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Episode 134: VS Blue Streak
706 Plays2 months ago
Say it with us: "I'm a federale!" But, 25 years later, can the entire 1999 Martin Lawrence film "Blue Streak" live up to the promise of that one very memorable line?
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Movie Fighters'
00:00:35
Speaker
Ring the bell, Martin. This is Movie Fighters, the show where Chris Sims and I, Matt Wilson, we watch movies and we beat them up. And we're having fun. We're going to have fun on this one.
Iconic Films of 1999
00:00:54
Speaker
Chris, I have recently read several articles from different places ah about the films of 1999 and how 25 years ago, in 1999, it was such a special year for movies. Because here are just some of the movies that came out in 1999. The Matrix. that's That's the big one. Fight Club. That's ah a less big one. A less big one. Office Space. Toy Story 2. Magnolia. The Blair Witch Project. Bean John Malkovich. The Mummy. You've Got Mail.
00:01:33
Speaker
10 things I hate about you, American Pie. those were all that That's a lot of popular and well-regarded movies. and american And American Pie. And Which I've never seen. I have. It's fine. i mean it is I've never seen it because everyone in high school who liked it was an asshole. Yeah, it is what it is. it's it's It is what it is. Beyond the shadow of a doubt. Nonetheless, another movie that came out in 1999 that is not listed in those articles, but probably should be.
Discussing 'Blue Streak' and Martin Lawrence's Work
00:02:16
Speaker
Oh, The Sixth Sense also came out in 1999. Blue Streak, starring Martin Lawrence. Yeah, baby. A movie, Chris, that we you and I discussed months ago.
00:02:32
Speaker
Because out of nowhere, you just recalled a line from the movie. It's one of those lines that has stuck with me in my head for 25 years. that Partly because it was so, for some reason, so memorable at the time that it became like a little catchphrase for me and my friends. An inside joke.
00:03:00
Speaker
An inside joke, yeah. yeah ah Can you tell I'm desperately trying not to say meme? But like, that's what it was. That is what it was. Yeah, that that line is, I'm a fedorale. I'm a fedorale. Which comes late in the movie. I have never seen this movie all the way through. So Chris, this is your birthday month.
00:03:24
Speaker
for your birthday, we're watching a movie that you have fond memories of and that I have never seen before so you can introduce this movie to me. Okay, that's that's fun. Yeah, that's fun. Yeah. Because it's a because it's a Martin Lawrence movie, like action comedy from 1999. So I'm sure it's not gonna have anything that we I'm going to see and be like, oh boy. That does not hold up. Well, here's the question. Here's my question. I don't know how familiar you are with the entirety of the Martin Lawrence film, Ouvier, but would you say this is the best Martin Lawrence movie? I mean, what do what do we get? Well, I mean,
00:04:16
Speaker
No, because look, it's no bad boys. Okay, so let' we'll go through some of the Martin Lawrence filmography. there are There's bad boys for bad boys movies. Amazing. That's, that's one that also, I think is much more memorable, but also how many times have you and I said to each other, we ride together, we die together. Right. I think the bad boys movies, I haven't seen bad boys for life or bad boys ride or die, which came out this year.
00:04:47
Speaker
Is, did they, is Bad Boys for Life Bad Boys 3? And not Bad Boys 4? That's Bad Boys 3. Man, they, they but fucked it up the same way Batman did. Well they sure thought, I'm sure they thought that Bad Boys for Life was going to be the last one. And then Will Smith did a thing that changed his whole career. And he was like, we're making another Bad Boys. I guarantee it.
00:05:19
Speaker
Hey, man. Hey, man. I'll say it. He was right to do it. Wow. Wow. ah Martin Lawrence was also in Wild Hogs, a movie I have never seen, but I did go to a press conference for. Explain. At the time Wild Hogs came out in 2007, I was a reporter working at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. At some point during the legislative session, the stars of Wild Hogs came and did a press conference at the Georgia State Capitol, which I went to and covered because it was filmed in Atlanta. I i can only guess that's why. Yeah. Yeah. But like, yeah, as many, many things are, yeah but like John Travolta and Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy all gave remarks.
00:06:14
Speaker
at a podium and William H. Macy tried to say he was from Georgia. That's interesting because he has an accent that I would say is definitely not a a Georgia accent. I don't think he is.
00:06:28
Speaker
yeah He's from Florida, but he got up to the microphone. He's like, I'm a Georgia boy. And, uh, and the crowd bought it. Uh, anyway, wild hogs definitely not the best Martin Lawrence movie.
00:06:44
Speaker
Well, hang on. was Was Tim Allen there for the press conference or was Tim Allen there ah because he was testifying against his fellow cocaine dealers in order to get a reduced sentence? He did that in the state of Michigan. He's his own conviction for cocaine dealing. He did that in the state of Michigan, not in Georgia, so I don't think so. but He did do that, and it's important that people remember that Tim Allen did that. Yes, ah very important. ah There are three Big Mama's House movies.
00:07:13
Speaker
I would say that this probably outranks those. Yeah. um National Security.
00:07:21
Speaker
Black Knight, a movie my brother worked on. No, that's that's the movie where Martin Lawrence goes back to King Arthur times, which I have not seen. But I do think has a pretty good joke that was in the trailer, which is where in order to impress the King Arthur times people, he pulls out a lighter and he's like, behold, I have made fire. And like one of the, one of the King Arthur times people goes, we have fire. but That is a pretty good joke. Yeah. That's one that also stuck with me as like, that's a pretty good joke. My brother worked on Black Knight, which was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina.
00:08:03
Speaker
where they built a huge castle specifically for that movie on the Screen Gems lot. It was anticipated that they would just leave the castle there to use it for future productions. And then they just tore it down anyway. That sucks, man. I would love to go see Lauren's castle. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know why they decided, oh, well, we're just going to tear it down. But they did. He is also in the movie Nothing to Lose.
00:08:34
Speaker
and Life which he was in with Eddie Murphy And then he's in house the house party movies And has a very small part in house party like kid and play like kid and play. Yeah Okay, interesting And then he has a very small part and do the right thing, which is probably the actual best movie that he's in probably anyway, we're watching blue streak ah blue streak and came out, as we said, in 1999. So I think Martin the TV show had ended. I believe so, yes. I think it ended in 97. This was him, I think, trying to really, like, be a movie star.
Les Mayfield and the Film's Cast
00:09:15
Speaker
It is very much in the vein of the 90s early 2000s action comedy, which if you don't remember
00:09:29
Speaker
was a pretty big like ah big genre that I think has is not as prominent as it once was. I'm sure there are i mean you know there's plenty of action comedies. like there's oh There's that new one that has John Cena in it. where the the Is it Aquafina wins the lottery and people are trying to kill her?
00:09:53
Speaker
Oh, right. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Your 90s action stars always had like a ton of like full comedy stuff in their movies. Like I would say even to the point of like The Rock, Con Air, the, uh, the Brookheimer, you know, uh, Yandebont movies, like those were also like, like Con Air has more jokes than you remember.
00:10:23
Speaker
Yes, but I think that is an extension of the rise of the sort of charming comedy action star in the mid to late 80s. Yeah, the John McClain. Your Bruce Willis types, but also Eddie Murphy, because it our let's let's be very clear.
00:10:47
Speaker
Martin Lawrence's career is tied very closely to Eddie Murphy. As I mentioned, he was in Boomerang, right? he Like they were in, life was the movie they were in. Which is a really depressing movie. It really is. I have seen that one. They spend their whole life in prison.
00:11:04
Speaker
and It's just about them getting old in prison. it's yeah it's yeah They are they are like two black guys in like the 50s or 60s who get like stopped by a racist cop in a sundown town and framed and they are put in prison for life.
00:11:22
Speaker
It's really depressing and like it was billed as a as a comedy. Yeah. Anyway, I think this movie is Martin Lawrence trying to follow the Eddie Murphy Beverly Hills Cop mold. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's like very, very fair. ah This movie is directed by Les Mayfield who got his start as director.
00:11:48
Speaker
Making making of featurettes and documentaries about other stuff It's very very interesting he made one about the making of back to the future he made one about the making of Roger Rabbit and Then oh and he directed back to the future the ride Which is a good ride is it still around and Uh, it was when I went to universal studios in the year 2000. Okay. Well, it may be there still. It may be not, it may be not his, uh, directorial debut was in Cino man. Then he made the, uh, remake of miracle on 34th street flubber. This movie blue streak, American outlaws, the man with Samuel L. Jackson. And then his last film was code named the cleaner.
