neumu [ cinematronic ]




	National Security
	Dennis Dugan Martin Lawrence, Steve Zahn, Colm Feore, Bill Duke, Eric Roberts, Timothy Busfield, Robinne Lee, Joe Flaherty, Stephen Tobolowsky 2003		Despite the title, "National Security" is NOT a political thriller starring Harrison Ford or Clint Eastwood. In fact, the title doesn't give an inkling of what the film is: a noisy, vulgar, violent, stupid comedy vehicle for loud-mouthed, self-adoring comic Martin Lawrence ("Big Momma's House"). The black-and-ostensibly-badass Lawrence is teamed with white-intrepid-but-hapless Steve Zahn to give the project interracial-buddy-picture flava. But it's Lawrence's picture, and that's, literally, a no-brainer. Earl (Lawrence) is a lippy, overzealous LAPD cadet who's kicked out of the academy and can only find work as a security guard. When Earl accuses uptight cop Hank (Zahn) of police harassment, Hank loses his job and is forced to team up with Earl at ... National Security! A car chase, gunfight and explosion or two later, the adversaries come up against a smuggling ring and police corruption. Lawrence plays the race card for laughs that never come; Zahn struggles to salvage the awful script and fails. Upside: Some crass studio won't be able to use the name "National Security" to sell an assembly-line, straight-to-inflight action movie.