I really love the BAD BOYS franchise, which started with a bang in 1995, making Will Smith an action star, and Michael Bay a superstar director. The first sequel BAD BOYS II was big on action but didn’t seem to have the charm or magic of the first, while the recent third movie BAD BOYS FOR LIFE was a return to form and helped reignite the franchise. Now we’re getting BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE, which almost looks more like a FAST & FURIOUS movie than the other films, but still contains plenty of exciting fun.
The film opens with Mike Lowery (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) rushing to Mike’s wedding, which fans of the franchise will know is a big moment for the character who was established as a habitual bachelor. We’re once again reminded that the two leads are older and a bit wiser, hopefully, and can’t do all the things they used to do, at least not as easily. Marcus has a near-death experience, and starts looking at life differently, much to the bewilderment of his family and friends. When the two pals find our their beloved Captain Howard, who was shockingly assassinated in the previous film, is now being framed for all sorts of horrible things, they decide to investigate in hopes of clearing his name. This leads to them being framed and now on the run, hoping to the bring down the bad guys before they end up taking the fall for their nefarious schemes.
Like the previous BAD BOYS installments, this film definitely has plenty of action and shootouts, and some pretty impressive sequences thanks to the stylish direction of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who also helmed the last film. Some of the scenes almost look video game-like, which is probably smart as it will likely appeal to younger viewers. But where this sequel really excels is in its comedy, and the jokes come at ya pretty fast here. The comedic bits reminded me of the original film, and in some ways the comedy here is handled better than the last film, even if the last film had better action gags.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrene still have terrific chemistry togther, and as a big screen duo, they keep the film engaging and satisfying. Smith is still coming off of his unfortunate Oscars “slap” incident, and this movie should be a good reminder of how likable he can be when given the right material… there’s even a scene late in the film which is almost an inside joke toward the slap, and it’s pretty amusing and kind of redeems Will, though I really don’t want to spoil it. I also liked seeing a more human side of Martin Lawrence this time out, showing his softer family side, and his thoughts on life after nearly losing it. Eric Dane (GRAY’S ANATOMY) plays the villain here, and he’s pretty nasty and intimidating, though I felt like the script could have developed him a bit more as we don’t learn much about him until toward the very end. I also liked seeing the great Ioan Gruffudd playing a city official who may or may not be able to help our heroes. Joe Pantoliano returns briefly as the deceased Captain Howard, shown mainly through recorded messages and or heavenly visions, but it’s great to have him present as he’s such a big part of this franchise. BETTER CALL SAUL’s Rhea Seahorn plays Captain Howard’s daughter, who is making her father’s murder personal, and adding yet more conflict for our two leads. Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and Paola Núñez return from the previous film, and are given fun moments to shine as the intended next generation of the franchise, but this is clearly Smith and Lawrence’s movie, and the spotlight stays pretty firmly on them for a bulk of the run time.
One thing that doesn’t work so well here is some odd stunt casting or recognizable faces like Tiffany Haddish and DJ Khaled, who both look and feel out of place and more of a distraction than a welcome addition. There’s even some silly “meme” jokes forced into scenes that just play like a over-exaggerated wink to the audience than something truly necessary for the film. Thankfully the run time of the movie is still just under two hours, so it never seems to overstay its welcome.
If you like the BAD BOYS movies, you’ll probably enjoy this latest installment, even if it still feels like it’s missing a little something, a certain charm the last film had, but the magic of the franchise is still there. The humor and fun character moments make this a great ride for moviegoers, and show us that this action duo still has some good years left in it, should they decide to keep going.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