00:12:43
Speaker
starring Cedric the Entertainer. <unk> Has not directed anything since. I mean, I was going to make a joke about his name, but it seems like Hollywood wanted a little more Mayfield. Yeah, it seems like. ah Also rounding out the cast of Blue Streak, in addition to Martin Lawrence, we have ah Luke Wilson,
00:13:05
Speaker
ah Dave Chappelle, back when he was still funny.
00:13:12
Speaker
ah Peter Green, we'll see we'll see we'll see what he says in this film. ah Peter Green, who you might not know by name, but he's the bad guy from The Mask. Ah, yeah. Nicole, Harry Parker, and most of the other actors. Oh, Octavia Spencer's in this. Oh. In a small role.
Watching 'Blue Streak' on Tubi
00:13:40
Speaker
ah But otherwise, I don't really know anybody else who's in the movie. um So Chris, here's your opportunity. Here's your chance to introduce me to the wonder and beauty of Blue Streak. ah Hopefully, it will hold up 25 years later. ah Listen, it's all gonna be worth it when he says he's a federal. It's all gonna be worth it. Yeah, I also I can't remember if believe that is a catchphrase from this movie or if it was from another Martin Lawrence movie. But but I know that that one was also believed that we said a lot. Believe that is different from run till that. That's different from run till that. Yeah. Yeah. it' Martin's famous standup special run till that. That was the standup special that he did after he had like a little bit of a breakdown.
00:14:33
Speaker
And it was like wandering in the highway, I think shirtless. Yeah, that came later. That came after this. Yeah. Run tell that. I believe that might be in this movie. It's funny that it became Roman Reigns' catchphrase for a while. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think Roman Reigns was probably inspired by Blue Streak. And I'll tell you this, when I talked about remembering the line from the end of Blue Streak,
00:15:00
Speaker
the climactic line and just thinking it was very, very funny and how it stuck with me. Other people remember it. Like our buddy, Lucas Brown, who had a very different childhood from me and a very different life in the year 2000 in 1999, I guess when I, I would have rented this from blockbuster.
00:15:26
Speaker
on Broad Street, across the street from where the Walmart used to be, where Kroger used to be. I started talking about it, and Lucas told me that he was listening and had the thought, are they about to talk about Blue Streak? And I'm a Federale?
00:15:46
Speaker
So it's not just me. It's, I'm a Federale is the velvet underground of Martin Lawrence catchphrases. There you go. Everybody who heard it started a band. Not everybody heard it, but the ones who did. Yep. The John Cena Aquafina movie is called Jackpot. And it was not released theatrically. It went straight to streaming. I think it's an Amazon original. Yeah, it went straight to streaming, which that's what movies are now.
00:16:20
Speaker
It's sad. Anyway, good, good, good.
00:16:28
Speaker
Theaters are bad and for suckers. Oh, it's not because I want to see movies in a theater. It's just like when things get, I feel like when things get dumped on streaming, you don't hear about them. You know, I feel like those movies are just meant to be forgotten. But anyway, Blue Streak is on 2B. You can go watch it on 2B.
00:16:50
Speaker
We're gonna watch it on Tubi. Apparently you don't need an account. You do not need an account for Tubi. Tubi is for the people. Are there ads? Does Tubi make money? Tubi makes money from ads, yes. Are we gonna have ads in Blue Streak? We might, I don't know for sure. ah I have an ad blocker, so I think I'm going to not get the ads, but we'll see what happens. But yes, that's how 2B makes money, not through subscriptions, but through ads. Dang, maybe I'll, I mean, should I get 2B plus? Is there a 2B plus? What's 2B doing? There is not a 2B plus. 2B, as I said, is for the people.
Initial Thoughts on 'Blue Streak'
00:17:30
Speaker
So if you want to watch the long list, go to 2B and watch Blue Streak.
00:17:35
Speaker
And we're going to watch it and come back and talk about it.
00:17:54
Speaker
And we are back from watching 1999's Blue Streak, which is kind of both things we predicted it to be, I think. Still a pretty fun movie. A handful of small things that don't hold up. I mean, kind of a a lot of of things that don't hold up. I think it might be like wow a dozen jokes. And that's kind of it. The fact jokes are pretty rough. There are there are probably half a dozen fat jokes. And then there are a handful of other things that are like, ah it's not so great.
00:18:36
Speaker
But I think largely it holds up pretty okay. It's it's a lot it's a much better example of a movie from 1999 than so many others. Then hey The Matrix. I think The Matrix still holds up pretty good. I'm kidding. i'm kind Of course it does. yeah like Watching this movie, the thought that I came away ah from it with was Wow, there's really only one gay joke. Yeah, one. And it uses the word gay. And it's Dave Chappelle says it, which tracks. You might be thinking, Chris, that bar to clear is on the floor. Sure. And you're right. But also go back and watch Bill and Ted's bogus journey sometimes. Buddy.
00:19:25
Speaker
and you will be ah hopefully as shocked as I was. Yeah, i I had the same experience. A shocking amount of homophobic things in that movie. I wonder if Bo Finger, another movie from 1999,
00:19:44
Speaker
ah a great movie that also I feel like very few people saw, it but everyone who saw it remembers everything in it. I think it holds up pretty good, too, for a movie from 1999, but... Mindhead. Mindhead. Keep it together. K-I-T. Keep it together. K-I-T. Keep it together. God, we should watch Bo Figure. Anyway, Blue Streak.
00:20:08
Speaker
Let me, we're gonna talk about this in high points, low points further. Let me say out of the gate though, the music in this movie reminded me of how 25 years ago, R and&B was still a genre of music. And the music in this movie, good. Yeah, and it's also like, it's definitely that late 90s kind of like funk I don't know if it was revival or just like that that funk beats really came back in pop culture. yeah ah like I know like a lot of people my age in their late teens like really got into like black exploitation movies and the music. I owned Millennium Funk Party on CD yeah and would listen to it in my Jeep all the time.
00:21:00
Speaker
And there's definitely like a... Like I said while watching this, every song is threatening to turn into pick up the pieces. it's Especially the opening credits music, which includes the phrase pick up the pieces, which makes me wonder ah how Hustleman from Martin was involved in the making of this movie. and I hope he got an EP credit. Here's what I know about Matt Wilson. The love you have for Hustleman. Yep.
00:21:31
Speaker
Unmatched. My favorite character from Martin, and it's not even close.
Analysis of 'Blue Streak' Scenes
00:21:38
Speaker
Matt Wilson is a true hustle maniac. right That's true. Played by Tracy Morgan. Yeah. Pre-Saturday Night Live. Anyway, okay. So there's there's a long opening credits. I was shocked by how long the opening credits of this movie were. They're they so 1999, it's shots of LA,
00:21:59
Speaker
but they're blue because blue. Yeah, that's great. And it's just, it's like a two minute opening credits, which you would never see on a movie now. Never. But after the opening credits, we start on in on a jewel heist that Miles Logan played by Martin Lawrence is heading up he's got ah his right-hand man and best friend, Eddie, who is played by the actor who played Saul on Deadwood, John Hawks, who also was Kenny Powers' brother on He's Bounded Down. ah Which, by the way, um
00:22:46
Speaker
his name is Miles Logan. And then the name that he uses when he goes undercover much like Batman is Malone. Yes, he might as well be named Martin Lawrence.
00:22:58
Speaker
Which I think that's the brilliance of Jackie Chan playing characters named Jackie. has never been more apparent to me than in watching Martin Lawrence and Blue Streak. Yeah. and He's called Miles a lot here, but his last name is not used until like basically the end of the movie. I love that it's that the initials are the same. Yes, ML, ML. Yeah. So there's Eddie, his best friend.
00:23:28
Speaker
who's like right there with him throughout the heist. There's Tully, who's the getaway driver. That's Dave Chappelle. And then there's Deacon, who was so obviously the bad guy, who's so obviously going to turn on them. He's the bad guy from the mask. And he's just one, he just has one of those faces. Peter Green just has one of those faces where it's like, that guy's a traitor. Yeah, for sure.
00:23:56
Speaker
So Martin is having a great time during this heist. He's like teasing Dave Chappelle about smoking in the car. The first time we see Dave Chappelle, he's got a cigarette in his mouth and a cigarette on his ear, which is a great detail, I think. so It's a fun choice, yeah. Yeah. But they're they're making plans, they're they're hacking their way into this building. They get in, ah Martin goes in,
00:24:23
Speaker
they do more hacking to get into inside an office for a gym company. It's like, like a diamond company. And there's a Metal Gear Solid moment where a guard is approaching. And ah Deacon is telling Martin Lawrence, like, there's a guard 50 feet away from you. You gotta, you gotta move now.
