Blue Streak Review
by Jeff Bogart (alienjeff AT aol DOT com)October 15th, 1999
Blue Streak
Cast: Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson, Dave Chappelle and Peter Greene.
* * *1/2 out of four
I got the chance to catch a sneak preview of this film before it was released back a few weeks ago, along with The Runaway Bride ?(review already posted). I'll admit that this film was poorly advertised. The previews made it look pretty bad, but I am surprised and in many ways glad to say that Blue Streak was an excellent comedy.
In this film Lawrence plays a jewel thief, who, during the opening heist, finds his driver gone and one of his accomplices has turned on him. Then he must find a place to hide the precious tennis-ball sized jewel he'd just stolen. He finds a nearby building being constructed across the street and hides it in the heating duct just as the cops find him. He is then put away for two years (I believe) only to find out, once he is released, that the building is now a branch of the LAPD.
In order to get his jewel he'll, through the help of his "prop-master" uncle, pass himself off as a cop. But then everything gets out-of-hand, he is mistaken for the new lead detective and through every illegal and forceful tactic he uses, gains more respect from his colleagues.
Yeah, it may seem typical -- and in many ways it is. The plot has been done before (in general aspects) but was handled in a fresh and intriguing manner. Martin Lawrence is by far one of the better comedic actors out there today. His style is slick, cool and to-the-point. And he's a good actor as well. Not just comedically. I could honestly see him in the future doing drama... but I would not suggest it; he's too damn funny for that.
Blue Streak was a film that was fast-paced, straight to the jokes, and believe this: Lawrence is clean! Now, if you've seen or are a fan of some of his earlier projects such as Bad Boys and Nothin' to Lose (both films I'd highly recommend to you if you want a good laugh that won't make you feel guilty about it in the end) which had continuous and constant language. Proves that all Lawrence needs to be funny is his abilities.
If there is anything to expect in a Martin Lawrence film, it is that it'll be cool. He's got that quality to his acting. And if there is anything in this film that can be construed as such, it was the action sequences. Some call them "out of place," I call 'em fun. Well-made, exciting action. Whether it's essential or not it certainly adds to the entertainment values involved in the film and while some of the camerawork was flawed and a tad over-dramatic, in some cases it worked. Although freeze-frames and frame-by-frame went out a while back, the method in which it's introduced is both attracting and amusing. That is a great topic sentence to sum up my overall feelings of the movie, minorly flawed in a good way.
Many have compared this film to other good films like Beverly Hills Cop and the Lethal Weapon series. But not in a pleasant way, they call it a rip-off. My response to this: Absolutely, and I loved every minute of it! A-
Check out the new and improved Movie Page
better quality, easier to load, more reviews.
just go here: http://moviepage.hypermart.net/
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
