIGGS
...Last guy trip before the
baby’s here.... It’s all about
to change, Rog.
MURTAUGH
Easy on the boat, shark!
Leo pops his head out of the hatch.
LEO
Where’s my bag?
MURTAUGH
Starboard side aft.
LEO
Starboard. That’s left.
MURTAUGH
Port’s left. Starboard’s right.
LEO
’Right,’ yeah. Right side aft.
Leo disappears again. Beat.
MURTAUGH
Riggs... I’ve kept my nose out of
it, but you and Lorna... you’re
having a baby... you’re living
together... you’re not getting
married...
RIGGS
That violate your family values,
Rog?
MURTAUGH
Just trying to understand --
(CONTINUED)
11.
11 CONTINUED: (3) 11
RIGGS
I mean, Rianne’s not exactly
married either, is she?
MURTAUGH
... That’s below the belt.
RIGGS
... You’re right. I’m sorry...
I was married once before, Rog.
She’s dead ’cause I’m a cop.
MURTAUGH
That was a terrible thing. But
Lorna’s a cop, too. I don’t see
the problem.
RIGGS
The problem... The problem is,
maybe I don’t wear the wedding
ring anymore, Rog, but I look
down, and it’s still there.
The two men share a long look. Leo pops up again.
LEO
You did say aft.
MURTAUGH
A-f-t. Aft.
LEO
And that’s a fucking word?
MURTAUGH
Back of the cabin, right side.
LEO
So why not just say that?...
People get around water, they
gotta talk all that nautical shit.
Leo disappears again. Murtaugh turns back to Riggs.
MURTAUGH
What’s Lorna say about this?
RIGGS
We haven’t talked about it.
MURTAUGH
A few days ’til the baby’s due, and
you haven’t talked about marriage
at all?
(CONTINUED)
12.
11 CONTINUED: (4) 11
RIGGS
Do we want Leo to shoot the shark?
MURTAUGH
Do we want Leo to shoot the shark?
REVEAL Leo’s about to shoot the shark with a pistol.
MURTAUGH
No, Leo!
Murtaugh jumps, wrests the gun from him.
LEO
Jeez. What’s the big deal?
MURTAUGH
You’re shooting a gun in my boat!
LEO
I was just gonna kill Jaws there.
MURTAUGH
Nobody’s killing it. I’m not
letting a good animal die just so
you can have its teeth, Leo.
LEO
You’re crankier since finding out
you’re gonna be a grandpa.
(CONTINUED)
13.
11 CONTINUED: (5) 11
RIGGS
(re: gun)
This isn’t mine or Rog’s.
LEO
I got my P.I. license now,
right?... A gumshoe sometimes
finds himself in ugly situations.
MURTAUGH
You’re an ugly situation, period.
RIGGS
It’s illegal to carry a weapon
without a permit.
Riggs tosses the gun in the sea. Blam! A GUNSHOT.
RIGGS
Was that Leo’s gun?
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! From the other direction. They
turn... and there’s the bow of a two-hundred-foot
freighter about to run them down. Leo screams. Murtaugh
leaps to the helm. Jams the throttle ahead full. The
boat jumps forward... and the freighter rushes by, inches
away, snagging fishing lines, pulling poles from sockets.
And then it’s gone.
MURTAUGH
My boat... Thank God...
RIGGS
The gunfire came from the ship.
Let’s go, Rog.
MURTAUGH
Go where?
RIGGS
After it. Someone could be in
trouble.
MURTAUGH
... I’ll radio the Coast Guard.
RIGGS
Fine. And we’ll go after it.
Riggs moves to the helm, jams down the THROTTLE.
(CONTINUED)
14.
11 CONTINUED: (6) 11
MURTAUGH
Hey! Careful!
(takes the helm)
I’ll drive. You hurt things. I
don’t want my new boat hurt.
(snags the VHS)
Coast Guard, ’Code 7,’ Coast
Guard, ’Code 7,’ over.
RIGGS
Leo, get our guns and badges.
Leo goes. Over the RADIO, we hear --
COAST GUARDSMAN (V.O.)
"Code 7,’ this is Coast Guard Group
L.A. Long Beach, go ahead.
MURTAUGH
Coast Guard, ’Code 7.’ This is
Sgt. Murtaugh, L.A.P.D. Want to
report gun shots aboard a
freighter headed due north
approximately one mile from
L.A. Harbor. Over.
COAST GUARD (V.O.)
’Code 7,’ what is the name of the
vessel? Over.
MURTAUGH
(Name). Outta Hong Kong. Over.
COAST GUARDSMAN (V.O.)
Roger, ’Code 7.’ Wait one.