00:24:51
Speaker
and the guard turns the corner and they just they just get through the door into the into the office. We see Martin and Eddie at the safe and ah Miles is like, what's the first thing you do when you're cracking a safe? And Eddie's like, oh, you drill through the drill through the whatever.
00:25:15
Speaker
and And Martin's like, no, you check and see if it's open. And then he like pulls on and he goes, it's open. And then he's like, really? And he goes, nah, man, I'm kidding. He loves his work. He has fun. he He has fun on the job. So then Miles essentially does surgery on the the door to the safe to get it open. And he does. And the only thing inside the safe is a giant diamond.
00:25:48
Speaker
a a one gigantic diamond inside this diamond company safe, which I find to be confusing for many reasons, but I will just let it go. Where do you think diamonds come from, Matt? Mines. Yeah, and then after that,
00:26:10
Speaker
safes inside the offices of diamond companies. Yeah, you gotta go the diamond company. Diamond distribution. That's true. Eddie goes back up to to the roof and as soon as he gets up there, Deacon turns on him, tells him, I can't split this take. It's a $17 million dollars take.
00:26:35
Speaker
He's like, I can't split this $17 million dollars four ways. You got to go. So that is difficult. Yeah, it doesn't, it but doesn't divide evenly 4.25 million. What is that? So he pushes Eddie off the building and he falls onto a police car and dies, which causes Dave Chappelle who's parked right in front of the police car to freak out and also drive away.
00:27:04
Speaker
Deacon is waiting for Miles to come up to the roof too. Also, cops are swarming now because this guy has fallen on a cop car. So Deacon, or Miles gets to the roof, Deacon's like, I'm gonna shoot you too. There's some like scuffling fighting. It seems like Deacon should just shoot him and he doesn't. They end up both going down a zip line onto an adjoining building under construction. isn It's weird how this is the exact same opening as The Dark Knight. It's very close. It's very close. There's no bus involved, but it is very close. Do you think Christopher Nolan... Do you think Christopher Nolan... Oh man, I hope that syncs up in the recording as well as it synced up when we said it.
00:28:03
Speaker
Same joke, same joke in the chamber. Same cadence, same joke.
00:28:14
Speaker
ah He was cribbed for Blue Streak wi he when he wrote The Dark Knight. First, Deacon slides down the zipline, and let me tell you what I love to see in a movie. A zipline. A zipline. Sometimes I feel like it's the only thing you're here for. That's true.
00:28:32
Speaker
In Home Alone, love the zipline. I think I've been on a zipline map. I must have. I think I've been on a zipline, you know, like one of those ziplines that goes like over a lake so you can fall in. I think I've been on one of those. Okay. Have you ever been on a zipline?
00:28:50
Speaker
Uh, I don't recall. I feel like the, like, I don't know if I've got the upper body strength to really take advantage of a zip line. I think it would. I think you could do it. I don't think it would be that hard. I have been playing a lot of Assassin's Creed games, which do operate in a world where any rope can be a zip line. Any object in your hands. Yeah. Oh, like a boomerang or a sword or whatever. did Yeah. like Yeah. If you have a, a, a,
00:29:20
Speaker
Anything with a handle, anything is a zipline. The one piece I ever got published on McSweeny's was a scene from the movie adaptation of the Elements of Style in which the Elements of Style were like, were like artifacts that ah Strunk and White were stealing from a museum. That's a good, matt that's a real good pitch. Yeah.
00:29:45
Speaker
That is, I watched Night at the Museum recently and that is no less dumb a pitch than that movie. And when they steal the Elements of Style, they escape on a zipline and I made sure to make them say as they were going down the zipline, whoa, whoa, whoa! So, anyway, Deacon goes to the other building on a zipline.
00:30:11
Speaker
Then Miles tries to go to the other building on the zipline, but gets stopped. And there's a bit where Deacon is like pointing a gun directly at him, threatening to shoot him, and he just doesn't do it. And I don't know why, other than the movie has to continue.
00:30:28
Speaker
Yeah, it's weird. People have an interesting attitude toward the taking of a human life in this movie yeah that literally shifts from moment to moment. That is true. They either hesitate greatly or don't hesitate at all. Yeah, or it is just happening.
00:30:51
Speaker
like like Deacon has already killed a guy. Yes. He already murdered one man. Yes. Cold heartedly. Yes. Miles pulls out a rot a small rotating saw that he has with him and cuts the zip line with it, causing him to swing down to a lower level of the building. And Deacon comes and looks for him, can't find him because Miles has hidden in the
00:31:24
Speaker
air conditioning ducts of this building under construction. And he takes out the diamond that he's stolen, tapes it to the side of this air conditioning duct, and then comes out of the air conditioning duct and is promptly arrested by the police. Yeah. Then we see Miles look up at the air conditioning duct, see that it's on the third floor of this building in the north wing. He it is clearly labeled, yes which is which is handy for him. Then he is taken to the police car and he walks by the street signs and he makes note of the street signs where this building is, this the street corner where this building is. Cut to two years later, Miles gets out of prison. He's being released from prison, which by the way,
00:32:21
Speaker
There was no evidence. He didn't have the diamond. And I don't think cops got eyes on him at the other building. No, they maybe had him for trespassing. Maybe. I mean, there is a dead body present, but, like, yeah, I mean, like, presumably that's why it's only two years.
00:32:45
Speaker
there was no evidence they got nothing on him There was no evidence of like grand larceny or any involvement in the death of Eddie. So yeah, it had to be at best trespassing. Any criminal in this movie could get off with any lawyer. That's true, because but none of this evidence is admissible in court that anyone has. Yeah. There is a public defender in this movie who seems like she might be a character, but isn't? But isn't, yeah. Which is weird. Yes. He gets out of prison two years later. There's a whole thing where he only gets back one shoelace
00:33:29
Speaker
And he gives the guy a hard time about only giving him back one shoelace.
Miles' Journey and Comedic Elements
00:33:34
Speaker
And it's like, what are you going to do with that other shoelace? And I feel like that has to be a reference to something, but I don't know what. It is a scene that is, that could not be more improved. Yes, absolutely. I don't think the three credited writers of this movie, Michael Barry, John Blumenthal, and Stephen Carpenter wrote a scene about one missing shoelace.
00:33:59
Speaker
There is, there's a lot of Martin Lawrence just kind of like having a good time, which is true. Yeah, it's fine. I'm happy for him that he's having a good time at work. He goes in, tries to reunite with his girlfriend and this scene, her name is Janice. This scene is baffling. Yeah. And I mean, like we should establish, he's very much looking forward to seeing Janice, uh, after two years in prison because she has, uh, ask a pal.
00:34:28
Speaker
Right. That's what he says. is that She has asked Kapow. Which the subtitles did spell with a C, which is fucking madness. I've never seen anything weirder than Kapow spelled with a C. The subtitles, whoever did the subtitles for this movie made some choices. Yeah. they They sure did, Matt. Yeah. So he goes to see Janice. He goes to her house.
00:34:58
Speaker
First, ah remember how I said that Octavia Spencer is in this movie in a small role? Yeah. but don't get Don't get excited. She opens the door. It's Octavia Spencer. and Miles immediately assumes that this is Shanice, but she has put on a lot of weight, which is the first of many terrible fat jokes in the movie, where it's not Shanice, it's her cousin, Shauna.
00:35:27
Speaker
So she calls Janiece over, Martin Lawrence makes some more fat jokes. He does say... He does say, when he realizes it's her cousin, he says, oh, I'm so sorry, please let me buy you some cereal.
00:35:42
Speaker
which is not a fat joke. yeah It is hilarious to apologize to someone by saying, oh, let me buy you some cereal.
00:35:54
Speaker
like There's so many other things you could say to make that a fat joke, right? Cereal is just a weird ah choice. you would think any let me buy you any food is a fat joke. And I mean, I guess it I guess it is that's probably the intent. But cereal is such a non like a non stereotypically fattening food. Yeah. Like it's genuinely one of the funniest things that anyone says in this movie. And I can't believe I didn't remember that.
