Bad Boys: Ride or Die

The Bad Boys franchise has been running for nearly three decades now. (That includes a short-lived 2019 spinoff TV series, but never mind.) The previous entry surprised critics and audiences back in 2020, especially die-hard fans who hailed it as the best yet. Now Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles as the titular duo, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively.

When it comes to Bad Boys, I am not a hardcore fan, just a casual moviegoer who enjoys buddy-cop action films. Walking out of this one, I felt that I had just seen another Fast & Furious entry, because this fourth outing for the Bad Boys had many of the staples of that franchise. Here we see many over-the-top action sequences, ridiculous physics, family barbecues to close everything, car chases, characters coming back to life, two guys bickering like a married couple endlessly, characters switching from good to bad on a dime, etc.

And that statement isn’t really a criticism. In fact, if you also enjoy two hours of absurdity, this might be for you. Anyway, during Mike’s wedding, his buddy has a heart attack. He sees their late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) in a bizarre sort of afterlife, and comes back. Working with his buddy, they uncover through a video that Howard was framed for corruption charges. Now the two guys must team up with Mike’s illegitimate son Armando (Jacob Scipio) who was imprisoned for murdering the Captain, but is now good. Why is he suddenly reformed? It’s just an excuse to get all of the car chases, explosions, firefights, etc., set in motion, because this is a Bruckheimer production after all.

I haven’t even mentioned the supporting cast, which includes Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig as their colleagues. There are also a few cameos here, but of course I wouldn’t dare spoil them. Rhea Seehorn plays Howard’s daughter, a US Marshal looking to avenge her father’s death. She’s hunting these fugitives, but a bounty has been put on their heads, so I guess she has a little competition.

If you can suspend your disbelief and turn off your brain, this is a fairly entertaining ride. (One wonders why the Powers that Be did not decide on a different, less confusing title to clarify that this is the fourth film, but never mind.) Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (billed as Adil & Bilall), who also helmed the previous film, are creative with the action, utilizing drone shots that make some shootouts look like a first-person shooter. The final showdown involves an albino crocodile. But Dennis Greene completely steals the show in a standout scene as Marcus’ son-in-law, Reggie.

Unfortunately, while these Bad Boys still have gas in the tank, there are clearly bumps in the road here. Much like the Fast & Furious franchise, this fourth entry suffers from an excess of characters; Seehorn’s presence here is justified, but it becomes Take Your Daughter To Work Day in her case. It’s a real shame that she is not given more to do here, because the actress has proven how great she is in better entertainment, such as Better Caul Saul. And you can only suspend your disbelief so much, especially when Smith must channel his inner Vin Diesel by holding up a cage containing Scipio with just one arm as their plane crashes. With so much happening and so many players to juggle, the film loses a sense of pacing, and suddenly two hours feels longer. Furthermore, while some jokes do land, other recurring gags lose steam.

That last criticism is primarily true in the case of Marcus. After coming back from the dead, he believes that he is immortal, thanks to some odd wisdom imparted to him by the spirit of Howard. Now he can eat junk food and drive at high speeds. He comforts his mortal buddy with some of the same kind of wisdom that he thinks Howard would have wanted him to hear. In making these decisions, the writers make the character an all-out goofball who loves eating Skittles at every opportunity.

Don’t get me wrong: I had a reasonably good time with Smith and Lawrence. The action, humor, and buddy-cop dynamic are all here. Even though I’m not a diehard fan, I had fun with it. But I also felt that maybe these Bad Boys should retire.

115 minutes