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Since the release of Bad Boys in 1995, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have traded quips over bullets, car chases, and Michael Bay-sized explosions along various stretches of Miami (or locations meant to resemble Miami). Their characters, Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), have survived each other’s teasing, breakups, parenthood, betrayal, and the loss of their beleaguered but dedicated boss, Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano).
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die, their fourth outing together, is much the same as it ever was, with a few changes since the original almost — gulp — 30 years ago. Building on some of the most recent updates in 2020’s Bad Boys for Life, our heroes are no longer brash young talent in the Miami police force. They’re brash veterans, still bold enough to stand up to internal politics behind the scenes or face a hail of bullets while investigating a case. They’re not as fast as they used to be, and they no longer feel invincible, but Mike and Marcus stick together. More than the explosions and car chases, they’re who the audience is here to cheer on.
This long-running series, which first launched in 1995 with Michael Bay in the director’s chair, now has a sizable history to work with. Bad Boys: Ride or Die feels like something of a nostalgic throwback, a tribute to these characters audiences have grown up watching and the outsized American action movies they used to make in the ’90s. As a franchise, Bad Boys may be something of a last of its kind, the buddy cop action comedy, but their latest adventure proves there’s still some gas in the tank.
What is Bad Boys: Ride or Die about?
Credit: Frank Masi / Sony Pictures
Picking up where Bad Boys for Life left off, Marcus is back on the force and once again holding on for dear life in Mike’s sports car as he speeds by South Beach for a very important date. After numerous jokes about exes and his storied dating life, Mike is finally getting married to Christine (Melanie Liburd), and Marcus, always the class clown to Mike’s straight-laced action hero, is teary-eyed celebrating his partner’s new chapter. As the party rages on, Marcus stumbles into another world where his former boss Captain Howard greets him with a reassuring message: It’s not your time yet. He survives a serious heart attack with a new appreciation of life, his “soulmate” relationship with Mike, and stories of their strange past lives he saw during his near-death experience.
Despite the heart attack and newly healthy diet, Marcus joins Mike on their latest case as Captain Howard is somehow framed for corruption. The news shocks the pair, who rally Mike’s ex and current boss Captain Rita (Paola Núñez) as well as members of the Advanced Miami Metro Operations team, Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens) and Dorn (Alexander Ludwig), in their efforts to clear his name. The pair turn to Mike’s long-lost, secret son Armando (Jacob Scipio) for intel, but the trio are ambushed by other corrupt figures in the police force and framed for aiding a fugitive’s escape.
Both Mike and Marcus suspect the real villain is someone within their force. Following Captain Howard’s posthumous clues to his files reveal just how deep the corruption trail goes, but as the pair and their allies get closer to answers, the action ratchets up to 11. The result is the sort of explosive outrageousness we’ve come to expect from the summer blockbuster, with a number of modern, tech-savvy twists.
Both Bad Boys for Life and Ride or Die stepped up their use of technology as part of the story and incorporated these gadgets into the film’s visual style. Adil & Bilall, along with cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert, maintain the polished look of a classic Jerry Bruckheimer production, while taking full advantage of cutting-edge filmmaking techniques. In this sequel, cameras on drones move freely through fight scenes or over the villain’s hideout, and a creative point-of-view shot puts a camera between Mike and his gun as he walks through the climactic fight like the perspective of the old N64 Goldfinger game. And of course, there are countless visual effects throughout the film to make moments like a fight scene in a falling plane possible.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die never takes things too seriously.
Credit: Frank Masi / Sony Pictures
Part of the appeal of this franchise is its commitment to keep the action set pieces coming even faster than the jokes themselves. With three previous movies and almost three decades of backstory, there’s plenty of callbacks to their previous misadventures, such as Marcus’ penchant for getting hurt or embarrassing the two of them. But even if you haven’t recently rewatched the series, this sequel includes enough details to give newcomers the information they need to follow along and even appreciate the in-jokes.
The practically screwball speed of Mike and Marcus’ banter has slowed over the years, but the rapport remains strong even as they face their newfound health challenges and life changes serve to humanize the movie’s aging stars. Both Lawrence and Smith play off of each other, taking the lead in different moments and sharing the spotlight. In some moments, it’s Marcus who saves the day; in others, it’s Mike’s turn to shine. Their onscreen friendship even becomes a safe space for Lawrence and Smith to joke about The Slap, when Marcus slaps Mike three times to snap his pal out of a panic attack. It’s a clever way to reference the incident while also suggesting that Smith can take a slap as well as dish one out.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die delivers what its fans look for in this series.
Credit: Frank Masi / Sony Pictures
Friendship and action: These are the two basic ingredients that will keep this franchise going and going for as long as Lawrence and Smith want it to. Like the Fast and the Furious franchise, the filmmakers behind this series have found an action movie formula that works where few others are succeeding. New regulars like Núñez, Scipio, Hudgens, and Ludwig add fresh energy for Smith and Lawrence to play off of, while cameos and small roles from Tiffany Haddish, DJ Khaled, John Salley, and Michael Bay himself push the movie to embrace its funny side. Bad Boys: Ride or Die leaves its audience with a sense of having a good time at the movies, a feeling many moviegoers seem to be missing from this summer’s blockbusters.
With Captain Howard’s death and the increasing age of our stars, would it be possible for this series to live on with a new generation of Bad Boys? There’s more than a hint of promise in Marcus and Mike’s sons, but the heart of this franchise still belongs to Smith and Lawrence. Bad Boys: Ride or Die is an entertaining reminder of what made the original movie work all those years ago.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is now playing in theaters.
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In “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” Will Smith and Martin Lawrence ride again, but their characters’ years on the force is starting to take its toll. Review.
