Martin Lawrence in "Black Knight."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Martin Lawrence Director: Gil Junger Rated: PG-13, with profanity, violence and innuendo Length: 95 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(November 21, 2001) -- The time-travel comedy takes an African-American twist in Black Knight, a modest, uneven tale with Martin Lawrence plunked into the Middle Ages.

Lawrence is Jamal Walker, a disgruntled employee at a run-down medieval theme park in modern Los Angeles. While cleaning the park's fetid moat, he falls in. When he climbs out, he has been magically transported to 14th-century England.

Knights are in shining armor, a cruel usurper (Kevin Conway) is on the throne, revolution is afoot and a damsel (Marsha Thomason) is in distress.

Jamal initially figures that he's landed in a more elaborate, competing medieval theme park in Los Angeles. Once he "gets it," he soon becomes entangled with a group fomenting revolution.

The secret rebels include a lovely lady-in-waiting (Thomason) and a discouraged knight (Tom Wilkinson) who needs encouragement to get back into the fight.

Jamal, meanwhile, bumbles along but manages to rally the forces who want to put the proper queen back on the throne.

Time-tripping to the days of yore has been a popular narrative device from Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court a century ago to the French-inspired Just Visiting earlier this year.

The attraction, of course, is the contrast between times and cultures. And Black Knight is modestly amusing, at least when Jamal tries to blend his street-wise attitude and ideas into the Middle Ages.

In the film's best scene, Jamal teaches court musicians to play Sly & the Family Stone's Dance to the Music on instruments more properly used for a madrigal.

But such laughs -- using contrast -- don't come along as frequently as they should. Soon Black Knight takes itself too seriously, as Jamal literally becomes a hero.

Director Gil Junger's claim to fame is in the world of TV sitcoms such as Ellen, The John Larroquette Show and Benson, and he does little to elevate Black Knight beyond such disposal fare.

In fact, Black Knight plays like a tepid pilot for a TV sitcom. I see it now: "Next week, Jamal jumps into the Renaissance!"