National Security

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Movie
German title National Security
Original title National Security
Country of production USA , UK
original language English
Publishing year 2003
length 88 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
JMK 12
Rod
Director Dennis Dugan
script David Ronn ,
Jay Scherick
production Michael Green ,
Robert F. Newmyer ,
Jeffrey Silver
music Randy Edelman
camera Oliver Wood
cut Patrick J. Don Vito ,
Debra Neil-Fisher
occupation

National Security is a US action - comedy directed by Dennis Dugan from the year 2003 with Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn in the lead roles.

action

Earl Montgomery wanted to become a police officer, but could not finish the training due to an unfortunate incident at the training camp and his behavior. At the same time, the police officer Hank Rafferty loses his colleague Charlie on a night mission. Despite the advice of his supervisor, he resumes his duties a short time later. On his patrol, he meets Earl for the first time, who is trying a bit conspicuously to open his car because he had forgotten his car keys in the car. Still angry with the police, they defy Hank's instructions.

A violent argument ensues , which, in addition to Hank's later regrets, is joined by a bumblebee , to which Earl is allergic. The attempt to chase the bumblebee away with a baton is accidentally recorded by an amateur filmmaker. Unfortunately, what is recorded later looks a little different from reality. Hank is charged with brutal police violence. Earl, still angry, slanders Hank and says he hurt him. Hank is jailed for six months and released from the police force. When he is released, he finds a thankless job as a security guard at National Security and continues to investigate Charlie's death. During a robbery in a beverage warehouse, he comes across Earl again, who works there for the same security company, but does not take his work that seriously. There is a shooting and the two pursue the thieves, but are stopped by the police because they are speeding.

One of the thieves drops a cell phone that leads them to a semi-trailer. In the truck, the two find the thief's van from the robbery from the drinks warehouse. Earl tries to start the van by short circuiting, but accidentally triggers the alarm and thus alerts the thieves. After a brief shootout, Earl and Hank drive the van out of the truck - but fall off the bridge and land on a rubbish dumpster . Inside the van there are beer barrels, Hank has them examined by a foundry and they learn that the barrels are made of a multi-million dollar aerospace alloy. Hank brings the van and barrels to his ex-girlfriend Denise's house. They split after Hank was arrested, and Hank asks Earl to tell Denise the truth about the "attack". Earl promises, but when he sees that Denise is an attractive African American woman, he breaks his promise. This leads to another fight between Earl and Hank - and Denise throws them both out. After a heated argument, Hank hits Earl in the face. Later, when Hank went to pick up his seized private car and Earl went to pick up his seized weapon, the two are cornered by the police. Earl steals a police car and a car chase ensues. They escape and Hank realizes that the thieves must have an inside inside the police force.

After initial difficulties, the two are now forced to work together and together they track down the smuggler and Charlie's murderer Nash, which brings them into trouble again. When Hank brings Earl to Denise to have his gunshot wound treated, a bee flies into the house and Earl runs in panic for cover, which Denise realizes that Hank's story about the "attack" on Earl is indeed true. Denise beats Earl and makes up with Hank.

Earl and Hank see Nash at a yacht club party and see him meet up with Detective Frank McDuff, who turns out to be Nash's insider. Hank and Earl then talk to Hank's former boss, Lieutenant Washington, and learn that the multi-million dollar alloys were stolen, melted, and poured into kegs to smuggle them out of the country a year ago. Hank and Earl want to fake a sale of the "beer kegs" because McDuff would be interested in buying them back. However, Nash learns of their plans and first takes Washington hostage. A fight ensues in an old bunker, with Nash and McDuff dying. Hank is reinstated by the police; Earl received a police badge as an award for the first time and was accepted into the police force.

In the final scene, Hank and Earl mistakenly help a car thief steal a luxury car. When Montgomery realizes his mistake, he shoots at the car, which then explodes.

background

  • The DVD and Blu-Ray release contains a long, alternative ending that was originally intended as a theatrical version. McDuff is not killed at the beginning of the shooting, but only on the cliff where Nash died shortly before. At the subsequent award, Earl gives a lengthy speech and introduces his new security service: Maximum Security . Then the film ends. During a test screening, however, the audience complained about the ending - the audience wanted them to be cops. Several months after the end of shooting, the film had to be cut again and additional scenes added. In the last scene of the film you can see that Hank's hair is longer and Earl's hair is shorter. The scene in the phone booth that was added after the meeting with Lieutenant Washington was also re-shot. Since the long interval between the shooting was also evident in this scene, the director stuck stickers and advertisements to the phone booth so that you couldn't see her hair. For the short shot in which McDuff was shot standing in the car window, the director and his team had to fly to Toronto , as actor Colm Feore was already working on the shooting of Chicago at the time .
  • The bunker scene is the same location that was used at the beginning of The Rock .
  • The cinema release in the USA was on January 17, 2003, in Germany on February 27, 2003. National Security grossed around 50 million US dollars in cinemas around the world , including around 36.4 million US dollars in US cinemas alone. In Germany, the film grossed around 2.1 million euros, the number of cinema admissions amounted to 356,452 and was ranked 73rd among the most successful films for 2003 in Germany.

Reviews

source rating
Rotten tomatoes
critic
audience
Metacritic
critic
audience
IMDb

The film received mostly negative reviews and achieved a rating of 11% on Rotten Tomatoes , based on 89 reviews and 45% from the audience with around 68,500 votes. At Metacritic one could Metascore of 31, based on 25 reviews, can be achieved. At IMDb , the film received 5.6 out of a possible 10 stars with around 45,000 ratings. (As of September 19, 2019)

"Crude action slapstick with the usual prejudices and clichés, whose solid design cannot prevent boredom."

- Lexicon of international film

“This typical buddy movie tries its hand at the usual mixture of action and comedy. But apart from tired and well-worn gags, this work has nothing to offer. It was definitely a huge mistake to cast the otherwise incredibly funny Steve Zahn as a serious ex-cop. Partner Martin Lawrence, on the other hand, is extremely annoying here, as is usually the case. "

- prism

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Approval for National Security . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , February 2003 (PDF; test number: 93 103 K).
  2. ↑ Age rating for National Security . Youth Media Commission .
  3. ↑ a b Dennis Dugan. Audio commentary on the film. DVD (2003) & Blu-Ray (2008). Sony Pictures Entertainment .
  4. ↑ National Securty. In: moviemaze.de. Retrieved September 19, 2019 .
  5. ↑ a b c National Security in the Internet Movie Database , accessed September 19, 2019
  6. ^ National Security. Box Office Mojo , accessed September 19, 2019 .
  7. ↑ The most successful films in Germany 2003. In: insidekino.com. Retrieved September 19, 2019 .
  8. ↑ a b c National Security at Rotten Tomatoes (English), accessed on September 19, 2019
  9. ↑ a b c National Security at Metacritic (English), accessed on September 19, 2019
  10. ^ National Security. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  11. ^ National Security , prisma.de