Augustman rating: 3/5
Genre: Buddy cop, action-comedy
Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Jacob Scipio, Paola Núñez, Eric Dane
Directors: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
Run-time: 2 hours 28 minutes
Release date: 6 June 2024
What we liked: Chemistry between Smith and Lawrence, performances and action
What we didn’t like: Writing is cliché-ridden, humour doesn’t land
Plot: Miami Police Department Detectives Marcus Miles Burnett (Lawrence) and Michael Lowrey (Smith) team up once again. This time, their quest is to save the reputation of their deceased boss. But soon, they find themselves on the run from the law after they are framed in a conspiracy. They must clear their name to get to their loved ones.
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with the Bad Boys franchise. On one hand, these movies, silly as they are, offer non-stop action, witticisms from the two co-leads and performances that make for a typical popcorn cinema experience. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are great on their own, but together, they are irresistibly entertaining. They can sell corny jokes (and let’s be honest, these movies are riddled with those) just by the force of sheer charisma. On the other, the franchise has always relied on plots that appear to have been written by an algorithm, long before AI chatbots like ChatGPT became reality. Enter the Bad Boys: Ride or Die movie, the fourth instalment in this long-running franchise. Is it any good? Well, read on.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die review — Augustman’s take on Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s movie
All about Bad Boys: Ride or Die movie plot, cast and other details
The movie begins with Miami Police Department Detective Marcus Miles Burnett (Lawrence) having a heart attack in the middle of the wedding of his friend and partner Michael Lowrey (Smith) and even dying briefly. We are treated to an afterlife sequence that I will not spoil you, though. Anyhoo, after this life-threatening experience, Burnett’s perspective on life and fate undergoes a radical transformation. He begins to believe that he cannot die, much to Lowrey’s chagrin — who often has to rescue him from wandering in the middle of the street in rush hour Miami traffic, vehicles rushing past, as though daring fate to finish him off. Even his style of speaking changes, and he begins to enunciate words like a man who’s had four drinks too many. It’s mildly entertaining for maybe the first minute.
This is a minor convenience for Michael, of course, who just has to handle his friend’s histrionics. But then things get more serious after their late boss Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is accused of being on the payroll of Mexican drug cartels. A video surfaces, in which Howard speaks to them from beyond the dead, warning them there are rats in the police department, and they should not trust anyone. Oh, and he leaves them clues to follow.
Michael and Marcus discover that the former’s estranged son Armando Aretas (Scipio) can identify the rat. But while transporting him to a safer location, they are set up, and along with Armando, they find themselves on the run.
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Is Bad Boys: Ride or Die worth watching?
If you are like me and are a sucker for buddy movies, you can probably tell the plot is nothing to write home about. But it is not the real draw. For long-time fans of the franchise, it has always been the interplay, comedic or otherwise, between Smith and Lawrence. Arbi and Fallah, who took over from Michael Bay in the last movie, the brilliant Bad Boys for Life (2020), have a deep understanding of the franchise and why it works for so many people.
I mentioned that this franchise is showing its age, but this observation does not encompass the action. The action in Ride or Die is quite engaging, and some really impressive shots look even more impressive once you realise how they accomplished it. The movie is everything you expect: high-octane car chases and explosive shootouts. Arbi and Fallah instil a sense of exuberance in their direction that alone makes the movie worth the ticket price.
However, the movie has issues. Compared to the last instalment, the writing is pretty weak this time around. Scripted by Chris Bremner and Will Beall, the movie feels like a series of loosely connected sequences. The plot is a mess and even the dialogue, although with occasional signs of genuine humour, falls back on tired clichés and nonsensical one-liners. If not for Smith and Lawrence’s delivery of those lines, the movie would have been a lost cause. It is not what they say but how they say it. I don’t know of any other actor that can deliver, “Begone, gator. I rebuke you!” while staring at an albino monstrosity of an alligator and still make you chuckle.
At one point, the vehicle they are escaping in catches fire, and Marcus says, “Everybody relax, the fire’s on the outside.” And then, when the fire spreads, he groans, “Now it’s on the inside!” It’s all rather silly and you will love it.
The editing by Asaf Eisenberg and Dan Lebental is quite choppy and one gets a feeling from the abrupt transitions from one scene to another that the directors and editors could not wait to show you the next set piece. This movie seems afraid of pausing to reflect on anything, and while this has been true for the franchise as a whole, it is particularly grating this time.
The reason? Except for Marcus’ epiphany that he cannot die and Michael’s panic attacks (that he refuses to acknowledge as panic attacks), there is no real character development or progression. This movie feels like an episode of a particularly action-packed sitcom. The stakes seem lower, and it is hard to be too invested in the two characters.
And yet, despite its flaws, Bad Boys: Ride or Die largely delivers on the promise of providing big-screen, action-packed and humour-laced entertainment. Smith and Lawrence’s crackling chemistry remains the franchise’s strongest point. Whether they are bickering or bonding, the actors are always watchable. If you are looking for a fun, good buddy cop movie to watch, Ride or Die is worth a watch. There are enough thrills, laughs and heartfelt moments to satisfy both longtime fans and newcomers. Just do not expect anything profound.
More movies like Bad Boys: Ride or Die
If you liked Bad Boys: Ride or Die and are looking for something similar to watch? Do make sure to see the last three movies, Bad Boys (1995), Bad Boys II (2003) and Bad Boys for Life (2020).
If the buddy cop or buddy movie genre is what you prefer in general, some of the best examples include Richard Donner’s Lethal Weapon (1987), Brett Ratner’s Rush Hour (1998), Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s 21 Jump Street (2012), Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz (2007), Adam McKay’s The Other Guys (2010) and Shane Black’s The Nice Guys (2016). The Nice Guys, in particular, is a criminally underrated movie. It features Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in lead roles.
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(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy of IMDb)
This article first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Singapore
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
-Is Bad Boys 4 the last one?
We do not know for certain, as there has been no official confirmation or denial. It likely depends on the box office performance of Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
-Are there three Bad Boys movies?
Now, there are four Bad Boys movies: Bad Boys (1995), Bad Boys II (2003), Bad Boys for Life (2020) and Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
-Where is Bad Boys: Ride or Die filmed?
Bad Boys: Ride or Die movie was filmed in two American cities: Atlanta, Georgia, and Miami, Florida. It is worth noting that Miami is the film’s in-universe setting.
-Is Bad Boys 4 rated R?
Yes, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is rated R because according to the Motion Picture Association, it has strong violence, language and sexual references.
