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It’s hard for a franchise to stay fresh. Bad Boys has managed to amp up the level of action and quality of the set pieces to do exactly that. Bad Boys: Ride or Die was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life) and both Will Smith (Men in Black) and Martin Lawrence (Big Momma’s House) return as Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett respectively. In the fourth installment of the franchise, Ride or Die forces the Bad Boys to defend their deceased friend, Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) from accusations that taint his legacy, painting him as a dirty cop.
Paola Nuñez (Resident Evil), Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Alexander Ludwig (Vikings), and Jacob Scipio (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) all return from Bad Boys for Life, and they are joined by Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul), Melanie Liburd (This Is Us), Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), and Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy) who plays the villain. The movie starts with Mike getting married, and everything’s fine until Marcus has a heart attack at the reception. The pair get pulled into a new case once McGrath (Dane) frames the late captain by tying him to the cartels.
Ride or Die Isn’t Just Another Bad Boys Movie
Ride or Die starting with Mike Lowrey finally getting married is a good sign that this isn’t going to be your by-the-numbers Bad Boys movie. Before long Marcus is running around thinking that he knows he won’t die after his heart scare, and he runs into every fight surviving with a shield of pure plot armor. Before long you’ll realize that Mike’s single status might’ve been the thing keeping him alive as he begins to worry about widowing his wife Christine (Liburd). He has panic attacks during a gunfight, and it’s a great depiction of both the attacks themselves, and the reactions to them.
Smith is great as Lowrey, one of his most charismatic characters. Both he and Lawrence nail their performances here, with Lawrence playing Marcus’s newfound attitude to life hilariously. Pantoliano possesses this film, with pre-recorded footage played throughout. He’s wonderful in Ride or Die, and without him, there would have been an evident absence. It’s the most fatherly he’s ever played Captain Howard, and it works tremendously on both an emotional and comedic level.
Dane works as the villain, but he’s pretty one-note and doesn’t get much to do. He’s menacing when he’s introduced, and that’s about it. But the film still works because it isn’t about the villain. The story is interesting, with both Bad Boys on the run at one point. The pair can’t trust anyone, because there’s a mole in their department, and this strips the film back for a good half an hour to just be about the main characters and Armando (Scipio), Lowrey’s son. Scipio fits in with the Lawrence and Smith dynamic, and he gives a fine performance.
Guns Akimbo
If you want Bad Boys, Ride or Die delivers. The set pieces are fantastic. One scene features a shoot-out in an art gallery filled with lava lamps. Another takes place in an abandoned alligator theme park. Every set piece feels unique to not only the movie but also the franchise, adding a bit of flair to the action. While the action doesn’t match the signature Bay style of the first two films, Adil & Billal have a unique style that is both visually interesting and technically impressive.
One shot starts from above a building and then goes through an open window. This isn’t an action scene, so breaking it up by making a static shot sweep in like that makes it much more engaging. Toward the end of the film, another shot takes place from Lowrey’s point of view, with his gun in front of him like a first-person shooter. The camera flips between that and Lowrey’s face in one fluid shot. It’s a genuinely impressive bit of filmmaking that makes the scene pop.
There’s also a great scene with Reggie (Dennis Greene), Marcus’s son-in-law, in which he takes out an entire team who have come to Marcus’s house to kidnap his wife and child. Mike and Marcus watch from a surveillance system as the Marine whose primary function in these movies is usually to be scared of the Bad Boys takes out every attacker with precision. Having the pair observe the scene is a masterstroke, bringing the main characters into a physically impressive scene with a younger, more agile character, without them having to be physically in the room.
The Jokes Keep Coming
Weaved in with the action (and more tense situations with Lowrey’s panic attack), is some stellar comedy. The recurring bit of Marcus believing he won’t die delivers throughout Ride or Die, and it never gets old. At one point during a fight, Marcus is trying to catch falling jelly beans in his mouth in slow motion. The different genres blend together well. Even the panic attacks have a funny resolution. There’s humor all over this film, and combined with the action, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is an extremely fun movie.
The score and music work well with the action set pieces, with that recurring theme playing in all the right places. While Lorne Balfe’s (Top Gun: Maverick) score is good, it’s a Bad Boys movie, and the licensed soundtrack stands out more. You’ll even get a version of “Bad Boys” performed by Reba McEntire. You’ll probably move to at least one of the songs in the film.
Side characters get some more characterization, villains have great deaths, and you’ll have an extremely fun time with Bad Boys: Ride or Die. It’s not the best Bad Boys movie, but it’s close. If you’re looking for a fun, humor-filled action movie to watch at the theater, you’ll want to watch this on the largest screen you can.
You can catch Bad Boys: Ride or Die in theaters from June 7, 2024.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die Review
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a fun-filled action movie that is surprisingly technically complex and visually impressive.
Pros
- Superb action set pieces that are varied and interesting.
- Good performances from the main cast that balance the humor with the more dramatic scenes.
- A great story that keeps moving, calling naturally to the franchise’s past.
Cons
- A one-note villain.
- Some side characters aren’t given much to do and overstuff the plot.
