National Security Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)January 16th, 2003
NATIONAL SECURITY
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Martin Lawrence ("Black Knight") is Earl Montgomery, a chip-on-his shoulder, racist, obnoxious, hypocritical, half-cocked LAPD trainee who is thrown out of the police academy to land in a warehouse security job. When some serious thieves break in, he finds himself working with colleague Hank Rafferty (Steve Zahn, "Riding in Cars with Boys"), a former LAPD cop Earl unjustifiably had thrown out of the force and into a 6 month jail term on charges of police brutality. This mismatched pair are suddenly burdened with "National Security."
I hereby plead with, grovel to and beg the potential audience of "National Security" to stay away from this movie so that Martin Lawrence's face is never projected onto a movie screen again. There is not one redeeming quality about this actor that warrants his career in Hollywood. Worse, he drags down talented people like Zahn and supporting stars Bill Duke, Colm Feore and even Eric Roberts by association.
Director Dennis Dugan (who at least allowed Zahn to be funny in his woeful "Saving Silverman") and his editor Debra Neil-Fisher ("Saving Silverman") kick off this travesty with the drama of Hank seeing his partner Charlie (Timothy Busfield, TV's "Thirtysomething") shot and killed by a tattooed thief, then introduce Earl mouthing off at Police Academy in a scene meant to be funny before cutting back to Charlie's funeral. Talk about distasteful. Maybe they have it in for Lawrence too.
When Hank spies Earl trying to get keys out of a locked car, he naturally questions the man, who begins spouting every 'woe the Black man' line in the book before becoming belligerent and abusive. Hank pins Earl down for resisting arrest, then Earl begins screaming about being allergic to bee stings when a large bumblebee enters their airspace. A citizen videotapes what appears to be Hank beating Earl, when in reality Hank is swatting at the bee.
Hank's superior, Lieutenant Washington (Bill Duke, "Red Dragon"), is suspicious when Earl's swollen eye is back to normal the next day, but of course screenwriters Jay Scherick and David Ronn ("Serving Sara") choose to let this drop and have Washington turn on the man who just suffered the trauma of losing his partner. Hank goes to jail, where - haha - all the Black inmates now have it in for him.
On his release Hank's hunt for Charlie's killer is what puts him back in Earl's path and Earl just won't leave. This is supposed to be one of those buddy comedies where a dueling duo discover that what each lacks is supplied by the other, but Earl is so supremely irritating that Hank should just shoot him and be done with it. Furthermore, the filmmakers kowtow to Lawrence's ego by having all females, white or black, immediately succumb to his supposed sex appeal. In what alternative reality, I ask? Even more offensive, in one of those 'it's OK for a Black to offer a Black cliche but we'll harangue the white folks for doing it,' Hank's Black girlfriend comments on the large size of Earl's member.
There is exactly one funny gag in "National Security" and it's a telegraphed stunt in which the leads cannot even be seen. Other stunts, involving numerous car chases, crashes and explosions are frequently sloppily edited.
"National Security" ends with Hank reinstated into the LAPD and Earl given his badge. I'll give ten bucks to the first gypsy willing to curse anyone even suggesting a sequel.
F
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