Martin Lawrence's 7 Best Movies

Though he's best remembered as a a TV star, comedian Martin Lawrence has appeared in a whopping 27 movies with a 28th -- the long overdue Bad Boys for Life -- hitting theaters later this month. Here's a look at the best of his film catalogue. You can always catch up on old episodes of Def Comedy Jam and Martin later.





7. A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

Lawrence wore nearly every conceivable hat on his directorial debut. Besides helming A Thin Line Between Love & Hate, he headlines the cast, executive produced and co-wrote the screenplay for this relationship-gone-wrong film about an immovable player who meets an irresistible fatal-attraction. Speaking of the cast, it couldn't be packed with more pleasant surprises. Lawrence is surrounded onscreen by the likes of his Martin co-stars, Tracy Morgan ("Hustle Man") and Miguel Nunez ("Pretty Ricky"); his House Party co-star, Darryl "Chill" Mitchell; none other than Bobby Brown; Magnum P.I.'s Roger "T.C." Moseley; Faizon "Big Worm" Love; Tiny "Deebo" Lister; the late Della Reese; Regina King; Lynn Whitfield; Wendy Raquel Robinson; and even cameos by Snoop, the Eastsidaz and the late "Bad Azz".

In keeping with the tradition of African-American films being scored by innovative soul music stars (Shaft, Trouble Man, Superfly, Black Caesar, etc.), A Thin Line was even scored by the late, great Roger Troutman. And Lawrence also -- somehow -- found time to executive produce the movie's soundtrack, which features a remake of the Persuader's 1971 R&B classic of the same name. 







6. Do the Right Thing

Aside from being a bona fide classic, Do the Right Thing is also notable for featuring Lawrence in his first film role. He's not as easy to recognize without his trademarked mustache.









5. Bad Boys

1995's Bad Boys was a smash hit, bringing in seven times its budget at the box office. The partnership between Will Smith's Detective Mike Lowery and Martin Lawrence's Detective Marcus Burnett was unheard of; buddy-cop movies featuring an African-American police officer and a white counterpart (the Beverly Hills Cop and Lethal Weapon series, Running Scared and Die Hard) were revolutionary at the time. But two Black cops at the center of a high-profile action movie was one-of-a-kind.









4. Bad Boys II

Lawrence's Miami PD narcotics detective Marcus Burnett has put in for a transfer away from his trigger-happy partner, Mike Lowrey (Will Smith). But in the meantime, their last assignment pits them against violent Russian gangsters and a murderous Cuban drug ring. When Marcus' sister, Sydney, is kidnapped, the estranged partners' rescue op leads all the way to Guantanamo Bay.









3. National Security

Private security guard Earl Montgomery achieves his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer due to a settlement agreement stemming from a comical misunderstanding in which he's mistakenly thought to be a victim of police brutality. National Security isn't star Martin Lawrence's first, or last, cop movie -- but is his funniest.









2. Boomerang

In 1992, Lawrence teamed with comedy legend Eddie Murphy; his Tyler explained conspiracy theories and bridged the culture gap between his best friends Marcus (Murphy) and Gerard (David Alan Grier).









1. House Party

As Kid and Play's friend and DJ, Bilal, Lawrence was on top of the world -- except when partygoers bumped the table. 

Originally Posted 1/8/20