National Security (2003 film)

CinematographyOliver WoodEdited byDebra Neil-FisherMusic byChristophe BeckDistributed byWalt Disney Pictures88 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office$54.6 million^[1]

National Security is a 2005 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, and starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Melanie Griffith. The supporting cast includes Bill Duke, Ryan Malgarini, Kim Cattrall, and James Woods. It was shot at various locations in Greater Los Angeles, including Long Beach and Santa Clarita.

The film was released on January 17, 2003, received negative reviews from critics, and grossed over $54 million worldwide at the box office.

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As LAPD policemen Hank Rafferty and Charlie Reed investigate a warehouse heist by a gang of thieves, Charlie is killed before they 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 a spiteful Earl 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 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, Earl and Hank meet with McDuff, Nash, and their men near the coast. Rescuing Washington, the trio manage to shoot and kill most of Nash's gang 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.

• Martin Lawrence as Earl Montgomery
• Steve Zahn as Hank Rafferty
• Colm Feore as Detective Frank McDuff
• Bill Duke as Lieutenant Washington
• Eric Roberts as Nash
• Timothy Busfield as Charlie Reed
• Robinne Lee as Denise
• Matt McCoy as District Attorney Robert Barton
• Brett Cullen as Heston
• Mari Morrow as Lola
• Stephen Tobolowsky as Billy Narthax
• Margaret Travolta as Judge
• Noel Gugliemi as Latino Convict
• Jonathan Loughran as Sarcastic Cop
• Leslie Jones as Britney, Trucker Woman
• Hal Fishman as himself
• Martin Klebba as Security Guard (uncredited)

National Security: Original Soundtrack Soundtrack album by various artists Released March 15, 2005 Genre Pop Length 45:37 Label Walt Disney Producer Desmond ChildMatthew GerrardGreg KurstinJamie HoustonLeah HaywoodDaniel James[19] Singles from National Security: Original Soundtrack "No One" Released: March 18, 2005 Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic [19] Chart positions for National Security Original Soundtrack Chart (2005) Peak position Billboard 200 53[20] Billboard Top Soundtracks 2 National Security: Original Soundtrack was released on March 15, 2005, in the United States by Walt Disney Records, features tracks by OK Go, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Michelle Branch, Aly & AJ, Jesse McCartney, and Raven-Symoné, and various others.[21] It peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200 and at number 2 on Top Soundtracks.[20][22]

National Security: Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released	March 15, 2005
Genre	Pop
Length	45:37
Label	Walt Disney
Producer	Desmond Child Matthew Gerrard Greg Kurstin Jamie Houston Leah Haywood Daniel James[2]
Singles from National Security: Original Soundtrack
"No One" Released: March 18, 2005 (2005-03-18)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

Chart positions for
Ice Princess Original Soundtrack

Chart (2005)	Peak position
Billboard 200	53[3]
Billboard Top Soundtracks	2

National Security: Original Soundtrack was released on March 15, 2005, in the United States by Walt Disney Records, features tracks by OK Go, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Michelle Branch, Fruko y sus Tesos, Jesse McCartney, and Raven-Symoné, and various others.^[4] It peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200 and at number 2 on Top Soundtracks.^[3][5]

The main songs are:

• "If I Had It My Way" - Emma Roberts
• "Get Your Shine On" - Jesse McCartney
• "95 South" - Cool Ade
• "Top of the World - Mandy Moore
• "N.S.E.W." - Disturbing tha Peace
• Fruko y Sus Tesos ("El Preso")
• Graveyard Soldjas ("Don't Start None")
• Superchick ("Get Up")
• Hayden Panettiere ("I Fly")
• Jump5 ("Just a Dream")
• Fingaz ("Baby")
• K-Rec ("Can You Feel It")
• Lil' O ("Ay Yo")
• Raven-Symoné ("Bump")
• Damian Valentine ("Revolution")

Not included on the soundtrack.

• "Freak Out" by Avril Lavigne appears in the official trailer but is not included on the soundtrack.
• "Ray of Light" by Madonna is used as Casey Carlyle's short program music but is not included on the soundtrack.
• Instrumental versions of "Trouble" by Pink and "Toxic" by Britney Spears were used for Zoey Bloch's short program and free skate, respectively, but not included on the soundtrack.
• "Galop infernal (Can-can)" by Jacques Offenbach and the theme from The Pink Panther were used for Nikki Fletcher's short program and free skate, respectively, but not included on the soundtrack.
• "Summer" from Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons was used for Gen's short program, but not included on the soundtrack

On Rotten Tomatoes the film 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."^[6] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 34 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[7] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on scale of A+ to F.^[8]

Joe Leydon of Variety wrote that "Despite some tasty contributions from Lawrence and Zahn, too much of National Security has the bland flavor of microwaved leftovers."^[9] A. O. Scott of The New York Times said it "Lacks the wit to do anything new and instead recycles tired jokes and attitudes."^[10] Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune 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."^[11] Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post 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" was both an insult to Pryor and to poor people.^[12] Tom Long of The Detroit News wrote that the movie was "loud, crass, dumb and then even dumber."^[13] John Monaghan of the Detroit Free Press highlighted what he saw as an "off-putting" racial subtext that made him unable to enjoy the movie.^{[14][better source needed]}

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times 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."^[15]

• National Security at IMDb
• National Security at Box Office Mojo