Blue Streak

December 11, 2004

Rated: PG-13 Runtime: 93 min Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This movie turned out to be a bit better than we were expecting. Martin Lawrence can be a bit of an acquired taste to begin with and with this movie only having a PG-13 rating, there was concern that he couldn’t do “his thing”. But this movies delivers exactly what is promised in the trailers which is a good solid comedy sprinked with some action all based around Lawrence.

If you saw a movie late in the Summer of 1999 movie season, you’ve likely seen the trailer for this movie since they seemingly showed it in front of every flick that came out after July 4th. If so, you know what the deal is here. For those who somehow managed to miss it, Martin plays a jewel thief who has a robbery of a $17 million dollar diamond go sour. He ends up getting caught but not before he manages to hide the diamond in a building that is still under construction. Imagine his surprise when he gets out of jail and goes for his hidden loot only to find that building is a huge police station. To gain access and recover his hidden booty, he impersonates a cop. While trying to get the diamond back he ends up getting dragged into a series of real cases and situations which make for a series of very funny scenes.

It’s hard to watch this movie and not think of Eddie Murphy and Bevery Hills Cop. The “fish out of water” scenario with the “street” guy being introduced to the stuffy world of law enforcement is very similar. And much like a younger Eddie Murphy it looks like many of the scenes are setup by just turning Martin Lawrence loose. This movies is nowhere near as slick as Bevery Hills Cop and Lawrence lacks the charisma of Murphy, but we do get some glimpses of his brilliance here even if he is a bit manic at times. If he avoids self destruction and keeps his head on straight, he could be a huge comedy/action star. The rest of the cast does a solid job, particularly David Chapelle who nearly steals a couple of scenes, but this film is unquestionably a vehicle built around Martin Lawrence.

Although the movie does not have any real side splitters, it does keep you grinning and chuckling for the duration. There were no really slow spots. The movie should most definitely be considered a comedy, but there’s some decent action in there too for a PG-13 flick with a decent amount of gunplay and car chases. They drive a Ford Crown Vic like a rental car in a couple of scenes including one shot which has the car getting better hang time than Michael Jordan. Air LTD? Works for me!

Had Blue Streak been released in early summer up against the big blockbusters, it would’ve likely only received 3 stars from us, and I doubt it would’ve even managed to stay in the theatres more than a few weeks. However, the distributors and studio chose wisely by waiting and doing a fall release when there’s less competition. In a sea of pretty mediocre movies, this one now stands out. If you’re looking for a good comedy seasoned with a bit of action, go see this movie.

Posted by Billy Bob | Filed Under 4 Stars, Comedy, DVD, Dave Chappelle, Luke Wilson, Martin Lawrence, PG-13, Peter Greene, William Forsythe