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Lawrence and Zahn should be busted for 'National Security'
Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn in 'National Security'
Columbia Pictures
In this foray into the land of the mismatched partners, Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn play adversaries who eventually - and inevitably - become unlikely allies in stopping crime.
Hank (Zahn) is a Los Angeles police officer despondent over the death of his partner, who was shot while the two were trying to stop a burglary. Earl Montgomery (Lawrence) is a smart-mouthed, authority-defying police-officer wannabe who gets thrown out of the academy.
The two meet in a scene that parodies the Rodney King videotaped police brutality incident.
And it's gut-busting hilarious. You'll have to trust me on this -
I don't want to explain any more about it, because it's the only belly laugh in the entire film and it gets the movie off to a promising start.
But the rest of the film is a let-down.
The pairing of Lawrence and Zahn is inherently funny - each is entertaining in his own right. The two get the facial expressions, the line delivery, the physical comedy all right.
But in this instance, the material they have to work with is less than sparkling and is, at times, horribly disjointed.
The story gets under way in earnest after Hank is let out of prison, where he was sent after being convicted of beating Earl. Both get jobs as security guards and - wouldn't you know it - the smuggling thugs who killed Hank's partner are at it again.
This time, Earl and Hank shoot it out with the gang but end up getting arrested by the LAPD. When the mixup is straightened out, Earl and Hank decide to continue their quest to catch the bad guys.
Through it all, there are jokes revolving mostly around racial themes and stereotypes and Earl's love of the ladies. Earl repeatedly lies to keep getting Hank in trouble - it's a wonder why the two stay together until the end, even though the story and the genre expectations dictate they will.
The movie bounces back and forth between the recycled black-versus-white jokes and shoot-'em-up, car-chase action scenes - with an occasional attempt at sentimentality.
To be fair, the preview audience I saw the film with laughed heartily through most of the film and didn't seem to mind that none of the gags was new or particularly inventive - the Rodney King spoof excepted.
The performances from Lawrence and Zahn are the only thing that keep the film from completely tanking - because of them, the film, at a tight 90 minutes, somehow didn't completely wear out its welcome.
The end of the movie seems to leave open the possibility of a sequel.
But if Lawrence and Zahn team up again for a movie, here's hoping they abandon the "National Security" formula altogether.
| 'National Security' |
Director: Dennis Dugan
Stars: Martin Lawrence, Steve Zahn
MPAA Rating: PG-13, for violence, language and some sensuality