00:36:30
Speaker
when I remembered I'm a federale. I want to start saying, oh, I'm sorry, let me buy you some cereal. Let me buy you some cereal. So anyway, Janice comes to the door and Miles is like, I'm out of prison. I'm here. I'm your man. And Janice is like, you're not my man. You lied to me. And she slams the door in his face. Yeah. ah ah She says like, you told me you worked at a bank.
00:36:59
Speaker
Yeah. She says, you told me you were a banker. Well, this is after, after she slams the door on him, he walks around to the side of the house and she looks out through a window and then they talk a little more. And she goes, I thought you told me you were a banker. And he said, I said, bank robber. Sometimes I stutter a little bit. That's a pretty good joke. It's okay. You think it's going to come back to Janice at some point?
00:37:24
Speaker
here again does it she We never see her her again. We never see her again and then immediately after we're introduced to the very attractive public defender. There is no love interest in this movie. Who also is nothing. Yeah. it's It seems like she should be way more important than she is. There is absolutely absolute like, this movie is a tight 95 minutes. Yes, yes. ah To the point where I feel like, and I almost never feel this way about a movie that we watch for this show. I feel like it could have been a little longer. And they could have like done a little more
00:38:13
Speaker
of, you know, wacky by the book cop and undercover criminal stuff with Owen Wilson. I feel like this, this public defender character is almost certainly a leftover love interest. Yeah. dude There was an earlier draft. There was a subplot involving her because it's Nicole Ira Parker who is like, who was like,
00:38:41
Speaker
an up-and-coming actress of the time, who was in one, two, three, four, five, six, seven movies in 1999, who is almost certainly a love interest that somehow her subplot got left on the cutting room floor. There's absolutely a draft of Blue Streak that is 120 pages long.
00:39:07
Speaker
for sure. Yeah. And considering how much kind of extended Martin Lawrence improv we get in this movie. Yes. Which, you know, not really a complaint. Like, I doubt that 90 pages made it into the final cut. You're probably right. Yeah. A lot of subplots that were in the movie originally got cut for the sake of Martin Lawrence ad-libbing. Yeah, because also Owen Wilson doesn't have a character arc. like He's the co-star of this movie. and hes sort of He sort of becomes a better cop by the end of the movie or a smarter person by the end of the movie. He becomes a more corrupt cop by the end of the movie.
00:39:59
Speaker
well We'll get to it when we get to it. We'll talk about it when that we get to the end of the movie, but like there is a kind of an arc for him, but it's only because he starts as the dumbest character in the world. Yeah. Miles leaves Janice's house and we'd never see Janice again. Correct. he He then goes to the street corner where he remembers that he left the diamond and the building that is there, the building that was under construction two years ago, is now an LAPD station. Yeah. And i i I really do think, what if a criminal hid something valuable, hid a McGuffin in ah an under construction building, and then when he got back, it turned out that building was a police station? That's a really fun premise. I feel like this can't be the first time that's done, but like, you could do, what I mean, you could do a Parker novel.
00:40:57
Speaker
for sure on that you know like yeah that's a really good but that's a solid premise so not believing that this is an LAPD station not believing that not believing that which is the catchphrase of this movie you nailed it Chris believe that ah he stops an old lady on the street and he's like ma'am is this really a police station and I just wanted her to be like I know as much as you do I've never been inside that building. It says l LAPD on the outside. I have to assume it is. Yeah, it is a building with a giant art deco LAPD sign on it and to protect and serve, oh like written up like written on the building. Yeah. But she says, yes, it is. And he walks inside.
00:41:50
Speaker
to verify that it's a police station, which it is. And he looks at a directory, looks at the third floor where he knows he left the diamond. That is the robbery homicide bureau of this police department. And the only way to it get get in there is through a door that requires a keycard. We see Owen Wilson.
00:42:15
Speaker
It's his first day not knowing how to use his key card. And so somebody has to come by and show him how to open it. They're like, Oh, you got to put, make sure the magnetic strip is facing down, yeah which is supposed to be a sign that he's a real dumb dumb. yeah And it's like, buddy, how many times have I swiped a card?
00:42:34
Speaker
long direction There's also a bit where, well, first, a guy arrives delivering some Chinese food, which leads Miles to be like, Oh, I can just get in if I come in as a food delivery guy. I can use my criminal attributes as a master of disguise as an expert master criminal. I know how to read this heist involving a zipline, a safe tracker.
00:43:11
Speaker
I know how to blend in. I'm a mastermind. Yes. i know I know how to crime. I know how to crime. So what he decides he's going to be is a pizza delivery guy. He's got three pizza boxes. He's wearing a tracksuit, like a velour tracksuit with a fake
00:43:41
Speaker
belly inside so he looks a little chubbier but not like not like appreciably yeah just a little bit yeah like just a little bit it's just like Martin Lawrence with like a little bit of a like a little bit of a gut yeah he's got rubber bands in his hair which is a wig which is definitely a wig He's wearing yellow sunglasses and the most ridiculous fake teeth you've ever seen, but just on top. Like Spirit Halloween fake teeth. Like fucking you bought this at a gift shop in Pigeon Forge fake teeth. Yeah. Did you? I mean, you did mention his purple velour tracksuit. I did. Yes, I did. Okay. Yeah. And he enters loudly
00:44:36
Speaker
Singing and dancing.
00:44:43
Speaker
like lit like ah yeah It's gotta be three minutes. It's so long. This is why the romantic subplot with the public defender got cut. So we could get more of this guy. This pizza delivery guy.
00:45:02
Speaker
Yeah, the most noticeable person. This movie feels like Martin Lawrence trying to be a movie star, but it's also him doing exactly the same shit he did on Martin. Oh yeah, it would not have been. It would have made more sense if he showed up as Sheneneh. Yeah, he tries to convince the guy at the desk to let him through with the pizzas. And the guy at the desk is like, you're not on the sign-in sheet.
00:45:30
Speaker
for food deliveries. So I can't let you in. The only way you're getting through that door is if you have a badge or handcuffs on and you don't have either one. So that's when Luke Wilson comes in and doesn't know how to get through the door. Oh, geez. Luke Wilson, like, Oh man. Like that's, is that a little closer? Matt, you do a, you do ah ah ah a, a, a Luke Wilson. I think I said Owen Wilson earlier, but there's only one Wilson I give a shit about.
00:46:00
Speaker
And it's, it's you. Thank you. if That wasn't clear. Uh, I don't know what I'm doing here. Can somebody help me out? I'm having a real hard time. I'm just, I'm sorry. It's my first day. So anyway, Martin like goes over and like hands him the pizzas to be like, Hey, take those up with you. And in the process, he takes Luke Wilson's key card.
00:46:29
Speaker
which Luke Wilson apparently gets in no trouble for. Yeah. It is not brought up ever again. Well, because the key cards in this movie, in the world of this movie, the key cards that get you into the the restricted areas of the police station do not identify their user. Yes, they do. They have a picture on them.
00:46:51
Speaker
No, no, no, but they don't like there's no digital record because like when yeah, yeah it's it's not is using the the key card if Nobody is ever like oh man. That's that's ah Luke Wilson's key card. His his name is Carlson But yeah, that's true. there's there's no They're not traceable back to whoever uses them. yeah It's just a card that gets you in, but it does have a photo on it. So when Miles steals Luke Wilson's key card, he goes and meets this guy he calls Uncle Lou, who was just another criminal he knows. He's his criminal contact. Yeah. who is Who also owns a diner? yeah well he Hey, restaurant's a great place to launder money.
00:47:37
Speaker
That's true. Uh, so he, he goes and beats uncle Lou and he's like, Hey, uncle Lou, can you get me, like, can you forge this key card, put my picture on it and like work up some stuff to let me pass as a cop just so I can go. I wish it would have been, I wish it would have been uncle Luke from two life crew, if only. Uh, but he's like, I only need to pass as a cop for an hour.
00:48:06
Speaker
to get in there, get my diamond and leave. And Uncle Lou is like, well, I can't make you perfect stuff, but i'll i'll I'll try to make it work. So he makes a card, he puts Miles's picture on the card and he creates a file, like a ah background file for him to like get him into the building. But he's like, that file won't convince anybody.
