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DVD National Security (Special Edition)
Although it's enjoyable as a brainless diversion, National Security is one of those forgettable entertainments that denies its own considerable potential. It's a police action comedy in the mold of Beverly Hills Cop, tailored to the buddy-flick formula and laced with racial tensions of the post-Rodney King era. It's set in Los Angeles, where dedicated cop Hank (Steve Zahn) does jail time for allegedly beating Earl (Martin Lawrence), whose only real assailant was an overzealous bumblebee. As fate and lazy screenwriting would have it, the two adversaries reunite as security guards, teaming up to crack a team of violent smugglers led by bleached-blonde Eric Roberts (further proof that this movie's got nothing new to offer). Routine stunts distract from the comedy's mostly untapped resource: Lawrence pointedly riffs on racial profiling, and his prolific ad-libs play well against Zahn's by-the-book straight man. If their partnership had been allowed to develop more believably, National Security might have been more than a blip on the box-office radar. --Jeff Shannon
Review(s): DVD National Security (Special Edition)
Mediocrity All Around
National Security is quite a disappointment when expecting a hilarious comedy.
In short, the acting and the plot are average, while the humor and the dialogues are slightly below average.
Moreover, the characters are weak, bland and just plain uninteresting, not to mention that to call the ending "predictable" is the understatement of the year!
In a nutshell, it's probably not a movie you would want to add to your collection, but it will provide for an evening's entertainment, and that's about it.
No masterpiece here... 2 ½ Stars
What the problem is?
I usually don't like Martin Lawrence and I find his anti-white humor to be quite offensive as well as his string of bad movies. But compared to his other movie of 2003 (that would be the shockingly awful Bad Boys II), National Security is a rather easy-going and light-hearted cop comedy flick with quite a few good laughs. A lot of them, surprisingly, coming from Lawrence himself.
Hank Rafferty (Steve Zahn)is a cop who is unfairly thrown in jail for apparently beating a black suspect (Lawrence) who just got kicked out of Police Academy. With his career in tatters he emerges from the slammer with only one job opportunity available; a lowly guard for a lowly security company. Determined to follow up on the big case he was involved with before serving time, he crosses the path of fellow security guard Earl Montgomery (Lawrence again) and the two reignite their old conflict.
The old love/hate buddy thing may be old and the plot may be silly but it's a great excuse for loads of action set-pieces and humor. The potentially dangerous comedy of black vs white never becomes offensive and is handled with such lightness that it never becomes an issue. Both men have their failings and bonuses and are as equal as each other. You really do feel a great partnership between them despite their arguing and fights.
Give National Treasure a try. It's slick and fast-moving and is a helluva lot better than Bad Boys II. You'll probably be surprised at how funny Martin Lawrence is. I was.
The DVD is in great looking 1.85:1 widescreen with pretty good Dolby 5.1 sound. The scenes where Lawrence uses his automatic pistol really pack a heavy punch in the .1 LFE channel. The usual deleted scenes and commentary are included on the DVD but I was surprised the extended ending wasn't included in the film. It would have been better with it.
National Security
When Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn team up as security guards,no one's safe!
LAPD reject and major troublemaker Earl got L.A. cop Hank kicked off the force for brutality. Now, these two guys who can't stand each other,are stuck working together as lowly security guards. And they're playing cops to bring down a smuggling ring-if they can stay alive and stay one step ahead of the real cops.
Co-starring Eric Roberts.National Security will take you on a wild ride with the most unlikely heroes ever to wear a badge!
Martin Lawrence can certainly talk a blue streak (witness his concert film, You So Crazy), but he tones it down to PG-13 for this by-the-book action comedy. Lawrence stars as Logan, a bank robber and jewel thief (nice role model we're supposed to cheer for) who, just before he is arrested, manages to stash the $20 million diamond he has just heisted at a construction site. When he is released from prison two years later, he returns to the scene of the crime only to find that the completed building houses a police station. To get inside and retrieve the precious gem he secures a fake ID and passes himself off as LAPD's newest, and most unorthodox, detective. As he demonstrated on his TV series, Lawrence has a knack for characterization second to Eddie Murphy. But he's no... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Martin Lawrence Director(s): Les Mayfield DVD Release Date: Released the 26 December 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Martin Lawrence strikes gold in this brilliant comedy. This movie only proves the idea from three wise men (W, G, and J) have been saying for a month, that Martin Lawrence is probably in the top five funniest people to ever live. The way he dances and says the phrase, "ahhhhhhhh" is just to funny for words. Danny DeVito teaming up with Martin was also pure goodness. If anyone disaggrees with my review I just have to say grow up because it is year 2002, its about laughs not cries so its good. Peace Out and buy Black Night on DVD, April 16th 2002. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Martin Lawrence - Danny DeVito Director(s): Sam Weisman DVD Release Date: Released the 07 May 2002 Usually ships within 24 hours
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No one tries very hard in Big Momma's House, so your enjoyment of this Martin Lawrence vehicle pretty much depends on how much amusement you're able to derive from a guy dressed up as a very ample woman. The setup is of the eye-rolling, only-in-Hollywood nature: Lawrence, as detective Malcolm Turner, is after a killer, and apparently the only way to capture him is to pose as the bad guy's ex-girlfriend's grandmother, who--the film cannot stress this point too much--is quite large.
Apparently, Sherry (Nia Long), the young woman in question--she's as attractive as Big Momma is, well, you know--is none too bright, for she falls for Malcolm's ruse, which of course ostensibly amuses mainly because it's so transparent. She at least has an excuse--she hasn't seen Big Momma in... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Martin Lawrence - Nia Long Director(s): Raja Gosnell DVD Release Date: Released the 18 December 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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With a story that's too flimsy to support its running time, this road-movie comedy has plenty of problems, but at its best it's a surprisingly inspired vehicle for the clever teaming of Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence. Robbins plays an addled advertising executive who comes home early one day and discovers his wife in bed with his boss. To make matters worse, he's later carjacked by a struggling, unemployed family-man-turned-petty-thief (Lawrence), and that's when he loses his cool completely. He takes the carjacker hostage and recruits him on a road-trip scheme of revenge against his wife and boss. Plotting to break into his boss's high-security vault, Robbins gets a criminal assist from Lawrence, but they're also on the run from another pair of would-be thieves who trail them to the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Martin Lawrence - Tim Robbins Director(s): Steve Oedekerk DVD Release Date: Released the 30 October 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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In Black Knight, Martin Lawrence plays an amusement park employee who is magically transported back to medieval times and helps return a queen to her rightful throne (while learning some valuable lessons along the way). Despite the script's lack of logic and originality, Lawrence is an engaging performer, with a loose-limbed amiability that makes him most enjoyable company, even if he's not necessarily a better actor than most comedians. If Lawrence ever does a movie with a decent script, he might really have something; as it is we'll have to settle right now for the cheesy yet funny sight of Lawrence teaching a medieval band to play some Sly and Family Stone. --Bret FetzerMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Martin Lawrence - Marsha Thomason Director(s): Gil Junger DVD Release Date: Released the 16 April 2002 This item is currently not available.
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