By Guylaine Cadorette
Story
Police academy reject Earl (
Martin Lawrence) has locked his keys in his car and has his arm shoved through the driver side window's narrow opening when L.A.P.D. officer Hank (
Steve Zahn) takes notice. But an otherwise routine traffic stop escalates out of control when a bumblebee flies into the picture. It turns out Earl is allergic to bees so a well-intentioned Hank swats at it with his nightstick. A bystander catches the whole thing on videotape, but with the car obscuring the view, it
really looks like another Rodney King-esque police beating. The incident--one of those rare sidesplitting movie moments--sets off a chain of events for the two main characters: There's a hearing, and fearing another riot on their hands, the L.A.P.D. kicks Hank off the force and sentences him to prison for six months. Hank and Earl's paths cross again, however, when fate has the two partnered as security guards who uncover a smuggling operation led by L.A.P.D.'s not-so-finest. The rest of the plot isn't really that crucial. The story has its share of problems, but it's simply there as a vehicle for
Lawrence's shtick, and for this purpose, it works.
Acting
As a comedian,
Lawrence has always courted controversy and his edginess has made him the kind of entertainer that people either love or hate.
Bill Cosby, for example, criticized
Lawrence's 1990s sitcom
Martin for reinforcing negative stereotypes of blacks, while the NAACP honored him with its Image Award for the very same series. The PG-13
National Security features a milder
Lawrence, especially coming on the heels of his last feature, the R-rated concert film
Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat. But although
Lawrence throws in a few raunchy zingers--don't be surprised if you catch yourself laughing at some slightly misogynistic jokes--he retains that likeable quality he has and his knack for physical comedy. His partner in security guard crime is played by
Zahn (
Joy Ride), whose easygoing style actually blends well with
Lawrence's. And although his comedic flair is oftentimes overshadowed by
Lawrence's charisma, he seems content in the passenger seat. If this film has a saving grace, it's definitely
Lawrence and
Zahn's onscreen antics.
Direction
Director
Dennis Dugan (
Saving Silverman) delivers a crude looking picture that is rough around the edges. The special effects are generic and a little cheesy. There are plenty of screeching car chases that end in fiery collisions and a fair share of clumsy fight sequences. Even the script, penned by
Jay Scherick and
David Ronn (the duo responsible for that
Serving Sara calamity) starts off feeling a bit too "jokey"; some of
Lawrence's lines sound as though they are lifted straight from a standup routine. But once the Earl and Hank characters mix, the script actually generates a decent amount of laughs that are less clotted with obvious setups and predictable punch lines. More importantly,
National Security stays clear of those touchy poignant moments that have ruined so many buddy flicks. Unfortunately, like his last two comedies,
What's the Worst That Could Happen? and
Black Knight, this film is unlikely to turn much of a profit, and
Lawrence may have to wait on
Bad Boys 2 for meatier box office receipts.