National Security (2003 Film)
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''National Security'' is a 2003 American
buddy cop Buddy cop is a film and television genre with plots involving two people of very different and conflicting personalities who are forced to work together to solve a crime and/or defeat criminals, sometimes learning from each other in the process. ...
action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...
directed by
Dennis Dugan Dennis Barton Dugan (; born September 5, 1946) is an American film director, actor, and comedian. He is known for directing the films ''Problem Child (film), Problem Child'', ''Brain Donors'', ''Beverly Hills Ninja'' and ''National Security (20 ...
, and starring
Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...
and
Steve Zahn Steven James Zahn ( ; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor. In film, Zahn is best known for his lead roles in '' That Thing You Do!'' (1996), '' Happy, Texas'' (1999), '' Joy Ride'' (2001), ''National Security'' (2003), '' A Perfect Geta ...
. The supporting cast includes
Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. As a ...
,
Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. He has amassed more than 700 film and television credits since his debut in 1978, making him one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time. Roberts' career ...
,
Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of ...
, and Matt McCoy. It was shot at various locations in
Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the eas ...
, including
Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
and Santa Clarita. The film was released on January 17, 2003, received negative reviews from critics, and grossed over $54 million worldwide against a total budget of $30 million at the box office.


Plot

As
LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
policemen Hank Rafferty and Charlie Reed investigate a warehouse heist by a gang of thieves, Charlie is killed before the thieves escape. Meanwhile, Earl Montgomery's lifelong dream to become a police officer is thwarted when he flunks police academy for accidentally causing an explosion. Frustrated that Detective Frank McDuff won't allow Hank to aid in the investigation of Charlie's death, he sees Earl trying to get into his car after locking his keys inside. When Hank questions him, Earl race-baits and insults him until he tries to arrest him. A bumblebee comes along, to which Earl is allergic, causing him to panic. From afar, it seems that Hank is brutalizing Earl when he is actually shooing the bee away with his baton; a man catches the incident on video, in which Earl spitefully lies about. Hank is fired from the police force and sentenced to six months in prison for assault. After his release, Hank takes a job as a security guard and continues investigating Charlie's death. Noticing an alarm being tripped at a soda warehouse, Hank goes to investigate. Earl, who works for the same security company, is on duty at the warehouse but is distracted. Hank interrupts the heist, and a gunfight erupts, during which Hank and Earl cross paths again. They give chase but are stopped for speeding. One of the thieves drops a cell phone, which leads them to a semi-trailer truck. Inside it, Hank and Earl find the thieves' van. Earl tries to hotwire the van but accidentally triggers the alarm, alerting the thieves. After a brief shootout, Hank and Earl escape by driving the van out of the truck and off the edge of the
Vincent Thomas Bridge The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a suspension bridge, crossing Los Angeles Harbor in Los Angeles, California, linking San Pedro with Terminal Island. It is the only suspension bridge in the Greater Los Angeles area. The bridge is part of State ...
. The van contains seemingly ordinary beer kegs; however at a foundry they discover they are actually made of an atomic aerospace alloy worth millions. They hide the van and the kegs in Hank's ex-girlfriend Denise's. As they broke up when Hank was convicted, Hank asks Earl to tell Denise the truth about the "assault". Earl promises, but when he sees she is an attractive black woman, he instead hits on her, playing the victim again. This causes another fight between them, and Denise kicks them both out. After a heated argument, Hank punches Earl in the face before storming off. Later, the pair is cornered by police, as they are suspects in the earlier shootout. They escape, as Earl manages to punch Hank back in retaliation, and Hank realizes the thieves must have a mole in the police department. That night, the pair trace the van's owner's address and stake it out, but Earl rushes inside on his own and is confronted by the thieves. Hank arrives just as Earl is shot in the leg, and before they escape, he recognizes one of the thieves, Nash, as Charlie's murderer. When Hank takes Earl to Denise to get his wound treated (which is just a graze), a bee flies in and Earl freaks out, making Denise realize that Hank's story about the "assault" on Earl was actually true. She slaps Earl for lying and reconciles with Hank. Based on something overheard from Nash, they follow him to a meeting at a yacht club and witness him talking to McDuff, his inside man. Hank and Earl tell Hank's former boss, Lieutenant Washington, everything they know and then pretend to approach McDuff, offering to sell him back the "beer kegs" for $1 million. However, Nash learns about their plans and takes Washington hostage first. During the confrontation the next day, the pair meet with McDuff, Nash, and their men near the coast. Hank and Earl rescue Washington, but accidentally start yet another gunfight with Nash's gang; the trio manage to apprehend or kill most of the thugs, including McDuff. Hank is shot, but survives and kills Nash by catapulting him into the ocean with a crane's lifting hook, finally avenging Charlie's death. Six months later, in honor of their heroic actions, Hank is reinstated in the LAPD while Earl is admitted to the force. Now officially partners, they encounter a situation similar to how they met, in which a man is apparently locked out of his car. Earl helps him but discovers he is actually a thief. He successfully stops him by shooting at the car, but the vehicle explodes soon after.