Leo reappears with badges and guns. Re: Riggs’ pistol --
LEO
New Beretta?
RIGGS
Testing a laser sight for the
department.
He aims at Leo. A red laser dot appears on Leo’s nose.
RIGGS
Got a mole you want removed?
LEO
Hey, don’t fuck with that.
(CONTINUED)
15.
11 CONTINUED: (6A) 11
COAST GUARDSMAN (V.O.)
’Code 7,’ Coast Guard. We have a
cutter en route, over.
MURTAUGH
Coast Guard, ’Code 7.’ Copy.
’Code 7’ out.
(CONTINUED)
16.
11 CONTINUED: (7) 11
Then, to Riggs, as they pull in behind the ship --
MURTAUGH
We’ll just hang here safe and
outta sight ’til the Coast Guard
arrives.
Whereupon a searchlight on the ship suddenly illuminates
them. Beat.
RIGGS
What now?
MURTAUGH
... Show ’em our badges?
They hold up badges. Multiple WEAPONS OPEN UP on them.
Murtaugh throws the helm over as Riggs FIRES BACK. Nails
the searchlight. Keeps FIRING.
12 OMITTED 12
& &
13 13
14 FREIGHTER 14
One of the shooters takes a bullet. Knocks over the
searchlight as he goes down FIRING. SLUGS PUNCTURE
a stack of kerosene drums lashed topside. Leaking fuel
reaches the broken searchlight, still sparking on the
deck. The FUEL IGNITES. The DRUMS EXPLODE.
15 EXT. FREIGHTER - BRIDGE 15
The Chinese captain looks back as another fuel DRUM
EXPLODES. The stern’s engulfed in flame. He yells to
the crew (italics indicate Chinese) --
CAPTAIN
Abandon ship!
As people leave their positions to abandon ship --
16 MURTAUGH’S BOAT 16
A short distance away. Watching the fireworks on the
freighter. No one’s shooting at them now. They see a
lifeboat lower from the freighter.
(CONTINUED)
17.
16 CONTINUED: 16
RIGGS
They’re trying to get away. Let’s
get over there, Rog.
MURTAUGH
Coast Guard’ll be here any minute.
RIGGS
And those guys’ll be gone.
Beat. Murtaugh relents, steers for the ship.
MURTAUGH
They better not shoot up my boat.
Leo peeks out from somewhere.
LEO
Helluva fucking fishing trip.
RIGGS
Shut up and keep your head down.
Murtaugh pulls up alongside the lifeboat as it hits the
water, still tethered to the ship. Riggs jumps aboard
the bouncing craft, surprising two crewmen within.
RIGGS
Ahoy.
They move to shoot Riggs. Riggs NAILS both. But a
bullet parts one end of the line Riggs is holding -- a
line rigged up to the ship -- and suddenly, Riggs is
SHOOTING up into the air. In a flash, he’s hauled to the
davits, drops to --
18.
17 EXT. FREIGHTER - DECK 17
in the midst of other heavily-armed crewmen.
RIGGS
You’re under arrest.
Someone OPENS UP on him, and the GUNFIGHT’s on.
18 INT. FREIGHTER - BRIDGE 18
The untended wheel turns slowly... pointing the ship
toward the not-so-distant lights of L.A.
19 MURTAUGH’S BOAT 19
Murtaugh watches the freighter turn.
MURTAUGH
It’s heading for the beach.
20 FREIGHTER 20
The ship approaches the shore. Riggs ends one GUNFIGHT
and gets into another, finally engaging a gunman at the
very tip of the ship’s bow. The gunman’s behind a large
winch, pins Riggs down with an automatic weapon. Riggs
can’t hit him and can’t run... when he sees the ship’s
metal gunwale converging behind the gunman. Quickly
eyeballs the angles involved. Aims the laser down the
gunwale. FIRES. Banks a slug off the steel. Takes out
the gunman with a ricochet... whereupon the ship runs
aground. The abrupt stop topples cranes, everything not
fastened down, and tosses Riggs hard against a winch,
knocking his gun away... Remaining crew throw lines over
to jump ship. Riggs shakes off the blow from the winch.
Catches the ship’s Captain heading for the side. The
Captain whips a kung fu move on him. K.O.s Riggs... The
Captain moves toward a rope. Two crewmen are in line to
go down. The Captain’s not in a waiting mood. Pulls a
GUN, SHOOTS them both off the ship. Grabs the rope and
slides down.
21 MURTAUGH’S BOAT 21
Murtaugh’s followed the freighter in, stays just beyond
the surf line near the beached ship.
LEO
Holy shit. That was great.
Wasn’t that great?
(CONTINUED)
&nb