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National Security

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National Security (2003)

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Reviews Counted:85

Fresh:10

Rotten:75

Average Rating:3.3/10

Consensus: The action in National Security is mindless, while the humor says nothing insightful about racial issues.

Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: In the hilarious, action-packed comedy National Security, Martin Lawrence (Earl Montgomery) stars as a cocky L.A. P.D. cadet who would probably be a great cop if he weren’t such a show-off. Earl’s... In the hilarious, action-packed comedy National Security, Martin Lawrence (Earl Montgomery) stars as a cocky L.A. P.D. cadet who would probably be a great cop if he weren’t such a show-off. Earl’s rebellious attitude gets him thrown out of the police academy and he has to settle for a job as a lowly security guard with "National Security."

After a run-in with an uptight police officer, Hank Rafferty (Steve Zahn), Earl accuses him of harassment. Hank loses his badge, is thrown into jail, and eventually winds up working for National Security as well.

Earl’s overzealous behavior leads to a sophisticated smuggling operation led by Nash (Eric Roberts) and a possible police cover-up.

Now everyone wants Earl and Hank dead – though they just may kill each other first.

Columbia Pictures presents An Outlaw/Intermedia/Firm Films Production, National Security starring Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn. Colm Feore, Bill Duke, Eric Roberts, Timothy Busfield and Robinne Lee co-star. The director is Dennis Dugan. The screenplay is written by Jay Scherick & David Ronn. Bobby Newmyer, Jeff Silver and Michael Green are the producers. Moritz Borman, Guy East, Nigel Sinclair and Martin Lawrence are the executive producers. Oliver Wood is the director of photography. Larry Fulton is the production designer. Debra Neil-Fisher, A.C.E, is the editor. April Ferry is the costume designer. The music is by Randy Edelman. The music supervision is by Michelle Kuznetsky and Mary Ramos.

National Security is rated PG-13 for violence, language and some sensuality. [More]

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Steve Zahn, Eric Roberts, Bill Duke

Starring: Martin Lawrence, Steve Zahn, Eric Roberts, Bill Duke, Colm Feore, Timothy Busfield

Director: Dennis Dugan

Director: Dennis Dugan
Screenwriter: David Ronn, Jay Scherick
Producer: Michael Green, Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmeyer
Composer: Randy Edelman
Studio: Columbia Pictures

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Reviews for National Security

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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It's all right out of Beverly Hills Cop, without the originality the premise had 20 years ago or Eddie Murphy's grinning manic humor.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/19/03
Paul Clinton (Boxoffice)
Paul Clinton (Boxoffice)
Boxoffice Magazine

Has a none-too-subtle racist agenda that is thoroughly unfunny and repellent.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
01/18/03
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
01/18/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
01/18/03
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Someone has to save us from Lawrence's onslaught of cinematic dross.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
01/18/03
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
01/18/03
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

A lame blend of comedy and action in which both credibility and laughs are blown to smithereens.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
01/18/03
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

A retread of all those buddies-in- the-cop-car pictures of the 1980s; not even slightly dusted off.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/17/03
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

A by-the-numbers sop to adolescent testosterone overload.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/17/03
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

The cliched plot and unconvincing action sequences ... don't blend well with the comic scenes and make the film look painfully cheap.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/17/03
Angel Cohn
Angel Cohn
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The film is clearly an anti-racist warning, but Earl's silly, closed-minded anger is a major distraction from the comedy though most of the movie.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
01/17/03
Daphne Gordon
Daphne Gordon
Toronto Star

It's a slapdash, heavily marked-down affair.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
01/17/03
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Dugan 'directs' with all the subtlety and nuance he brought to 1999's Big Daddy. Which is to say, none.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
01/17/03
Todd Anthony
Todd Anthony
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Boneheaded throwaway.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
01/17/03
Ted Fry
Ted Fry
Seattle Times

A boring and unnecessary throwback to the big and boisterous action comedies from the '80s.

Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment Comment
01/17/03
Jim Judy
Jim Judy
Screen It!

Combines a sour story with a repellent lead character, deadly comic schtick and tin-eared direction to produce 90 minutes of sheer, plodding mirthlessness.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/17/03
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle

Colliding police cruisers generate more sparks than Lawrence and Zahn, who create very little chemistry as a buddy team.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
01/17/03
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Is there anything worse than a Martin Lawrence movie?

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
01/17/03
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

The plot settles quickly into a conventional buddy movie framework.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
01/17/03
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

If it does anything at all, National Security should demonstrate the diminishing returns of Lawrence trying to outswagger, outsass and outshoot Eddie Murphy.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
01/17/03
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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