Introduction
The Bad Boys are back for their fourth outing. Will Smith’s Mike Lowry is getting married while Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett begins to live with the consequences of a near-death experience. When incriminating reports emerge of their former captain (Joe Pantoliano) working with the cartels, Lowry and Burnett find themselves on the run trying to clear Captain Howard’s name and their own.
Older But Still Bad
Smith (fulfilling top billing in two BB films after his co-star got that honor in Bad Boys (1995) and Bad Boys II (2003)) and Lawrence return as the BFF Miami Detective Lieutenants, with Lowrey still all swagger and (product placed) sportscars while Burnett is still all anxiety and health issues. But importantly they have not been stuck in time. They have aged across this decade-spanning franchise and this dictates much of their actions and reactions.
Writers Bremner and Beall have continued the evolution of the dynamics between the leading pair, with early events in the film leading to a refreshing swap of Lowrey’s bravado and Burnett’s angst. Bremner and Beall also refuse to let the ins and outs of standard police procedures get in the way of high-speed chases across land, sea, and air as our heroes are chased by Miami PD, the FBI, US Marshalls, bounty hunters, cartel members…and an albino alligator.
The F Word…Not That One
Despite the franchise being almost 30 years old, the film is still influenced by the cinematic zeitgeist of how each group of disparate individuals must at some point be called ‘family.’ Luckily, the filmmakers are wary of this tiring sentiment.
This allows the inclusion of returning players Paola Núñez, Alexander Ludwig, Vanessa Hudgens, and Jacob Scipio. In addition to newcomers Ioan Gruffudd and Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn, they rotate around our central duo without needing to patronize the audience.
The audience has to do a lot of heavy lifting, including recalling minor events from the previous films (including one from the last millennium!). This allows for the redemption of Captain Howard’s murderer, recurring reincarnation stories, revenge themes, PTSD, and much more. When all the audience wants is cool chases, slo-mo shoot-outs, and low-angle 360 shots of our heroes.
On that level, returning directors Adil & Bilall (and cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert) deliver. And they have a ton of fun doing so. Incredibly satisfying action sequences have energy, inventiveness, slickness, and color that certainly bring the heat.
Cameras are fixed to drones, guns, and even our heroes. This brings a whole new level of zip to the proceedings and will bring cheers from all action fans.
Conclusion
A simple main plot almost becomes bogged down with too many characters and extraneous storylines, when all we want is Bad Boy banter, bullets, and bangs! Thanks to Smith and Lawrence’s chemistry, knowledge of and affection for these characters, and thrilling set pieces under the direction of Adil & Bilall, the audience wins out. Overall, Bad Boys (and Girls) have brought smiles to the summer box office.
From Sony and Columbia, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is in theaters now.
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