“Blue Streak” ranks in the upper reaches of the cop buddy genre, up there in “Lethal Weapon” territory. It has the usual ingredients for a cop comedy, including the obligatory Dunkin’ Donuts product placement, but it’s assembled with style–and it’s built around a Martin Lawrence performance that deserves comparison with Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy, with a touch of Mel Gibson’s zaniness in the midst of action.

Martin Lawrence is a comic actor with real talent, not always shown to best advantage. “Bad Boys” (1995) his cop buddy movie with Will Smith, was not a career high point, and it took a certain nerve to make another one. But “Blue Streak” works.