Bad Boys: Ride or Die

I looked forward to Bad Boys: Ride or Die as I really enjoyed Bad Boys for Life. It retains a lot of the positive things which have made the past films fun such as impactful action, R rated jokes and family dynamics. That came with a bunch of side characters new and old and an okay plot but there is one thing that lets this movie down and it's Martin Lawrence's character, Marcus Burnett.

Unfortunately, it's becoming all too common in Hollywood for a character to be so over the top for a movie that it just becomes distracting.

After surviving a near death experience at the beginning of the film, Marcus is high on life and he literally acts as if he is high for the rest of the film. This went beyond fun and playful to the point where it was distracting and annoying. It led to many frustrating scenes which felt like they belonged in a cartoon including one scene where the characters chose one of the worst possible moments to sing the Bad Boys theme.

In the End, Bad Boys Ride or Die is a frustrating but okay film which could have been much better with different narrative choices although many people might enjoy the direction that the film went.

The fourth entry in the revitalised buddy cop, action, comedy franchise. Bad Boys: Ride or Die sees wisecracking Miami cops Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) embark on a dangerous mission to clear the name of their late police captain when he gets linked to drug cartels.

Firstly, they missed a trick not calling this instalment Bad Boys 4 Life, alas we cannot have everything we desire. Anyway, it was inevitable that we were going to get a fourth (and potentially fifth) as 2020's actual Bad Boys For Life made nearly half a billion dollars and due to the pandemic, was in the top 3 highest grossing of that year.

It has been too long since I watched the first film (it is long, long overdue a rewatch), however Bad Boys II I return to every couple of years when I require a dousing of Bayhem. Has it aged well? Nope. Is it obnoxious and overlong? Yes. Does the action rule? Hell yes! The third film I found solid, yet disappointing, it lacked the grit and sleaze of its predecessor and incorporated a bizarre supernatural element that didn't quite click.

This was a real step up from three and balances the slick, modernised lega-sequel of the previous film with the sleaze and chaos of Bay's entries. Admittedly it's a little bit of a rushed and rocky start and narratively the film isn't bringing anything particularly new to the table, yet it's clearly relishing its heightened mid-00's vibes. Once Marcus returns a from death's embrace with a new outlook on life and spirituality and Mike's fears for his family, his own mortality and a reconnection with his fugitive son come to the forefront of his anxieties, the film adds a surprising layer of character work that still manages to incorporate dick jokes and f-bombs aplenty.

Action-wise this boasts some of the franchise's best set pieces. Director's Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah certainly lean a bit heavier into the Bayism's here than in BBFL. A slow-motion, sped up and gloriously chaotic digital, neon tinged art exhibition shootout is very Bay. A superb John Wick-esque home invasion shootout (featuring a well deserved triumphant moment for a fan favourite character) and the *entire* finale section of the film is a bar setter for shootouts this year. The incorporation of first person POVs, drones, alligators, explosions aplenty mix together for a riotous bloody blowout.

Performance-wise this was certainly the best way Will Smith could properly return after the Oscars controversy (I know he had Emancipation a few months after the incident, but I don't think anybody apart from me watched it). His more vulnerable and subdued fatherly moments as Mike are well executed... as well as the kick ass swagger that established the character. However, it's Martin Lawrence that steals the show. A motormouth, wide-eyed, born again foul mouthed spiritual guide who claims he can't die. He's having a ball and both he and Smith's chemistry is still unbeatable. Supporting players Jacob Scipio, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhea Seehorn and Reggie himself Dennis Greene are all locked in to the material.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die was a bullet riddled, cackle worthy blast of throwback fun that was a step up from my expectations. Smith & Lawrence are still a great duo, the action is killer and the balance of soap opera sincerity and over-the-top drama balances effectively with the motor-mouthed bickering and gags. Sure, the plot isn't particularly standout and the film is a little choppy in the first act, but when the wheels begin to fully spin, the film charges off the start line.

So I was left a little disappointed after the last film, something just seemed to be missing but this really hit the spot.

The 2 central characters still have great chemistry, but this felt a lot more like an ensemble piece with more fleshed out characters around them. I'm just going say #Reggierocks.

Some great cinematography with lots of fab camera and drone work zooming around all over the place. The first person gun work at one point added a new dimension.

Miami looks beautiful with the Orange and Teal tones.

Action galore and a good protagonist in Eric Dane, although his motive and why he is doing what he is, was pretty rubbish, but he still played it well, and to be fair you don't come in to this sort of film hoping for Shakespeare level story telling.

Some fun cameos pop up which raise a smile.

The soundtrack is good and Lorne Balfe delivers on the orchestrated score.

It has all you would expect from a Michael Bay production. Definitely life still in the franchise.

I do not understand why some people are still at this "Will Smith" slap stage. Just get over with it. You don't give 1/10 to a movie like this unless you're dumb and got shot in the head. Yes what he did was bad, but it has nothing to do with the movie nor his actions, cuz remember he's an actor. Remember all these people giving 1/10 are still but*hurt about the slap & are trying to boycott Will Smith for his acting career. I don't want to include any spoilers, The movie is funny got great comedy lines, great acting and the jokes are just too funny so don't lurk around giving weird unrealistic rating just because you don't like the actor in real life. & i'd suggest to watch it for fun.

Been a hardcore fan of the first bad boys and also enjoyed the second but this one lacks depth and the way the camera moves around all the time makes it really uncomfortable to watch and takes away a lot how you experience the story. It's like they try to cover the lack of depth with some spectacular filming but they made it worse. Quite disappointing. Don't get me wrong it's still entertaining but it's just not bad boys anymore as it used to be. There just could have been worked more in depth around the characters and conversations instead of trying to focus only on the filming. It's like the directors want it just too much. Keep it simple and don't overdue it. Especially when you have good actors.