00:48:33
Speaker
Yeah, because he basically, I don't know if he means that like his production of it is bad or if it's just like, I basically copied a GI Joe file card. Yeah. Either one of those could be the reason. But he's he's essentially like, if anybody takes a close look at that file, they'll know it's fake. So Martin ah Goes to the police station in a suit he's got a fake badge on his belt because Lou made him a fake badge too and He he walks in the police station. He's like hey It's my first day. I'm here uses the key card walks in He goes to the third floor. Well first. There's a whole bit where he gets on the elevator and
00:49:24
Speaker
And he's like scared to get on the elevator because it's full of cops. It's full of cops. And we get a shot that is almost Lord of the Ringsian in its a use of force perspective to remind you that Martin Lawrence is not a tall guy. Yeah. Yeah. So he goes into the police station. He immediately is like,
00:49:49
Speaker
picked up or noticed by other cops on the floor and he has to lie and say he's a transfer from West Covina, which is funny since that is so important in ah Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Yes. He's a transfer from West Covina. He gives the captain his file and the captain's like, I'm going to be looking at this. So you think the captain's going to notice that the file is fake? That never happens.
00:50:18
Speaker
that never happens That never happens. I feel like that is also the like almost certainly cut content yeah of why he has to start lying about who he like like who he quote unquote really is. Because in this, it's just that like ah Luke Wilson shows up and just goes,
00:50:45
Speaker
just goes, oh, yeah i I looked you up in the database and and your name and badge number don't exist. Yeah. But I don't, but that's not a problem. I'm just curious. There's definitely some stuff that got shifted around in the making of the movie. ah Yeah. Like it's a lot more sense for someone to look at the record that we've been told is obviously fake and deduce that.
00:51:12
Speaker
But, you know, this movie, it's like a Grant Morrison comic. It makes you complete a lot of the in-between stuff. So Miles immediately... Your most close reading does 1999's Blue Streak starring Martin Lawrence. Miles immediately goes looking for a way to get into the air conditioning ducts. First he goes into the men's room and sees that there's a cop in there, so he can't go in there. Then he goes into the ladies' room, which is empty.
00:51:43
Speaker
So he goes into like a stall in the ladies room, stands upon a toilet and starts trying to remove the the cover to the vent to get inside. As he's getting it open, Luke Wilson is with a perp. And the perp is like, the the guy's like, the hand these handcuffs are too tight, loosen them. And that public defender is standing nearby and she's like,
00:52:12
Speaker
Hey, why don't you loosen this? Why don't you loosen those handcuffs? And Luke Wilson's like, okay. So he does. And then the guy immediately like tosses over him over a railing, which is a ah nasty looking fall. Like yeah the stuntman who did that took a dive and the guy takes off running, runs into the ladies room.
00:52:37
Speaker
just then, like Martin Morris like crashes, crouches down on the toilet. The guy runs over to the stall that he's in and he just kicks the stall open. The stall opens and hits the guy and he falls to the ground, yeah which leads to the cops are it's like they're Adam West Batman. is they're like We can't find him. Where could he have gone?
00:53:02
Speaker
Well, they run into the women's bathroom after Martin Lawrence has knocked this guy out and they see that he is incapacitated the dude and they're like, great job. Wow. What an amazing job Malone. So the captain is like, I see what you're here for. You're here to be our new lead detective. Aren't you? Well, somebody with your, uh, credentials, you have, so I saw, I looked at your record, you have 16 commendations.
00:53:30
Speaker
somebody with your credential, I think they say he has 16 citations, which I always thought was bad. I think you can get like a citation for bravery, something like that. i think I don't know. Nobody in this movie knows. I thought the word was commendation. Hey, could be a lot of things, man. Could be. ah But anyway, the captain's like, somebody like you can't be in here pushing papers on a desk. You got to be out there.
00:53:57
Speaker
You got to be out on the street. So I'm, I'm teaming you up with Carlson here and you're going to go out and you're going to bust heads. So he, he puts him together with Luke Wilson and he also tells him, Hey, Carlson, let him do the handcuffing. So they go to the police car. Uh, Luke Wilson's like, I'm going to learn a lot from you. I'm so, I'm so excited. I'm going to learn a lot from you. You got 16 citations.
00:54:26
Speaker
I'm so excited and he keeps calling himself out a Wikipedia article, maybe, but he's like, uh, I'm so excited, uh, sir. And he keeps calling Martin Lawrence, sir, throughout the movie. He calls everybody, sir. Uh, Carlson, he's he's a good boy. He's a good boy. So they get in the car, they start driving to find crime.
00:54:51
Speaker
And Martin Lawrence is like, you got any music in here? And Luke Wilson's like, Oh yeah, I just can't turn it up too loud so we can't hear dispatch. And he turns on the radio and it's like some, you know, rap music. And, and Luke Wilson's like, I've never heard this station before. Cause he's, cause the white guy. He's real white.
00:55:15
Speaker
He's, he's real white. yeah so So they get a call about a reported burglary at a store that sells rims for cars. So they go to the store.
00:55:29
Speaker
They hear from the owner that somebody like came in and stole these rims and it's like $5,000 worth of rims. Some, some amount of money worth of rims. It is. You, you had it exactly right. He says they've stolen $5,000 worth of rims, all the good stuff. Yeah. And Martin Lawrence is like, well, this doesn't make sense because for a $5,000 take,
00:55:55
Speaker
you're spending all this time to lug this heavy these heavy rims to a truck, and you have to pay to rent a truck. like and And if you have so many people to make this feasible, like you're gonna get $1,500 a guy, $1,000 a guy, like that doesn't make sense. yeah Unless you have your own truck, and he looks outside and he sees the truck of the rim shop outside,
00:56:25
Speaker
And he goes and like uses like a knife to Jimmy the lock open on the truck and opens it up. And what do you know? All the supposedly stole stolen rims are in there. Yeah. I actually thought this scene was really interesting. Like it's a, it's a good scene of him.
00:56:42
Speaker
uh, explaining, like using his criminal knowledge. Like I feel like we could have gotten a lot more of this. Yeah. Uh, but also it's really interesting because I've watched a lot of crime movies and you almost never see a rim job depicted in a mainstream movie.
00:57:01
Speaker
Okay. Do you think it was an inside joke among the writers of the movie? Absolutely not. to make the heist for car rims? Absolutely not, no. You don't think so? For the reason I just, like for the reason you just laughed? No, absolutely not. Because they would have said it out loud. Yes. This is not a joke. Because I feel like they could have gotten away with it in 1999. Yeah, that's true. Although there are a number of things in this movie that indicate that it was once rated R and then recut or reworked to be PG-13.
00:57:40
Speaker
Yeah. So that's a good point though. I gotta say for years I did podcasts with you and you never laughed. I laughed. You were just like, isn I've, I laughed. I never, I didn't never laugh. And now i I get it. Matt, Matt Wilson likes it when I work blue. That's a good shit. That's the stuff I like. So he, like Martin Lawrence, despite extra legally searching this truck, like that was in the constitution. Yeah. Yeah. that's a funnyddy Any lawyer can get this guy off. I believe Luke Will said, even says this is unconstitutional. Uh, when he says we can't search this thing without permission, if we don't have a warrant. Yeah. And, uh,
00:58:37
Speaker
in a pretty accurate depiction of policing as I understand it, ah Martin Lawrence goes, sure we can, we're the cops. But Martin Lawrence also convinces Carlson not to arrest the owner of the shop and instead is just like, now he owes us a favor. yeah and We can call that favor in.
00:59:02
Speaker
which is also very accurate to how cops really work. yes but luke wilson so lips its like We let the little fish go so we can catch the big fish. Makes sense. like He's never considered that before. Carlson is dumb as a fucking post. it's This movie ignores that a police academy exists.
00:59:28
Speaker
and that like In order to be a detective, like he mentions like, how many times did you have to take the test? I'm making him sound like Kermit the Frog for some reason. Uh, but like he says he had to take the test a bunch and he did really well on the written part, but not on whatever else there is. And like, like he had to have been a cop for a little bit. And I'm not, you know, y'all know what I think.
00:59:59
Speaker
but also like he he constantly disproves that he did well on the written part. Yeah. He acts like he like not just that it's like his first day as a cop, but the like he just came out of the fucking judged red clone tanks. Like it is his first day on the planet earth. So they get another call about a car that's hit a fire hydrant.
01:00:26
Speaker
And miles is like, I gotta get back to, I gotta to get back. I gotta get back to the police station. and And Carlson is like, we go back when we go back. We got work we when we we're out on the street, we got work to do. So they start checking in on this car that hit a fire hydrant. And Martin's like, I got a headache, man. I need an aspirin. I need a big aspirin. So he goes into a convenience store and buys some aspirin.
01:00:55
Speaker
And while he's in there or while he's in there looking around, a guy comes in, holds a gun up to the clerk and is like, open the safe and give me the money in the safe. And it is, I mean, it's very obviously Dave Chappelle. Dave Chappelle is a man with a very distinct voice. He sure is.
