Cast: Martin Lawrence, Tom Wilkinson, Marsha Thomason, Vincent Regan, Kevin Conway
Director: Gil Junger
Producers: Michael Green, Arnon Milchan, Darryl Quarles, Paul Schiff
Screenplay: Darryl Quarles and Peter Gaulke & Gerry Swallow
Cinematography: Ueli Steiger
Music: Randy Edelman
U.S. Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Martin Lawrence needs to give more consideration to which movies he agrees to headline. Black Knight is the latest in a string of mediocre-to-bad films that have latched onto Lawrence's name as their sole marketable commodity. As a comedian doing stand-up routines, Lawrence has the ability to be explosively funny, but rarely has even a fraction of that talent been evident in his motion picture roles. In Black Knight, except for a few occasions when he is obviously mugging for the camera, Lawrence doesn't seem to be trying to make viewers laugh, and the movie's comic aspirations are not aided by a script that has trouble generating half-hearted chuckles.
Black Knight doesn't exude as powerful a stench as some of Lawrence's other, recent motion picture endeavors (What's the Worst Thing That Could Happen?, Big Momma's House, Blue Streak), but there's still a noticeable odor. The movie has too great a humor deficiency to be classified as a successful comedy and is too silly to work as a feather-light fantasy. Black Knight is not entirely without merit - there are occasional cute scenes that can be enjoyed on an isolated basis, but the chief pleasure offered by this film is the arrival of the end credits.
Lawrence plays Jamal, an employee at a medieval-themed amusement park. One day, while cleaning the moat, Jamal sees something shiny in the water. When he bends down to pick up the treasure, he suddenly finds himself transported back to 14th century England, where nasty King Leo (Kevin Conway) and his even nastier right-hand man, Percival (Vincent Regan), hold the countryside in a grip of terror. After inadvertently saving the life of Sir Knolte (Tom Wilkinson), a disgraced knight, Jamal survives his first encounter with the king and his men by pretending to be a courier from France (with the name of "Jamal Skywalker"). Then, when an accident causes Jamal to thwart an assassination attempt, King Leo grants him property and a title. Enter a woman named Victoria (Marsha Thomason), who comes to Jamal with a plea: help her overthrow the king and place the rightful queen on the throne in his place.
Black Knight is essentially an updated and dumbed-down version of Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." As adaptations of this ultimate fish-out-of-water tale rate, Bugs Bunny did it better in the cartoon version ("A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court"). The film, directed by television veteran Gil Junger, also makes the fatal flaw of offering viewers a moral - something that can cause even well-written comedies to falter. Black Knight makes a bold and too-obvious statement in favor of equal rights - that the unwashed masses and women deserve to be treated with the same dignity as the nobility. Of course, Percival and King Leo don't agree, so we are treated to a battle scene that does not rival anything in Braveheart for excitement or verisimilitude.
Aside from Lawrence, the cast is comprised of character actors. Tom Wilkinson, whose skills are far better displayed in the independent film In the Bedroom, lends his talent as Sir Knolte. Relative newcomer Marsha Thomason (whose body of previous work is primarily on the small screen) holds her own in scenes with Lawrence. Vincent Regan is disappointing as the villainous Percival. Of all the bad guys to grace these sorts of movies, his is among the least effective. Regan's character comes across as generally unpleasant, but not truly despicable.
Sadly, it has come to the point where a Martin Lawrence movie is invariably synonymous with unfunny, if not unwatchable. Even Lawrence's most ardent supporters must be growing weary of defending the comedian with each new unspectacular outing. Those looking to see some knights-in-shining-armor tomfoolery are encouraged to look in the direction of Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness. This Black Knight falls on its sword.
Note: Black Knight offers yet another indication of how truly inconsistent the MPAA's ratings policy is. This movie frequently uses the word "shit" and shows graphic depictions of bodiless heads (including one decapitation), yet, for some inexplicable reason, it has been granted a teenage-friendly PG-13 classification. On the other hand, something like Amelie, whose only transgression is to show the expressions of individuals reaching a sexual climax, is slapped with an R. At one time, it was difficult to determine the dividing line between a PG-13 and R movie; now, it's impossible.
© 2001 James Berardinelli