National Security (2003) More at IMDb Pro »

Martin Lawrence is incredibly talented. Unfortunately, those of us who don't watch his stand up comedy movies don't see it. They get PG-13 Martin. These days it seems Martin Lawrence is just dying for a hit. His downfall started after "Big Mommas House". His follow-up, "What's The Worst..." was definitely not the movie for him [I think we can all agree on that he was out of place and character]. He returned to the Martin Lawrence Formula of Schtick in "Black Knight", trying to repeat the success of "BMH", and it would have, had the script been re-tooled, the director swapped, and the lead actor reigned in from spewing out stand-up comic jokes that seem completely unnecessary to the story. His star was falling, but his paycheck was rising (strange...). He continued with his LIVE tour which reminded us of why we love him in the first place. Now he's got "National Security", a return to the Martin Lawrence Formula of Schtick but with a veteran comedy director (Dennis Dugan of Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy fame) and an equally funny co-star (Steve Zahn). What sets this aside from latter Martin films is that this isn't a one-man show.

Simply, it's the Buddy Cop Action Formula (in the midst of the movie, the Buddies Bond). You know the twists and turns and you know the end. But you want to laugh, and this movie does. Fans of the Race Card humor will love it. Those who don't, well, Lawrence's character Earl is flat out racist and you will probably be offended by some of the punchlines. The humor is more akin to Rush Hour's (race humor of course; no Jackie Chan here) and the action along the lines of Blue Streak (cable T.V. production value), but Dennis Dugan known for his hilarious stunt set pieces, delivers the goods. The story is unbelievable, but Lawrence and Zahn make a good pairing. They may not break new ground, but it's a fun ride. A matinee or rental at best. And to Lawrence: Bad Boys II and Blue Streak II may be on the horizon, but stop chasing the past and do something wholly original; something that exploits your talents and shows the world how much of a truly talented genius you are.