If someone had told me that Martin Lawrence could carry a film practically by himself, and an action/adventure/comedy flick to boot, I'd have never greenlighted it to be made without Will Smith or someone else attached. But someone in Hollywood did, and Blue Streak is entertainingly the result.

Martin Lawrence plays Logan Miles, a bank robber with his eyes set on a diamond worth $17 million. Of course, he's going to need a little help, and being no honor among thieves, the heist goes predictably ary and forces Miles to hide the rock in a nearby construction site. After two years of jail time, Miles attempts to recover his merchandise, only to discover that the construction was completed to become a police station for the LAPD. Since the only two people that can get through that door are those with badges or handcuffs, Miles opts for the improbable badge and hilarity ensues.

This plot could have easily been played out with another actor, but Lawrence adds something to it that, while trying at times, is funny to watch. With Lawrence helming, the movie instead becomes the reverse of Beverly Hills Cop; instead of a cop that's more comfortable being a thug, Lawrence plays a thug that seems more comfortable as a cop. That distinction is enough to launch Lawrence on what could become a franchise, or at the very least get him better and more profitable roles in Hollywood. Believe that. 

(3 out of 4)