Black Knight (2001)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Director:

Gil Junger

Writers (WGA):

Darryl Quarles (written by) and
Peter Gaulke (written by) ...

Release Date:

21 November 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

He's About To Get Medieval On You.

Plot:

Martin Lawrence plays Jamal, an employee in Medieval World amusement park. After sustaining a blow to the head, he awakens to find himself in 14th century England.

Plot Keywords:

Knight | Medieval | King | Castle | Fast Food

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Nov. 11

12:00 AM

MAX

Cast

Martin Lawrence	...	Jamal Walker / Skywalker
Marsha Thomason	...	Victoria the Chambermaid / Nicole
Tom Wilkinson	...	Sir Knolte of Marlborough
Vincent Regan	...	Percival, Leo's Chief Henchman
Daryl Mitchell	...	Steve
Michael Countryman	...	Phillip, Leo's Chamberlain
Kevin Conway	...	King Leo
Jeannette Weegar	...	Princess Regina, Leo's Daughter
Erik Jensen	...	Derek
Dikran Tulaine	...	Dennis
Helen Carey	...	The Queen
Michael Burgess	...	Ernie
Isabell O'Connor	...	Mrs. Bostick, 'Medieval World' Owner (as Isabell Monk)
Kevin Stillwell	...	Knight #1
Mikey Post	...	Young Man (as Michael Post)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, sexual/crude humor and battle violence.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | France:U | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG (cut) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38476) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Carolina Beach, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The scene where Princess Regina trips over her bed sheets was not scripted, Jeannette Weegar really did trip and fall, but the director liked it so it was kept and put in the final cut.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Jamal is fighting on top of the castle in his "Black Knight" armor, it bends like the synthetic material it is, and does not remain rigid as metal would.

Quotes:

Jamal: Tis roadkill!

Movie Connections:

References Army of Darkness (1992)

Soundtrack:

GET US OFFA THAT THING

That's why you shouldn't drink your own urine.

I cannot stress the fact that this film has been overplayed and recycled through Hollywood more times that I can count. While I have read some reviews that claim that this is one of Lawrence's more creative roles yet, I can only laugh and gag simultaneously at these words. Lawrence was a major contributor to the downfall of this film. He provided no character analysis, no development, and definitely no humor to the entire story. It was as if we were watching a dress rehearsal in progress before the final script arrived with all of Lawrence's funny bits. From the quick introduction at the beginning of the film (a mere 7 minutes of character introduction), until the incoherent ending that was trying to monopolize on the popularity of Gladiator, we never see Lawrence's character of "Jamal" or "Skywalker" (depending on the care of the actors) emerge from the film. This was merely Martin Lawrence cashing in on his already overplayed self, stretching no further than his comfortable limits and never exerting anything "fresh". He has fallen into the cracks of the Hollywood recycling bin and Black Knight reinforces that idea.

Sadly, Lawrence isn't backed up with any better acting or story. Tom Wilkinson has done some amazing films during his career, but apparently was looking to buy a new car with this film. It required no "real" acting from him, just sloppy drunkenness with clichéd moments near the end that could have been pulled from any other film like this one. I think that was my major problem with this film (beside the lackluster Lawrence) was the story. There wasn't any. It felt like we were forced from the beginning to all of our different places and events just to fill time. There wasn't any redeeming value from the story. In fact, I would go so far as to say that whomever wrote this screenplay may have…gasp…plagiarized from nearly every other film like this one out there. The structure was nothing new, the formula literally had dust on it, and nobody seemed to care. Lawrence obviously didn't from the performance that he gave, but I expected more from Mr. Wilkinson who has impressed me in the past. This was not the best showcase for his talent, or for anyone's talent to say the least. We must always remember that it begins with a story, and if it doesn't sound good on paper than it isn't going to translate well onto the screen. This is a rule to live by for everyone involved with the Black Knight debacle.

Finally, I normally don't mention this in my reviews, but with this film it just stood out more than any other that I have seen, but the production of this film was horrible. The costumes, the sets, and even the way the shots were framed seemed "cheap" in so many ways. The costumes are the first that come to mind because Lawrence always seemed like he was wearing something that was made with haste. How could he have quickly made this garment in the time that he was in this land? Who knows, but it was "cheap" and only lowered this film further into the muck pit. If the story is going to be bad, and the actors are not going to give their full potential by actually doing what they are paid … to be creative … than at least give us something to look at Production Team! Unfortunately, there was nothing ravishing to even glance at. The entire Medieval World that Lawrence works at from the beginning is "cheap" and obviously a set. I want a film to take me away from Hollywood and give me my dollar's worth, not rob me blind. The cinematography was done by a two-year old. Nothing spectacular, nothing worth writing about.

Overall, this was a very poor film. Would it have hurt anyone working on this project to use a little something I like to call "imagination"? Creativity was not being used or welcomed in this film. You could tell that the director wanted to make the film, edit out what didn't work, finish, and relax at home while thinking of all the different ways that he could spend his Hollywood money! I blame two major players in this film for the overall poor quality. The first is Mr. Lawrence. If he does not expand his acting potential and bring something new to the screen, I don't think his Hollywood stay will be very long. The second player that I blame for this befuddling mess is the writer. Again, creativity and imagination went backseat to the infamous Hollywood recycling bin. This was a truly disappointing picture.

Grade: * out of *****