01:01:16
Speaker
So Dave Chappelle is robbing this ah this convenience store and Martin hears his voice and immediately identifies him. And the convenience store clerk pulls out a gun and starts firing wildly into bags of Doritos.
01:01:38
Speaker
And as that's going on, we see Martin just sitting there eating some Fritos out of a bag. Yeah. Frito Lay and Pepsi, very well represented in this convenience store. It did make me want a Pepsi and ah and some Doritos, real bad. Real bad, real bad. Finally, Tully, who's Dave Chappelle, and Miles talk to each other through a hole in one of the shelves and David and miles is just like leave out the back leave out the back right now I Told you to just go for what's in the in the cash register not in the safe You're a wheel man. Anyway, what are you doing? Get out of here so After a lot of convincing Dave Chappelle goes out through the back door and into an alley but it's too late by the time he gets out there the cops are blocking off the alley and
01:02:34
Speaker
And so now Dave Chappelle is stuck in the alleyway. And so Martin Lawrence or Miles has to come out and be like, let me take care of this. Let me take care of this. Let me take care of this. And this whole time, Dave Chappelle is like shouting for Miles. And Luke Wilson's like, who's Miles? And ah Miles has to be like, I don't know, man, he's on drugs. He's high.
01:03:02
Speaker
And Luke Wilson goes, Yeah, he's high. That's a great impression of Luke Wilson, specifically in this movie. So Martin Lawrence comes out from behind a dumpster starts walking up to Dave Chappelle. Once again, it's like, Hey, man, just listen to me and be cool. Do what I tell you, you'll only be in jail for one night. And it was like, why are you trying to cancel me?
01:03:29
Speaker
Yeah, and he's like, I will give you $50,000 if you do not say who I really am. Also, we got to make this look real. So he punches Dave Chappelle and lays him out. He gets knocked out. Throughout this whole, they go back to the police station. Miles continues looking for the diamond, goes to the spot where it was. He's able to get up in the ducks this time.
01:03:56
Speaker
and is able to find the spot where the diamond was, but it's not there now. Because we'll find out that at some point there was some kind of accident that led to like liquid flushing through the air ducts. So it moved everything around. The air conditioning ducts were flooded. Yeah. I think that's what they say. Yeah, that's what they say. ah There's a scene where Miles goes in to interrogate Dave Chappelle's character and like has to act like he's roughing him up. And Luke Wilson and another cop are watching this and they're just like, he's great, man. that That Detective Malone is great. Because we're supposed to believe that Luke Wilson is a by-the-book, like upstanding cop, but he loves seeing a suspect get beat in the shit. like
01:04:54
Speaker
Martin Lawrence beating the shit out of a guy. He's so happy about it. He's so happy about it. Which, you know, by the book cop. Yeah. It's exactly what a cop would do. Yeah. The cops are fucking horny for Martin Lawrence beating up suspects in the interrogation room. Like no one is like, no one is like, Hey, literally any,
01:05:22
Speaker
a lawyer can to get this thrown out now. Yeah. So after that, there's a scene where Luke Wilson confronts Miles and says, hey, I looked you up. I couldn't find your badge number or your name in any kind of records. or that I couldn't find that you were from West Covina.
01:05:48
Speaker
And so this is when Martin Lawrence makes up his first lie, which is that he's from internal affairs and he's here to root out all the corruption in this place. Which if if Carlson was actually an upstanding cop would make sense, but Carlson is corrupt as everybody else. Yeah.
01:06:10
Speaker
but Like, it's weird because none of the cops that we encounter in this movie are, like, dirty cops. They're all just dirty cops. Yeah. Yeah. They're all just the average amount of corrupt. Well, Luke Wilson is not, like, stealing stuff corrupt, but he is. I want to see a suspect get beaten up corrupt. Yeah, for sure. Like I said, the average amount of corrupt. Yeah. um Also, there's a scene in here where Martin Lawrence gets promoted to like supervisor. He is promoted to being the lead detective. No, he's promoted. may is so good He's promoted above that. To the point where he like, so he's looking for the diamond. And he just wanders into a meeting. And the like commanding officers are like, Oh, actually, it's great that you're here. Because
01:07:06
Speaker
Uh, you're the new head of the department of this division. So if any of the officers have any questions for you, uh, now's the, now's the time. And so there's this whole bit about how like this one cop is like, why do we have to use the G 31? I hate it.
01:07:26
Speaker
I want to know what our new lead detective thinks about the P31. It's the P31, yeah. and And Martin Lawrence not knowing what the P31 is. And it's it is funny that it is never described what the P31 is. Yes. ah Martin Lawrence is like, well, do you like the P31?
01:07:46
Speaker
And they're all like, no, we hate it. And he goes, that's okay. Fine. The P 31 it's out of here. What do you like? And they go, I like the P 40. And he goes P 40 in and everybody like applauds. And, uh, the, the chief is like, we just got this shit. We just got this equipment. And, uh, the captain's like, maybe that's what we need a shakeup.
01:08:11
Speaker
Oh, also the captain, or the chief, ah we saw him earlier while Martin Lawrence was in the ducts. His balls itch, so he uses cream for his itchy balls. He uses ball cream. He uses ball cream for his itchy balls. For his itchy balls. And so then, when he goes to shake hands with Martin Lawrence, he's like, no, ah gross. yeah Martin Lawrence sees him ah like putting ball cream on his itchy balls, which, as we know, is the worst thing you can do. And he almost vomits. He does. he He could not be more grossed out by a man having a health problem in his crotch. Oh, just even you saying it just now. I wanted to die. Yeah, it's disgusting. So when he goes to shake hands, ah Martin Lawrence
01:09:06
Speaker
Like hugs him. Yeah. And buddy, it's 1999 and those must be some disgusting balls. I forget exactly where it is in here, by the way, but there's also the one ah Dave Chappelle gay joke in here somewhere. Miles Logan, his former associate is brought up and Dave Chappelle is like, I'll point out Miles s Logan when I see him.
01:09:35
Speaker
And I'll tell you this, he's gay. And it's like, okay, man. Great. Yep. But we know that's like, I think that might be why they put the other thing in there because we know that he's not because I mean, the the very thought of balls. He could not be more disgusted by balls. I hate that we've said the word balls.
01:10:02
Speaker
ah So He, I think Miles finally gets a beat on where the diamond is, but just before he can get to it, there's another call for another investigation involving some like stolen artifacts from a museum. But they recover all the artifacts or they, there was a stolen like armored truck and they recovered all these artifacts from it. Um, but they don't understand what like the purpose was smashed up.
01:10:33
Speaker
Yeah, they don't understand. And the cops are like, why would they smash up these artifacts from the Middle East? And Martin Lawrence being the only one who knows anything, it's like it the heist wasn't about the artifacts. The heist was about smuggling in drugs. It was about- It's because the cops have never encountered crime before. It's like the first thing you learn as a criminal is make it look like you're stealing one thing when in fact you're smuggling in drugs. I don't think that's the first thing you learn when you're a criminal. and And the cops are like, oh, it's drugs. So they seize all this heroin. Because because oh also Martin Lawrence explains that they just need to look for a truck with a B on it. Because that would be a bonded truck that you could take to a bonded warehouse. Yes.
01:11:29
Speaker
It really seems like the screenwriter of this film read one article in USA Today about how crime is. About what crime what crime do? Yeah. They see Zelda's heroine, and once again, Detective Malone looks like a hero. He also finds the diamond, finally.
01:11:52
Speaker
And just as he's getting the diamond, he falls into all of this seized heroin, or the diamond falls into into all the seized heroin. So he has to like search through it for it. and it But it gets it gets stuck in there, and then there's a whole conflict with the FBI that started back with the artifacts. It's jurisdiction. There's this whole conflict over jurisdiction. And the actor they got to be the main FBI agent is the most sniveling
01:12:22
Speaker
nasal talking guy. Yeah. You could imagine. Which is weird because this is, again, I think another bit of of the drafts showing because they never actually, I swear to God, they never use the word jurisdiction in this part. They never go like, oh, yeah, the FBI has taken over. It's out of our jurisdiction. And then at the end, Mark Lawrence goes, I love jurisdiction.
01:12:51
Speaker
Like it has been a thing that has been vexing them the entire
Confrontation and Final Thoughts on the Film
01:12:54
Speaker
time. Well, they know what geographical jurisdiction is, but not jurisdiction between local and federal law enforcement. Yeah. So anyway.
