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Blue Streak
USA 1999
Reviewed by Danny Leigh
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
LA, two years ago. From the rooftop of a museum, jewel thief Miles Logan steals a diamond worth $17m. About to make his getaway, he is betrayed by his lieutenant Deacon. Trapped, Logan hides the diamond in a nearby derelict building before giving himself up to the police.
Two years later, Logan returns on parole to retrieve his prize, only to discover the building is now a police station. Logan acquires a forged police ID to gain entry. However, once inside he inadvertently foils a suspect's escape and is mistaken for a cop. Sent out on patrol with rookie detective Carlson, Logan becomes the toast of the force after apprehending an armed robber who is a former criminal cohort of Logan's named Tulley. Logan finally locates the diamond, only to lose it in a stash of heroin intended for a sting operation against a gang of drug dealers on the Mexican border. Accompanying Carlson and another detective, Hardcastle, to the sting, Logan is confronted by Deacon, who has pursued him in the hope of appropriating the diamond. In the subsequent shoot-out Deacon is killed, while the dealers are all arrested. Logan recovers the diamond. Carlson and Hardcastle inform him they have been aware of his true identity for some time, but as he is over the border, they are powerless to act. Thanking them, he flees.
Review
Brimming with such cop-movie clichés as irascible chiefs, odd-couple partnerships and jokes about doughnuts, Blue Streak is not a film in danger of out-thinking its audience. Many of the script's comic set pieces, even its central cop-robber role-reversal conceit, could have serviced star Martin Lawrence's occasional mentor Eddie Murphy at any point over the last two decades. The only surprising thing about it is how frequently it abandons even vague plausibility.
Such is the lot of the contemporary comedy-star vehicle, still reliant on the all-too-basic template of the Murphy showcase Beverly Hills Cop (an obvious antecedent here). And while it would be unfair not to give Blue Streak's director Les Mayfield credit for a competence belied by a CV featuring Flubber and Encino Man, his direction is riddled with stolid pans across the LA skyline and unnecessary, intrusive reaction shots which act as visual exclamation marks at the climax of almost every scene. It's no small testament to Lawrence that he manages to elevate such an essentially prosaic project beyond the mediocrity it would otherwise be destined for. Given the limitations of the form, it's the star's performance on which the vehicle stands or falls, and here Lawrence displays a manic charm which outstrips both the tiresome lachrymosity of, say, Adam Sandler, and the curmudgeonly delivery of his own sidekick roles in Bad Boys, Nothing to Lose and Life.
Lawrence brings an engaging sardonic quality to routines which could potentially appear unpleasant, such as his reprisal of Martin Luther King's "free at last" speech for the benefit of a busload of new inmates. At the same time, he manages not to capsize his character's essential amiability. Midway through being dumped by his girlfriend after she discovers his criminal activities, for example, Lawrence pleads, "but I didn't rob you," with an estimable lack of the pat roguish disingenuousness Murphy (for all his talent) would surely have been unable to resist. That said, Lawrence's efforts are bolstered by the supporting cast, particularly Luke Wilson's off-kilter turn as the quintessential hapless white-guy Carlson. Lending this profoundly hackneyed part an air of wide-eyed neurosis, Wilson even manages to enliven the predictable moment when he's taught to appreciate "the funk" by his savvy black partner. You only hope that in their next outings, neither he nor Lawrence have to contend with such ordinary screenwriting.
Credits
- Director
- Les Mayfield
- Producers
- Toby Jaffe
- Neal H. Moritz
- Screenplay
- Michael Berry
- John Blumenthal
- Steve Carpenter
- Director of Photography
- David Eggby
- Editor
- Michael Tronick
- Production Designer
- Bill Brzeski
- Music
- Edward Shearmur
- ©Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Co. Movie KG
- Production Companies
- Columbia Pictures presents a Neal H. Moritz/IndieProd/Jaffe production
- Executive Producers
- Daniel Melnick
- Allen Shapiro
- Co-producers
- Michael Fottrell
- Peaches Davis
- Production Supervisor
- Justin Moritt
- Production Co-ordinator
- Catherine S. McComb
- Unit Production Manager
- Michael Fottrell
- Location Managers
- Curtis L. Collins
- 2nd Unit:
- Eric Persons
- 2nd Unit Director
- David R. Ellis
- Assistant Directors
- Bruce Franklin
- Conte Mark Matal
- 2nd Unit:
- Chris Gerrity
- Sean McCarron
- Script Supervisors
- Jeanne Byrd
- 2nd Unit:
- Heather Harris
- Casting
- Lynn Kressel
- Associate:
- Susie Farris
- 2nd Unit Director of Photography
- Fred Feitshans IV
- Camera Operators
