Bad Boys: Ride or Die

The third entry in the Bad Boys franchise, Bad Boys For Life, the last major blockbuster released before the Pandemic shut the world down, felt like a breath of fresh air in how it successfully brought the characters of buddy-cop duo Mike Lowery and Marcus Burnett into the 2020’s. These characters, first introduced to audiences back in 1995, reclaimed their sense of relevancy with a third entry that far surpassed expectations. Swapping out director Michael Bay for newcomers Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah, the franchise brought these two aging stars back together for the first time in nearly two decades and proved they still have what it takes to be the endearing, nonstop-bickering pair of Bad Boys. Returning four years later with the fourth entry, having already wasted the appropriate title on the last film, these guys certainly do still have what it takes to deliver on great fun.

Courtesy Sony Pictures

We find our iconic Bad Boys this time around in their 50’s and Mike (Will Smith) has just gotten married to Christine (Melanie Liburd), while Marcus (Martin Lawrence) suffers a heart attack at the wedding ceremony. Shortly after recovering and having a new outlook on life, the deceased Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is framed for corruption, specifically for sharing secret intel with the Cartel. Looking to clear his name, Mike and Marcus enlist the help of the AMMO task force including Vanessa Hudgens’ Kelly, Alexander Ludwig’s Dorn and team leader Rita (Paola Nuñez). Behind the set up is mysterious mercenary McGrath (Eric Dane), and the only hope of ID’ing him is Mike’s estranged assassin son Armando (Jacob Scipio), currently incarcerated for the events of the previous film. Before they know it, Mike and Marcus discover a major conspiracy involving different agencies and find themselves on the run with Armando and are framed alongside the late Captain.

Part of what makes these latter-day Bad Boys films so fun and consistently entertaining is the emphasis on our heroes’ mortality. Well into their 50’s, Mike and Marcus continue to be confronted with the ongoing limitations of their aging selves. However, Ride or Die introduces new character dynamics which adds some fun new wrinkles into the established franchise formula. Marcus, after suffering a heart attack, feels like he’s immortal, while it’s Mike who begins suffering distressing panic attacks. Mike’s PTSD after the death of Captain Howard follows him, making him feel human for possibly the first time in his life. It’s enormous fun getting to see Lawrence as the ambitious daredevil and Smith as the more reserved, anxious fighter. Smith and Lawrence are as great a duo as they’ve ever been. even when the writing occasionally struggles to feel fresh.

Smith, who has seen his public persona slightly warped since the night of his Oscar win, slips back into the role of Mike Lowery gracefully, once again reminding audiences just how much of an unrivalled movie star he is. Feeling the pressure of a man who isn’t in his peak professional form, a new husband and accepting his role as a father, Mike’s entire worldview has been altered. Lawrence is consistently hilarious and often elevates some of the weaker, sillier writing. Even as they’re forced to suffer through some of the most stilted dialogue and exposition in the franchise, Smith and Lawrence are such an unimpeachable duo together, you can’t resist but give yourself over to their chemistry. Especially as these films continue to embrace their bro-y soap opera nature, our leads are simply that reliable to carry the weight.

Courtesy Sony Pictures

No longer witholden to Michael Bay’s playbook, Directors Adil & Bilall take chances with their visual storytelling, finding creative avenues to explore the characters’ psyche’s and show you set pieces you’ve rarely seen before. The duo feels like two thrill-seekers strapped with a franchise, a full studio budget and decided on experimenting on where to place cameras in new and unique places. The returning filmmakers, who dealt with having their near-completed Batgirl film get unceremoniously removed from existence due to insidious corporate practices, have brought their arsenal of creativity to the screen with a fury of kinetic compositions. The drone shots here feel inspired by Bay’s own underrated 2022 actioner Ambulance, with drones fluidly swooping in and out of chaotic gun battles, conveying the scale of the sets and pyro fx-work with flair. One POV shot, already famous on social media, containing Will Smith both acting and operating a camera rig during a sprawling shootout is one of many memorable highlights. Many of these shots are deeply impressive and honestly breathtaking; often feeling like they’d belong in a Crank film. Adil & Bilal keep the action kinetic while maintaining a constant intimacy with the actors.

Their cameras are almost always closely framing the characters, keeping you locked in with them during the film’s most intense sequences. There’s something incredibly freeing about a fourth film in a franchise that sees this many chances to experiment and stylize with its visual form. These filmmakers utilize their own sense of hyperactive anarchy that Bay so infamously did with Bad Boys 2. Hell, they even up their ante of Bay-inspired moments of carnage, seeping its way into the propulsive latter half. We get a bloody helicopter crash, FPS headshots, DJ Khaled getting run over by a car and subsequently lit on fire, and last, but certainly not least, a climax set on a bayou with a hungry gator. I’m not saying this is the greatest movie ever, but I’ll be damned if there isn’t some seriously cool shit here.

Ride or Die lacks the surprising emotional depth of For Life, opting for a more bombastic tonal shift, but these actors really sell it. Jacob Scipio has a compelling expanded role here, being forced to flee with his estranged father and Marcus. The three actors carry these sections well, and this is where the film contains the most compelling dramatic weight. Eric Dane makes for a menacing villain that adds some gravitas in an otherwise shallow role. Dennis Macdonald’s hilariously deadpan Reggie, who now gets a legitimate character arc, gets one spectacular sequence to shine, in possibly the film’s best scene. This despite the early scenes with Marcus’ family and home life which veer quickly into sitcom territory. Thankfully, the directing duo moves on from these moments early. Certain characters are also immediately introduced and stick out as obvious villains with ties to the film’s overall conspiracy plot, however some of them don’t and are just offensively thin characters.

Courtesy Sony Pictures

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is another fun entry in the franchise that continues to find relevance nearly three decades in. Smith and Lawrence are as good, if not better than you would hope, and filmmaking duo Adil & Bilall experiment with some extravagant and thrilling new ways to film action sequences.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is now playing in theaters.