Cop Steve Zahn is investigating the murder of his partner (Timothy Busfield). Things get complicated when he is fired for using excessive force on a black motorist, played by Martin Lawrence. Afterwards, the only job he can get is working as a security guard. Naturally, he winds up being partnered with Lawrence, who reluctantly agrees to help him clear his name and find the murderer.
National Security is an odd duck. The early scenes work well enough, especially the stuff where Zahn is accused of excessive force. These scenes hit a little differently now than when the film was released, but they are still pretty funny. The best sequence though details how Zahn is able to avoid being killed in prison. I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it as it is easily the biggest laugh in the movie.
Once Lawrence enters the fray, it kind of switches gears and becomes a Martin Lawrence action comedy. His solo scenes aren’t bad or anything, but they certainly pale in comparison to something like Blue Streak or Black Knight. At times, it almost seems like there were two scripts that became conjoined as the tone in Zahn’s scenes doesn’t quite gel with Lawrence’s stuff. That probably wouldn’t matter much if the pair had any real chemistry to speak of.
At least the supporting cast is interesting. Colm Feore and Bill Duke are suitably intimidating as detectives, but it’s Eric Roberts who looks like he’s having the most fun as a white-haired assassin. Sadly, like everything else in the movie, the script never quite figures out what to do with him.
Another problem is Dennis Dugan’s direction. His style might be perfectly suited for Adam Sandler movies, but he really isn’t the guy for the job when it comes to an action-comedy. He also collaborated with Zahn for the much better Saving Silverman, which came out two years prior.
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