Cast

*
Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...
as Earl Montgomery *
Steve Zahn Steven James Zahn ( ; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor. In film, Zahn is best known for his lead roles in '' That Thing You Do!'' (1996), '' Happy, Texas'' (1999), '' Joy Ride'' (2001), ''National Security'' (2003), '' A Perfect Geta ...
as Hank Rafferty *
Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of ...
as Detective Frank McDuff *
Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. As a ...
as Lieutenant Washington *
Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. He has amassed more than 700 film and television credits since his debut in 1978, making him one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time. Roberts' career ...
as Nash *
Timothy Busfield Timothy Busfield (born June 12, 1957) is an American actor and director. He played Elliot Weston on the television series '' thirtysomething''; Mark, the brother-in-law of Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), in '' Field of Dreams''; and Danny Concann ...
as Charlie Reed * Robinne Lee as Denise * Matt McCoy as District Attorney Robert Barton *
Brett Cullen Peter Brett Cullen (born August 26, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Dan Fixx in ''Falcon Crest'' (1986–1988), Sam Cain in '' The Young Riders'' (1989–1990), Governor Ray Sullivan in ''The West Wing'' (2005–2 ...
as Heston * Mari Morrow as Lola *
Stephen Tobolowsky Stephen Harold Tobolowsky (born May 30, 1951) is an American character actor and writer. He is known for film roles such as insurance agent Ned Ryerson in ''Groundhog Day'' and amnesiac Sammy Jankis in '' Memento'', as well as such television ch ...
as Billy Narthax *
Margaret Travolta Margaret Travolta is an American actress. Early life Margaret Travolta was born in Englewood, New Jersey to an Italian-Irish Family. Her parents were practicing Catholics. The daughter of Salvatore Travolta and Helen Cecilia (née Burke) she wa ...
as Judge *
Noel Gugliemi Noel Albert Gugliemi is an American actor best known for his portrayals of Southern Californian gangsters. Gugliemi played Hector in '' The Fast and the Furious'' and '' Furious 7'', and loosely reprised the role for other media. Early life G ...
as Latino Convict * Jonathan Loughran as Sarcastic Cop * Leslie Jones as Britney, Trucker Woman * Hal Fishman as himself *
Jeff Ross Jeffrey Ross Lifschultz (born September 13, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director and producer. Nicknamed the "Roastmaster General" for his insult comedy, his multiple appearances at celebrity Roast (comedy), roasts held by the ...
as Security Guard * Martin Klebba as Security Guard (uncredited)


