National Security (2003)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Dennis Dugan

Writers (WGA):

Jay Scherick (written by) &
David Ronn (written by)

Release Date:

17 January 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

They only look like cops.

Plot:

Two mismatched security guards are thrown together to bust a smuggling operation.

Plot Keywords:

Security Guard | Shot In The Butt | Keys Locked In Car | Strip Search | Machine Gun

Cast

Martin Lawrence	...	Earl Montgomery
Steve Zahn	...	Hank Rafferty
Colm Feore	...	Detective Frank McDuff
Bill Duke	...	Lieutenant Washington
Eric Roberts	...	Nash
Timothy Busfield	...	Charlie Reed
Robinne Lee	...	Denise
Matt McCoy	...	Robert Barton
Brett Cullen	...	Heston
Cleo King	...	Woman in Car
Gerry Del Sol	...	Booking Clerk
Ken Lerner	...	Hank's Lawyer
Mari Morrow	...	Lola
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Billy Narthax
Joe Flaherty	...	Owen Fergus

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some sensuality.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18PL | Hungary:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38105) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Fire Station 23 - 225 E. 5th Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

DVD has alternate ending.

Goofs:

Factual errors: While arguing over which road to take while driving the driving school car they push on opposite directions on the two steering wheels causing them to go straight. In reality the passenger wheel has an override and the car would have gone to the right.

Quotes:

Hank: Do you actually believe the crap that comes out of your mouth?
Earl: I'm not really sure until I'm finished talkin'.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

It's lighthearted, fun and goofy --- I like it!

Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn star in this funny comedy as two ill-fated security guards who team up to bring down a dangerous criminal organisation and a crooked cop. It may not be an excellent film, but it is a lighthearted, fairly fresh take on the classic "buddy cop" formula that's been used over and over again (Shanghai Noon, I Spy, etc...) This time, most of the laughs come from Lawrence, who does a good job of being the wise-assed, smart-mouthed partner as Steve Zahn does his stuff as the impatient lead character.

The plot of the film seems a bit rushed, and not developped to its extent, but that's no matter. What DOES matter are the laughs; and though "National Security" isn't the funniest film in the world, the comedy is sharp --- although, at times, it does seem a bit recycled. Come on, we've seen this sort of stuff WAY too many times before...

The point is, "National Security" provides some laughs and is an all-around good film, though not great. For those of you lookin' for a familiar, smile-inducing cop film, you can't go wrong with "National Security". I'm a bit put off, though --- a 4.3 rating for this flick is just way too low, and I don't think the film deserves the bad reviews it's been getting. The same thing seems to have happened to "I Spy" as well...

Come on, you guys need to lighten up. Of course these films aren't Shakespeare --- and they don't want to be! Sooner or later, you'll learn that a movie doesn't have to be perfect in order for it to be an enjoyable experience. Most movies don't aim to be Oscar-material, so they opt to bring to the general public the things we want from this sort of film: comedy, action, wise-cracks, and, if at all possible, a decent plot. We can't compare movies like these to, say, "Star Wars" or "Casablanca" or "Titanic", because they're in totally different leagues. I try to review each film while considering the different intentions of the producers. If a film is a clear Oscar contender, I may be a bit more harsh in my review --- but with most comedies and action pics, I give credit where credit is due.

And that's the moral of this story: GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE! "National Security" is a decent flick and is well worth the price of admission, at least in the eyes of this reviewer.