01:13:07
Speaker
There's first this conflict with the FBI, but then the FBI is like, okay, now we want you, the l LAPD to head up a sting operation to take down the big drug cartel. Yeah. So is so good at everything. Which the diamond, he tried to fish it out of the heroin, but couldn't get it out. So it's still in all the heroin.
01:13:35
Speaker
So he has to be part of the sting operation. right The FBI wants to put that heroin back out on the street so they can catch the the big fish. The the big ah drug runner. ben so The big crime fish. And so they get the driver of the truck that they arrested before to drive a truck with Martin Lawrence in the passenger seat going undercover to oversee the drug deal so they go to this place they start the drug deal miles is confronted by both dave chappelle and the bad guy from the mask as things are getting going and is about to be killed but then the big fish arrives whose name i do not know
01:14:27
Speaker
It's very unimportant. Very unimportant. I think his name is Jean Lefleur. Yeah, that's right. Jean Lefleur who's been ah controlling the drug trade from Mexico. Yeah. So maybe this movie didn't take place in l LA in its original draft. So Dave Chappelle is like trying to hide that Miles is a cop.
01:14:52
Speaker
but the bad guy from the mask doesn't care. And he says, he's a cop. What do you mean? Obviously he's a cop. And so Jean Lafleur is like, prove you're not a cop and shoot him. And it's talking about Deacon. Yeah. and He goes takes all the bullets out of a gun except for one and so shoot him. And in a pretty funny moment, uh,
01:15:20
Speaker
Martin Lawrence goes, okay, and just shoots him. He shoots him like in the arm. Yeah. Yeah. And he goes, no, I meant for you to kill him. And Martin Lawrence says, you just said shoot him. He just said, oh, you didn't say that. yeah it Which is pretty great. It's pretty funny. Like that's a funny bit. Yeah. And then again, Martin Lawrence, this is important. Martin Lawrence hesitates quite a bit.
01:15:50
Speaker
unsure of whether he should shoot this guy who betrayed him, killed his best friend, ah put him in jail for two years and is now trying to kill him again. Right. And I'm not saying that is justification for murder. I am saying keep that in mind that there was a a definite tense hesitation and question of whether he would be able to pull the trigger. Correct. Also,
01:16:17
Speaker
Why is that a test for whether or not somebody's a cop? Cops will shoot fucking anybody. I mean, yeah. They're not supposed to, though. But they will. In theory, yes. They have qualified immunity. What the fuck do they care? This, I feel like, is a... Like, this is a leftover trope from cop movies and cop shows about people going undercover, that they're not supposed to actually do any illegal stuff that I think is was just purely made up. Yeah, that's what it feels like. That's definitely what it feels like.
01:16:58
Speaker
so
01:17:01
Speaker
The other cops decide now is the time they have to go in. Not when he shot him the first time. when Not when he shot Deacon the first time. They heard him, they heard the bad guy say, ah I want you to shoot this guy to prove you're not a cop. And Martin Lawrence went, okay, and shot him. Yeah. Now is when they go in and break everything up and pandemonium happens.
01:17:30
Speaker
Uh, Miles, uh, I think Deacon is able to get the diamond because he, he steals the truck and I think pockets the diamond. Uh, so, and then drives the truck escapes in the truck to the toward the border with Mexico. And as they're driving to the Mexico border, all these other cops are talking about how We can't cross the border. That's, that's going to be out of our jurisdiction. And, uh, so, so Deacon goes across the border and all the cops stop at the border, but miles gets in a cop car and he's like, fuck this, I'm going and drives across the border to go after Deacon. They fight Deacon reveals that he has the diamond and
01:18:30
Speaker
Miles is like, look, man, I'll cut you a deal. Let me arrest you. But I'll get you, I'll find a way to get you off and I'll cut you back in on half of the value of the diamond. Yeah. And the bad guy from the mask goes, I have the diamond. Yeah. And Martin Morris is like, no, no, no, but like they think I'm a cop. You can't get out of this. Right. He's like, you don't have any options. You're either going to prison.
01:18:59
Speaker
in the United States or you're going to the prison in Mexico. And then he, there's some line about burritos that I do not understand. It's, it's a weird, it's a weird, like, like prison sexual assault joke. Yeah. About putting burritos in his ass. But it's like, yeah, it is, it is just a string of words that would be used for offensive jokes that just like,
01:19:29
Speaker
comes across as being utter nonsense because they're not put together right. It's it's it's like if you asked a ah AI to write that joke. it It really is. Deacon agrees to this and then immediately Miles double crosses him and handcuffs him to the wrecked burning armor truck. Yeah.
01:19:53
Speaker
Deacon, as Miles is walking away, Deacon pulls out a gun to shoot him. Miles turns around and shoots him first. Spins around, draws, fires, one shot, one kill. Oh, because cause he only had we read we found out that he only had one bullet in his gun. It's still the bullet that he was supposed to shoot him with that the ah the cartel guy gave him. Right. He only has one bullet. so He was going to shoot out the tires of the truck, but he since he only had one bullet left, he shot a flare into the truck instead, to reckon. Yeah, he uses his one bullet that's left to kill Deacon. Which, by the way, after the whole bit with Miles not wanting to kill Deacon earlier, Luke Wilson shoots and kills a guy instantly. And Miles says to him, good shooting, man. Yeah.
01:20:51
Speaker
ah This like we get a we get a close-up of Martin Lawrence holding the gun sideways and dropping it like a microphone. Yes after he fully commits a murder In full view of multiple cops and FBI agents, absolutely So then he walks back across the border and ah The a higher level FBI guy immediately demands like, who are you? Yeah. Like we don't have any record of you being a cop and you cross the border. We need answers right now. So, uh, this is when Martin Lawrence says, I'm a federally, it's very funny. And
01:21:47
Speaker
And the cop goes, I'll fan a rally. And all the cops are like, what? You're Mexican? You work for the Mexican government? And Martin Lawrence is like, that's right. I'm I'm I did it for my country. I did it for the the white, the red and the empty looks back at the Mexican flag and goes and the green. Another pretty good joke. Another pretty good joke.
01:22:16
Speaker
he walks across the border now with the diamond and he is standing just on the other side of the border when ah Carlson approaches, Carlson and another cop approach. And Carlson explains that he knows who Martin Lawrence actually is. He's like, I know that you're Miles Logan.
01:22:44
Speaker
I put it together like a while ago. Yeah, but he we never see that. And it's not even really clear why, like, like what evidence he would be basing that upon. Yeah, I i mean, I guess he knew that the diamond was hidden in the police station somehow.
01:23:10
Speaker
At least that's what's implied. There's a lot of off screen solving of this mystery. he He, you know, says that he knows that he's my Logan. Um, and you know, normally they'd have to take him in, but he's in Mexico right now and they can't arrest him. And they look down at the the line at their feet of the border. And, and that's when Martin Lawrence is like, I love jurisdiction.
01:23:37
Speaker
And so ah they can't arrest him and the movie ends on a freeze frame as Martin Lawrence is running into Mexico.
Critique of Humor and Film's Flaws
01:23:46
Speaker
Of of him jumping up double fists in the air, happy as hell, that he has gotten away with all of his crimes. All right, Chris, it's time for the high points of Blue Streak. I can't believe we missed it because we did talk about, ah let me buy you some cereal.
01:24:07
Speaker
Uh, but there is a later scene where, uh, they're talking to the guy who owns the rim store yeah and Martin Lawrence says, you like snacks? And the guy answers, the guy answers, yeah, nothing makes me happier.
01:24:27
Speaker
A truly demented answer to that question. It's so good. It's so good. It's great. Nothing makes me happier than snacks. Nothing makes me happier. Been there, bud. Been there. Yeah, man. Yeah, man. We used to do a snack- We all know what that's like. We used to do a snack situation on this show. I i liked snacks so much that I can't have anymore.
01:24:55
Speaker
That's how it goes sometimes. It'd be like that sometimes. It do be, I believe that. My biggest high point from this movie is the music. Really enjoyable soundtrack. Yeah. I love it. Like I went and looked at what IMDB has for the soundtrack of this movie and it's it's great. Girl's Best Friend by Jay-Z. That plays over the the closing credits. Yeah. ah Criminal Mind by Tyrese featuring Heavy D.
