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Black Knight
by
debbie lynn elias
Jamal Walker, direct from
Florence and Normandie in the heart of South Central Los Angeles, works as a
maintenance man at Medieval World, a tired and run-down theme park that has
remained in business for 27 years due solely to the efforts of its dedicated
owner. Worried more about his appearance than work and not having any
aspirations in life, other than to find a scam and make a quick buck, Jamal only
looks for the easy way out. When faced with stiff competition from the new grand
and glorious Castle World, rather than work hard and improve Medieval World’s
grubby and grungy appearance and give the new guys a run for their money, Jamal’s
solution to the problem is a recommendation to the boss to sell and retire to
Florida. In the meantime, Jamal can jump ship early and get first in line for
new employment with Castle World. Due to his lack of vision and work ethic,
Jamal is condemned to cleaning the moat where he, of course, sees a gold
medallion in the muck and mire which he believes will be worth a fortune. While
reaching for his riches, Jamal falls into the moat and through some strange
course of events and the time continuum itself, emerges in the year of our Lord
1328 in merry olde England.
Similar in premise to Mark Twain’s
"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court" which has been
translated to the screen with versions ranging from Bing Crosby to Whoopi
Goldberg, "Black Knight" goes for every laugh possible - - and
succeeds. On his initial arrival to England, he meets Sir Knolte, a shining
example of homelessness and street living at its finest. Filthy, dirty,
unshaven, reeking of alcohol and having exceedingly bad breath (good thing Jamal
travels nowhere without breath freshener), Knolte nevertheless is hospitable and
polite, offering Jamal shelter in his lean-to and food from his fire pit.
Believing Knolte to be an alcoholic street person on the other side of the
freeway, Jamal’s recommendation, however, is to join AA, get some food stamps
and go to a shelter. In actuality, Knolte is a former knight to the Queen, who
has been deposed by the tyrannical reigning King Leo.
Wandering into a village and
eventually into the castle, it takes awhile for Jamal to grasp that he’s not
actually visiting the competition at Castle World. Advising the castle guards
that he is from Florence and Normandie, they take it to mean he is a Moor and
emissary to the Duke of Normandy, come to advise of the imminent wedding of King
Leo’s daughter to the Duke. Treated like the royalty he has always believed
himself to be, Jamal is feted with wine, women and song - and of course, earns
the right to a key to the men’s room - a hole that’s covered with . . . (you
guessed it!) At a party given in his honor, with his "true" identity
about to be discovered, quick thinking, street smart Jamal gets things going
(and saves his butt) with a rousing singing and dancing number set to Sly &
The Family Stone’s "Dance to the Music" with choreography by non
other than Paula Abdul.
Realizing that Leo is not a very
kind king and learning of a rebellion to overthrow him and return the Queen to
her throne, Leo wants nothing more than to return to the 21st
Century. Unfortunately, along the way, he discovers that he does have a
conscience and joins forces with the rebellion. Using his 21st
knowledge and skills (football, street fighting, cleanliness, hygiene, table
manners, the benefit of good footwear), Jamal is a mentor to the rag tag rebels,
inspiring them to greatness with the now infamous Rodney King "Can’t we
all just get along" speech.
Combining the talents of writers
Darryl Quarles, Peter Gaulke and Gerry Swallow, we have a character who grows
and changes for the better without underestimating the audience’s
intelligence. Director Gil Junger keeps the pace fast, but harkening back to his
bast television background, gives you the opportunity get the laugh and keep the
laugh going before cutting away to another scene. Veteran set decorator Peg
Cummings does a magnificent job of recreating the medieval period. Vincent Regan
as Percival, the king’s chief of security, is deliciously wicked as he
attempts to undermine Jamal’s popularity at every turn and Tom Wilkinson gives
an understated, yet forceful and effective performance as Knolte.
Not being a Martin Lawrence fan,
I must confess that "Black Knight" had me rolling in the aisles. Lawrence
went for the comic jugular and succeeded every time. Using the "fish out
of water" approach to being a strange man in a strange time, Lawrence’s
seemingly effortless timing and physical reactions as Jamal, not to mention
vocal inflections, are impeccable, and help him create not only a laughable,
but extremely lovable and endearing character. Long live the boy from the ‘hood
who turned into Robin Hood!
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