Music

The main songs are: * "Silly" - The Warden * "One of These Days" -
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...
* "95 South" - Cool Ade * " All Good? -
De La Soul De La Soul ( ) is an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York (state), New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evoluti ...
* "N.S.E.W." -
Disturbing tha Peace Disturbing tha Peace Records (or DTP) is an American record label founded by rapper Ludacris, Ludacris' manager Chaka Zulu, and Chaka Zulu's brother Jeff Dixon in 1998. History Beginnings Disturbing tha Peace was founded in 1998 by Christ ...
* Fruko y Sus Tesos ("El Preso") * Graveyard Soldjas ("Don't Start None") * Petey Pablo ("Blow Your Whistle") * Tracy ("One More Try") * Barry White ("Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe") * Fingaz ("Baby") * 95 South ("Cool Ade (Extended Mix)") * Lil' O ("Ay Yo") * Bathgate ("Bump That") * Damian Valentine ("Revolution")


Production

In April 1998, it was reported that
Robert Newmyer Robert F. Newmyer (May 30, 1956 – December 12, 2005) was an American film producer, both commercial and independent. Biography Robert Frederick Newmyer (Bobby) was born on May 30, 1956, in Washington, D.C., to James and Virginia Newmyer. He ...
's Outlaw Productions had formed a multi-film co-production agreement with
Intermedia Intermedia is an art theory term coined in the mid-1960s by Fluxus artist Dick Higgins to describe the strategies of interdisciplinarity that occur within artworks existing between artistic genres. It was also used by John Brockman to refer to ...
and
Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
.
Action comedy The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...
script ''National Security'' from ''
Spin City ''Spin City'' is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996, to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a fictionalized version of the New York City mayor's off ...
'' writers Jay Scherick and David Ronn was announced to be the first production of this agreement. In January 2000, ''National Security'' was being developed as a potential vehicle for
Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...
. By October 2000, the film was set up at
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
after
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
passed on the project with
Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...
in negotiations for a $20 million per picture deal to play the lead in both ''National Security'' and a sequel to '' Blue Streak'' with Lawrence next working on whichever project was ready to go first.


Reception

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
''National Security'' has an approval rating of 11% based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 3.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "The action in ''National Security'' is mindless, while the humor says nothing insightful about racial issues." On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
the film has a weighted average score of 34 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data. Background Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "B+" on scale of A+ to F.
Joe Leydon Joseph Patrick Michael Leydon (born August 22, 1952) is an American film critic and historian. A critic and correspondent for '' Variety'' since 1990, he is the author of ''Joe Leydon's Guide to Essential Movies You Must See'' (Michael Wiese Pro ...
of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote that "Despite some tasty contributions from Lawrence and Zahn, too much of ''National Security'' has the bland flavor of microwaved leftovers." A. O. Scott of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said it "Lacks the wit to do anything new and instead recycles tired jokes and attitudes." Michael Wilmington of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' wrote was critical of the script but said the actors save the film, and concludes "I wouldn't race out to see "National Security," but it does give you exactly what you'd expect: yocks, explosions and funny brawling buddies rolling all over those over-used L.A. freeways." Ann Hornaday of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' panned the film calling it "a by-the-numbers sop to adolescent testosterone overload" and said that to call Lawrence "a poor man's
Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...
" was both an insult to Pryor and to poor people. Tom Long of ''
The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United S ...
'' wrote that the movie was "loud, crass, dumb and then even dumber." John Monaghan of the ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
'' highlighted what he saw as an "off-putting" racial subtext that made him unable to enjoy the movie. Kevin Thomas of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' gave it a positive review and called it "A funny, raucous action comedy, effectively teams Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn in a film that's both laugh out loud funny and surprisingly subtle."


References


External links

* * {{Dennis Dugan 2003 films 2003 comedy films 2003 action comedy films 2000s buddy comedy films 2000s buddy cop films American action comedy films American buddy comedy films American buddy cop films American crime comedy films Columbia Pictures films 2000s English-language films Films about the Los Angeles Police Department Films about security and surveillance Films directed by Dennis Dugan Films scored by Randy Edelman Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles 2000s American films English-language crime films English-language action comedy films English-language thriller films English-language buddy comedy films