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Black Knight 2001 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Gil Junger
PG-13, 95 min. (language, sexual/crude humor, violence) |
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Starring: Martin Lawrence, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Conway, Jeannette Weegar, Marsha Thomason, Michael Countryman
Producers: Arnon Milchan, Paul Schiff, M. Green, D. Quarles
Screenplay: Darryl Quarles, Gerry Swallow, Peter Gaulke
Cinematography: Ueli Steiger
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Released: 11.21.01 (Wide) |
Rating:
  (out of ) |
Black Knight is essentially the opposite of an earlier film this year that dealt with the same idea of mixing medieval folk with
present day ones. But while Just Visiting entails a knight in current day Chicago, Black Knight ponders what happens when
a present day black man visits 14th century England. Unfortunately, this film doesn't meet with the same results that Just
Visiting did - it borders on idiotic with an unfunny script, unbearable characters, and poor directing by Gil Junger.
It's also not surprising the film falters when one sees who heads the cast - Martin Lawrence. He is without question a funny comedian with talent, however, his
choices of movie scripts can best be described as questionable. Here's the breakdown - Big Momma's House, Blue Streak, and
the intolerable What's the Worst That Could Happen? All of the above are unfunny duds that question whether screenwriters
today are even in touch with the American form of comedy. In Black Knight, Lawrence has reached a new low level of
jokes that clunk harder than sword falling to the ground. He tries so hard to be funny in every scene - he's straining in a vain
attempt to convince the audience that he doesn't know he's in medieval times, when it's obvious to anyone with a sane mind
that the people around him are not employees at another amusement park. Those first thirty or so minutes of the film are excruciating
because of this misstep.
Lawrence plays Jamal, a medieval-themed amusement park employee who is transported back to medieval England when he
falls into a moat that he is cleaning. There he is thrust into a battle between a tyrant, King Leo (Kevin Conway), and a rebellion
trying to restore the true queen to the throne. At first, Jamal is mistakingly considered a courier from a Duke in France named
"Jamal Skywalker", and when he inadvertently saves the life of the king, he is made a Lord in the castle. Soon his true
identity is discovered, and he's basically forced to join the band of rebels led by a former knight, Sir Knolte (Tom Wilkinson).
King Leo's right hand man, Percival (Vincent Regan), is determined to crush the rebellion and specifically Jamal, whom he can't
abide. Victoria (Marsha Thomason), a black damsel who lives in the castle, is also there to provide support for the rebellion.
There are many problems with this film, probably too many to detail in this review, so I'll touch on just a few. First, anyone
who just "shows up" in medieval England dressed in a football jersey and speaking irreverant slang to the commoners would
probably get noticed. Somehow he's able to quickly see the king by passing himself off as a courier from France (which is actually
suggested by a guard at the castle's entrance). It seems the only one who suspects him is Percival (big surprise). Secondly,
the inhabitants of the country are seemingly small in number - it seems there's never more than 20-30 of them around for
any one scene. Did the producers have such tight budget constraints that they couldn't pay for a few more? Finally, when you
suddenly find yourself in a different age, would you instinctively call out for help in the middle of a forest by yelling, "911! White
man down! White man down!" when encountering a man who has passed out due to drunkenness? Not only is that insulting,
but its obviously aimed at the audience and no one else. It's moronic.
It's probably another insult to even suggest that this film is based on Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's
Court", but the comparison is obvious. This film creates another problem for itself when it mistakingly tries to add a moral
conscience to its already failed storyline. It simply doesn't fit this type of comedy and is perplexing that such an idea would
inhabit this film.
I'm forced to admit I did chuckle at a few jokes and scenes, specifically Lawrence's effort at a newfound dance number in the
king's court, but these are few and far between the obvious targets of toilet humor and ridiculous dialogue. But no number of
effective moments can take away the aftertaste of disgust at losing an hour and a half of your life in the theater. The one
scene that best summarizes Black Knight is when Lawrence is riding around on a horse, falling in and out of the saddle,
as King Leo plainly states, "He's no longer funny, but he refuses to give up on the joke." Well said Leo.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
| Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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