Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Just because it’s stupid doesn’t mean it isn’t entertaining
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence literally do the same old song and dance in Adil and Bilall's surprisingly entertaining sequel, Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
After the death of their beloved captain, cops Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) seem to be putting family first. Uptight family man Marcus is enjoying being a grandpa and serial womanizer Mike is finally settling down.
But when Marcus has a near-fatal heart attack at Mike’s wedding, those plans for quiet evenings go out the window. Now convinced he can’t die, the formerly uptight Marcus starts taking crazy risks and adopting an existentialist mentality. Mike, usually the wild child of the duo, is so shaken by Marcus’ medical problems and the number of losses he’s experienced that he’s starting to have panic attacks.
They have to pull themselves together when their former captain is accused of running a corruption ring that has spanned decades in the Miami Police Department. Horrified, Marcus and Mike swear to clear their captain’s name and find the people behind the conspiracy. But when the conspirators start targeting the team and their families, some tough choices will have to be made.
The second Bad Boys film with directing team Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah behind the camera (though original franchise director Michael Bay does pop up in his traditional cameo), Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a dumb movie. The plot doesn’t make sense. The villains are so obvious it’s almost insulting. And the number of insane violations of state and federal laws by the police is legion.
But just because a movie is dumb doesn’t mean it’s not fun.
This is a movie where you turn your brain off, sit in the dark, shovel popcorn into your face, and laugh at charismatic people acting goofy as hell. There is no metaphor, no high-minded message, it’s just dumb action shot in an interesting way featuring a winning cast.
Adil & Bilall pay tribute to the roots of the franchise before adding their own style to the mix. You’ll see plenty of Michael Bay’s signature low-angle 360˚ pans. You’ll get references to past movies. Will Smith still rocks the tank top and open shirt combo that he did in the original 1995 movie. But Adil & Bilall build on that, adding their own more frenetic style of action to some great shoot-outs and fights. Notably, the final shootout has some camera work that should have them at the top of the list for the inevitable Doom reboot. They get a little lost in their love of quick cuts, however, and some of the longer action sequences feel jumbled and tedious because of it. It also doesn’t help that their version of the afterlife looks like they mashed up the Sunken Place and Wakanda’s Ancestral Plane.
Though some of Adil & Bilall’s changes don’t pay off, their smartest innovation is the inversion of Marcus and Mike’s dynamic. For most of the franchise, Marcus was the neurotic, stressed straight man to Mike’s cocky, instigator. But in Ride or Die the movie flips that relationship, with Mike suddenly tense all the time and Marcus acting a fool because he’s convinced he can’t die. It’s a fantastic opportunity to unleash Martin Lawrence and let him be absolutely nuts. Lawrence has always had impressive comedic chops, but it’s nice to see him given the spotlight in this entry in the franchise. Smith retains his charm, but the actual storyline behind his character and his panic attacks is a bit thin. It’s only when he’s running after Marcus that Smith truly lights up in scenes.
Notably both actors are getting older and aging out of their own fight scenes (it’s pretty obvious when stunt doubles step in). They participate in the two giant shoot-out set pieces, but notably the best action sequences don’t involve Marcus or Mike, but their son-in-law and son. It seems Adil & Bilall have an eye toward promoting the younger generation for the next films, Fast and Furious-style. It’s not a bad idea, Jacob Scipio is a charismatic screen presence who tears into his fight choreography.
So, if we have a terrible story, uneven action, and a familiar franchise, why am I not more negative on this movie? The simple answer is this: Martin Lawrence makes me laugh. And even if the lines are silly or the premise unbelievable, he’s got the ability to find the laugh. And not just for me. In a packed theater, plenty of people were laughing, clapping, and shouting at the screen. Bad Boys isn’t an example of great filmmaking, but it is an example of how films can unite a theater of strangers to enjoy something silly when times are bleak.
If you laugh at the mere thought of Lawrence’s freewheeling performance as Sheneneh or have watched the Bad Boys franchise from the beginning, this movie is fun despite itself. It’s a cavalcade of cliches, references to past films, and absolutely silly premises. If you’re looking for plot, coherent filmmaking, and timely messages, stay in and watch Hit Man on Netflix.
Verdict: Turn your brain off and enjoy the show.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is rated R and available in theaters June 6.
