Movie: Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nunez, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Jacob Scipio, Melanie Liburd, Tasha Smith, Rhea Seehorn, Tiffany Haddish, Joe Pantoliano, DJ Khaled, John Salley
Directors: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Rating: 3/5
Duration: 115 minutes
This fourth entry in the rejuvenated buddy cop action-comedy franchise is surprisingly smooth and fun. Joking Miami cops Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) start out as the usual happy-go-lucky duo working with just enough chemistry as they prepare for another dangerous mission. This time they have to clear the name of their late police captain, their mentor, Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano), accused of colluding with drug cartels.
The premise is a bit complicated because the money is transferred to the late Captain’s account long after his death, so the need for an investigation seems rather late and pointless. It’s kind of a trap to stare you in the face and should have been ruled out by the FBI and other agencies involved, but then there wouldn’t be any complicated reason to make this movie, right?
2020’s Bad Boys For Life apparently made around $500 million even though it wasn’t great and was released when the pandemic was subsiding. It was among the top 3 with the highest grossing that year. There are no big prizes for guessing why this new project was given the green light. Of course, this movie had a bit of bad timing when it was released due to Will Smith’s infamous ‘slapgate’ in the Oscar awards.
Michael Bay has his eye on the pulse and this new episode of the franchise has a marked cleverness with determination, chaos and playful bad taste underpinning the fun elements. As I mentioned earlier, the narrative has nothing new to reveal and the supposed stain on the revered Captain seems like a weak reason to complicate matters with the action involving the cartel, Mike’s runaway son, a half-hearted game of revenge on the part of the Captain. daughter who is also a law enforcement officer and Marcus’s return from the dead as a spiritual being.
Some of the four-letter words are spoken in adult frenzy. While the jokes make you smile a little, it’s the action that really gets the adrenaline pumping. This movie has some of the best action scenes that the entire franchise can boast of. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah present the film in both slow and fast motion. The shootout at the art exhibit is visually exciting, and the one where Marcus’s enlisted son single-handedly takes on the home invaders generates plenty of excitement. The final section of the film is even better, marking explosive action, with first-person points of view, drones, an angry albino alligator, explosions, etc., all mixed together beautifully for a tumultuous and bloody explosion. Drone-aided cinematography and first-person POV add a captivating dimension. Miami is also attractive in atypical color tones.
The writers manage to fit together a story with several links to the past, uniting multiple characters and plots. However, Smith’s Mike suddenly suffering from panic attacks seems like an afterthought.
Smith and Lawrence create great chemistry with their loud fights and fast action. The narration speeds up only halfway through the pre-interval half, but when it does, it speeds up completely. This is a typical big, bloated Michael Bay extravaganza that turns into a highly satisfying experience!