- Allen Easton
- Michael May
- 2nd Unit:
- Leo Napolitano
- Stephen Collins
- Visual Effects Supervisor
- Mat Beck
- Visual Effects
- Light Matters/ Pixel Envy Crew:
- Edson Williams
- Colin Strause
- Greg Strause
- Erik Liles
- Tony Meager
- Chris Schnizter
- Beverly Leonano
- Ross MacKenzie
- Rina Osamura
- Chris Haberski
- Special Effects Supervisors
- Clayton W. Pinney
- 2nd Unit:
- Al Broussard
- Special Effects
- John Baker
- William Harrison
- Keith Suzuki
- John Hagey
- Roger Lifsey
- Joshua Pinney
- Craig R. Uszak
- Additional Editing
- Greg Parsons
- Art Director
- Philip Toolin
- Set Designers
- A. Todd Holland
- Fanée Aaron
- Set Decorator
- Brana Michelle Roenfeld
- Costume Designer
- Denise Wingate
- Wardrobe Supervisors
- Anthony James Scarano
- 2nd Unit:
- Loring I. Spicer
- Make-up
- Supervisor:
- Melanie Hughes
- Artists:
- Rebecca Alling
- Debra Denson
- 2nd Unit, Supervisor:
- Carol Strong
- Hair
- Supervisor:
- Voni Hinkle
- Dressers:
- Shari Perry
- Percy Burries
- 2nd Unit, Supervisor:
- Lucia Mace
- Main Titles
- The Picture Mill
- Titles/Opticals
- Pacific Title/Mirage
- Additional Orchestrations
- Pete Anthony
- Brad Warnaar
- Music Supervisor
- Ken Ross
- Music Co-ordinator
- Melodee Sutton
- Electronic Music Producer
- Chris Fogel
- Music Editors
- Amanda Goodpaster
- Tom Kramer
- Soundtrack
- "Girl's Best Friend" by Shawn Carter, Kasseem Dean, performed by Jay-Z; "Criminal Mind" by Nicole Renee, Ken Ross, Steven Jordan, Dwight Myers, Roger Ball, Alan Gorrie, Malcolm Duncan, Hamish Stuard, Robbie McIntosh, Owen McIntyre, performed by Tyrese featuring Heavy D; "Gimme My Money" by Jason Brooks, Danny Alexander, Gary Smith, Bert Young, performed by Rehab; "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" by Cordozar Broauds aka Snoop Doggy Dog, Leon Haywood, Frederick Knight; "While You Were Gone" by Guy Roche, Shelly Peiken, performed by Kelly Price; "All Eyes on Me (Revisiting Cold Blooded)" by Rick James, Marinna Teal, Steve Huff, performed by Strings featuring Keith Sweat, contains a sample of "Cold Blooded" performed by Rick James; "Da Freak" by Van Bryan, Leon Haywood, Crystal Waters, Neal Conway, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart, performed by Da Shortiez featuring 69 Boyz; "Damn (Should've Treated U Right)" music by Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Lysette Titi, Fred Jerkins, Jeffrey Atkins, performed by Plush featuring Ja Rule; "Jungle Brother (Urban Takeover Remix)" by Nathaniel Hall, Samuel Burwell, Michael Small, Michael Oliver, performed by Jungle Brothers; "Rock Ice" by/performed by Hot Boy$ featuring Big Tymers; "Seis Salines" (trad), arranged by Edwin Colon Zayas, performed by Edwin Colon Zayas y su Taller Campesino; "Get Away" by Jermaine Dupri, Terrance Quaites, Bryan Michael Cox, Krayzie Bone, performed by TQ and Krayzie Bone
- Production Mixers
- Kim Ornitz
- 2nd Unit:
- Richard D. Lightstone
- Supervising Sound Editor
- John Morris
- Sound Editors
- Richard Burton
- Thom Brennan
- Alison Fisher
- Michael Magill
- John Thomas
- ADR
- Supervisor:
- Susan Dudek
- Foley
- Supervisor:
- Mark Pappas
- Artists:
- Gary Hecker
- Michael J. Broomberg
- Mixer:
- Richard Duarte
- Police Technical Adviser
- Mike Grasso
- Stunt Co-ordinators
- R.A. Rondell
- Alan Oliney
- Cast
- Martin Lawrence
- Miles Logan
- Luke Wilson
- Detective Carlson
- Dave Chappelle
- Tulley
- Peter Greene
- Deacon
- Nicole Ari Parker
- Melissa Green
- Graham Beckel
- Captain Rizzo
- Robert Miranda
- Glenfiddish
- Olek Krupa
- LaFleur
- Saverio Guerra
- Benny
- Richard C. Sarafian
- Uncle Lou
- Tamala Jones
- Janiece
- Julio Oscar Mechoso
- Diaz
- Steve Rankin
- Agent Gray
- Carmen Argenziano
- Captain Penelli
- John Hawkes
- Eddie
- William Forsythe
- Detective Hardcastle
- Frank Medrano
- Frank
- Octavia L. Spencer
- Shawna
- Timothy Dale Agee
- cop in alley
- Bayani Ison
- uniform outside station
- Scott Sowers
- prison guard #37
- Christopher J. Stapleton
- K-9 cop
- Eddy Donno
- Troy Gilbert
- guards
- Kenny Endoso
- clerk
- Googy Gress
- desk sergeant
- Robert LaSardo
- twitchy suspect
- Bill Ferrell
- cop in elevator
- Billy Williams
- cop in gem store elevator
- Greg Montgomery
- cop in precinct
- Jason Kravits
- customs guy
- Henry Hayashi
- FBI tech
- James Gavin
- helicopter pilot
- Anne Marie Howard
- female officer
- Jane Carr
- museum official
- Brandon Michael DePaul
- little friend
- Amy Oberer
- terrified woman
- Ash Winfield
- briefing room detective
- Erik Rondell
- François
- J. Kenneth Campbell
- Peterson, FBI section commander
- Joel Hurt Jones
- tipsy cop
- Darryl Brunson
- office porter
- Shawn Elaine Brown Chiquette
- friendly officer
- Christian J. Christiensen
- Michael A. Grasso
- John McCarthy
- SWAT team
- Jeff Xander
- Damian Foster
- thugs
- Yetta Ginsburg
- repelled passer-by
- Daniel Rogerson
- Chinese delivery man
- Certificate
- 12
- Distributor
- Columbia TriStar Films (UK)
- 8,457 feet
- 93 minutes 58 seconds
- Dolby/SDDS
- Colour by
- DeLuxe