01:25:26
Speaker
ah Give me my money by rehab Nothing but a G thing by Snoop Dogg Catch that one, but While you were gone by Kelly price all eyes on me a cold-blooded by Rick James Dafriq by the shorties featuring 69 boys Damn should have treated you right by plush featuring Ja Rule.
01:25:51
Speaker
ah Jungle Brother by the Jungle Brothers. Rock Ice by Hot Boys featuring Big Timers. That was a good one. I really enjoyed that one. That was near the end of the movie. Seis Salinas by Edwin Colรณn Zayas. Isu Talar Capacino, which is at the end when we start hearing salsa music at the end of the movie. Yeah, when it shifts from like this this really funk-heavy hip-hop to just playing like Spanish guitar. Yeah. And then Get Away by TQ and Crazy Bone. ah All good. Like all of the music in this movie is good. Yeah. it it's It's got a really nice little, it's such a time capsule. Yeah, man. I miss R and&B. I miss it.
01:26:44
Speaker
i I really wish it would come make a comeback. I mean, it's not that there's no R and&B at all anymore, but it is not part of the popular music zeitgeist did anymore. Man, i I really do miss it. ah But yeah, the music in this movie, top, top marks for that. um Also, there's some really funny lines. Martin Lawrence is charming in it. Like, he does come off as a movie star in this movie.
01:27:14
Speaker
Despite, you know, some low points that we'll get to. Yeah. Like I, he is, I think he's highly enjoyable in this movie as a, yeah mean as a comedy action hero. Like I said, I really, I think there could have been more of this. Well, what's funny is there was an intended sequel and we'll talk about that in a minute. Ooh.
01:27:42
Speaker
That's unsurprising because it does end with him like you know getting away with everything. Yeah, and it was um very successful. It it made $117 million dollars on a $36 million dollars budget. Yeah, it it does not look like a very expensive film. It does not, um but it is like generally pretty well made.
01:28:04
Speaker
and I think that acting in it is pretty good. like Luke Wilson plays the dumbest guy in the world, but he's also charming. like yeah I don't think anybody in the movie is out and out bad. yeah no everybody it like the The worst anyone is is serviceable. yeah I also don't know if it's a high point or a low point that these are the most corrupt cops I have ever seen in the movie.
01:28:31
Speaker
like it's just cheerfully baseline. Awful. Yeah, it is. I think that's a point. Yeah. All right. How about the low points of, of blue streak? Here's my top blue point, Chris. A little too much riffing. A little too much riffing and not enough plot. Well, there are so many things that are so clearly abandoned subplots. Yeah. The DA, or not the DA, but the public defender. The public defender. Having a scene with his girlfriend at all. At this point, that scene is pointless. That scene is useless. Yeah. There's no reason for him to not just go get the diamond.
01:29:27
Speaker
Like if, if we're going to establish that he had a girlfriend, there's gotta be some reason for like, I feel like that scene was there to free him up to. For the, for the, the public defender. To be interested in the public defender. Yeah. Yeah. But as it is, there's just enough, there's no purpose. Yeah. it paul I found it wonderful that this was a trim 95 minutes. Oh, yeah. But a lot of that 95 minutes does not advance anything in the movie itself. Yeah. And, and the other I mean, the other obvious low point is the fat jokes, the gay jokes, the stuff that just doesn't hasn't aged well and doesn't hold up. Yeah. um does Well, shouldn't have been in it then.
01:30:26
Speaker
Shouldn't have been in it then, but definitely is, we'll make you wince now.
Scrapped Sequel and Reflection on Enjoyment
01:30:32
Speaker
Yeah. All right, Chris, it's time for our final thoughts about Blue Streak. I mentioned that there was a planned sequel. Here's the information that Wikipedia here's the information that ah that wikipedia has about that sequel.
01:30:54
Speaker
There were plans for a sequel to Blue Streak, but that sequel did not materialize. Instead, its screenplay was reused for the 2002 film Bad Company. Really? I don't know that film. Yes. That is a film starring Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins. Okay. and in the okay I can see how you got to one of those.
01:31:18
Speaker
from Martin Lawrence and, uh, uh, Luke Wilson can't really see how you got to the other one. Yeah, it's a little weird. Uh, but the, the, the time first of Anthony Hopkins as, as, uh, Luke Wilson. Wow. Wow. Uh, that movie was directed by Joel Schumacher and came out in 2002. Um, but that was what was originally
01:31:48
Speaker
it It was originally meant to be a sequel to Blue Streak and then got made into a different movie. It seems like maybe Martin Lawrence didn't want to do it. um Because there was a so there was a script and everything, you know? No.
01:32:03
Speaker
so like
01:32:05
Speaker
the ah The only seeming reason why the sequel never got made had to be because Martin Lawrence was doing other stuff. Yeah. Bad Boys 2 or whatever. seems it Seems like Martin Lawrence was maybe going through it a little bit in the years after Blue Streak. In 2002, he was definitely going through it. So yeah, he was running until that in 2002.
01:32:28
Speaker
ah Chris, what are your final thoughts about Blue Streak? It's exactly as good as I expected it to be. It is a perfectly kind of disposable, like, I want to have some laughs, I'm 17 years old, memorable catchphrases type of movie, right? Like, it is very much exactly what I thought it was going to be. No, nothing that jumped out at me that was way worse. Nothing that really jumped out at me that was way better except for, except for, let me buy you some cereal. Which is such a good, like, that's a perfect joke.
01:33:15
Speaker
Well, you had, okay, so you were looking at the movie through a nostalgia lens. Yes. I was not. I had never seen this movie before. Right. And I did enjoy, I i will say, I did enjoy watching it with you and and kind of sharing it in in that regard. So I am very curious to know what you, Matt Wilson, thought of Blue Streak. I thought it was a perfectly fun time.
01:33:38
Speaker
Good. I enjoyed watching it. of As we said, there are little bits in the movie that made me wince or go, oh, they wouldn't have put that in the movie now. um But for 90 of the 95 minutes or 88 of the 93 minutes, I thought it was totally enjoyable action comedy.
01:34:06
Speaker
kind of stuff. And again, yes, it was very fun to watch it with you and just kind of like riff about it and joke about it and talk about like, you know, our, our weird mutual affection for Martin Lawrence.
01:34:23
Speaker
ah So yeah, I had a fun, I had fun watching it. I had a fun time. Uh, I'm glad I could literally write a book about, let me buy you some cereal.
01:34:35
Speaker
yeah Because it's it's cheap. It's everywhere. It's not something anyone would ever buy for another person. As a gift. As a as a gift to make up for something. Yes.
01:34:51
Speaker
It's a food, but it's not like a like it's not like a fat joke food. it's not like like There's a bit in this where ah he goes into the police station and he picks up a donut and then he puts it down and goes, I'm not a cop. It's not like donuts or cake or dessert or right a cheeseburger or anything. The whole bit with the donut where he's like, I'm not a cop.
01:35:14
Speaker
There's a branded box of Dunkin' Donuts that he pulls that donut out of. Yeah. And it makes me wonder what Dunkin' Donuts thought of that, because what that scene is saying is like, you only eat Dunkin' Donuts if you're a cop. Says, hey, man, maybe maybe that's what they want. Maybe that is what they want. America does run on Dunkin'. We'll just never know.
01:35:39
Speaker
Uh, but that's our episode about blue streak. Uh, thanks for listening. everybody Yeah. Thanks for listening. Uh, we'll be back in October with probably a spooky movie. Probably so. Come back for that. Uh, if you want to support our show and, uh, everything else that we make here at Clitus Media.
01:36:01
Speaker
ah You can go to our patreon, which is patreon dot.com slash war rocket Ajax and kick in as little as a dollar a month to help support movie fighters snack situation war rocket Ajax and And everything we do here at colitis media and get some bonuses in the meantime
01:36:23
Speaker
If you want to email us movie suggestions, you could do it at moviefighterscast at gmail dot.com. You can also go to our Tumblr, which is moviefighterscast.tumblr dot.com, or you could join the War Rocket Ajax Discord and talk with our fans there. That is unofficially also the Movie Fighters Discord.
Listener Engagement and Show Support
01:36:42
Speaker
If you want to find me and my stuff, go to MattDWilson.net to find links to my comics, my books, my other podcasts, and my social medias. Chris, where can people find you?
01:36:50
Speaker
People can find me by going to the-isp.com, that is my website. ah You could also just find me at War Rockity Jacks every Monday and on movie fighters every two months and other podcasts that I do. Thanks for listening, everybody. Yeah, and and thanks for watching Blue Streak with me, Matt. It was a pleasure. Believe that.