Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Sony Pictures ReleasingWhen Bad Boys for Life released at the start of 2020, right as the pandemic was about to change the world, there was a lot of skepticism from critics and fans alike: belated sequels are rarely a success, and Michael Bay was not directing it, with relative newcomers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah taking on the mantle. To everyone’s surprise, not only was the film generally enjoyed by critics and audiences alike, it surpassed $400 million at the global box office on a budget of $90 million. Turns out people worldwide love seeing Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett on the big screen.
Even with (or maybe because of) the Black Lives Matter protests of this new decade, the Bad Boys franchise seems to get a pass from general audiences because its two leads are oddly inspiring despite being cops: these are two adult black men who are true friends with each other, always supporting the one in need and never leaving him behind. They strive to do what’s good for their families, and they always fight back against villainous oppressors that weaponize drug use and guns on marginalized communities (the opening of Bad Boys II, where the characters unleash hellfire on a KKK meeting, remains a series highlight). It is still copaganda, but it avoids the generic nature of similar buddy cop stories because of how genuine the main characters feel.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die picks up right after the events of the third chapter: the late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano, who manages to get some screentime as a surprise ghostly presence) has been framed, and the Bad Boys (with Mike now newly married) are forced to go on the run as they team up with Mike’s illegitimate son Armando (Jacob Scipio) to find the true culprit. While nothing particularly innovative on its own (good cops go rogue to prove someone’s innocence is as cliched a premise as they come), the script manages to inject much needed character and humanity into the proceedings.
Not only is the banter between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as fun as ever, but the characters have become more mature. The Bay era of the franchise was unhinged, almost to a fault, relying on many mean-spirited jokes at the expense of gays and ethnic minorities, while this new duology shows these men as older, slower, but also kinder and more vulnerable. It is unfortunate that it is not fully explored in the film, but it is refreshing to see Mike fail a couple of times due to severe panic attacks, a level of psychological discomfort that is seldom portrayed in action cinema. The character of Armando, who was fairly forgettable in the previous film, gets much needed depth here, becoming one of the good guys and developing a bond with his estranged father.
Because of that relationship, some fan service with the infamous character of Reggie (Dennis McDonald), and many conversations about the importance of friends and family, Bad Boys: Ride or Die leans closer to the Fast & Furious series, going so far as directly addressing the apparent immortality of these seemingly superhuman cops. The directors take full advantage of the bonkers action sequences to finally develop a style of their own: from disorienting drone shots to POV gunplay and cameras attached to missiles, this feels like an evolution of Tony Scott’s clarity in the chaos of a gunfight. While not always easy to follow, it is a more welcome approach to framing shootouts than jittery handheld close-ups or digitally stitched together oners.
Smith and Lawrence are in top form here, embracing their older age with grace and humor, while still delivering both laughs and thrills. Shame that Paola Nuñez, who was a highlight in Bad Boys for Life, gets less screentime in here, relegated to a predictable subplot with Ioan Gruffudd (remember him?), while Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig get some time to shine as the only fresh blood from the previous film to come back. The group of villains, led by Eric Dane, is as forgettable as they come, embodying simplistic post-9/11 politics that would only feel clever to a teenager.
Still, even with a serviceable screenplay and some missed potential (the promise of Mike and Marcus being chased by every criminal John Wick-style is only relegated to one action scene), Bad Boys: Ride or Die remains a good time worthy to be experienced on the big screen with a crowd. After the deserved critical flop of The Fall Guy, this is a reminder on how to do a good action comedy that balances its humor with genuinely compelling action scenes. The secret ingredient? Memorable characters and a lack of irony.