By Jake Wilson
BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE ★★
(MA) 115 minutes
The badness has ebbed a bit in Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, the fourth entry in the action-comedy series that launched almost 30 years ago. Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are still bickering buddies as well as partners on the Miami police force, and haven’t wholly lost their swagger or their casual attitude to due process.
Will Smith (left) and Martin Lawrence are back to bicker their way through Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
But age has caught up with them, as it tends to eventually with Hollywood franchise heroes, even the animated ones such as Shrek. Formerly a bachelor with a new girlfriend in every movie, Mike has finally found a bride, Christine (Melanie Liburd), who he can settle down with. He’s also prone to panic attacks in between striving to build a relationship with his long-lost adult son Armando (Jacob Scipio), who has reformed to a degree since he was introduced as a cartel killer in 2020’s Bad Boys For Life.
Marcus, always the beta of the pair, has his issues, starting with the junk food addiction he’s forced to curb for the sake of his health. That doesn’t save him from going through a near-death experience, from which he emerges with the conviction that he “can’t die”, some New Age notions about his soul and a general tendency to mania reminiscent of Jeff Bridges in Peter Weir’s Fearless.
Though not intrinsically complex, the plot may be a little perplexing for those not already steeped in Bad Boys lore. Suffice to say Mike and Marcus are forced to go on the run while battling to clear the name of their deceased boss Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano), who is being posthumously framed for corruption by yet another cartel head (Eric Dane, with silver-grey hair combed back and a general air of having been teleported in from a 1990s straight-to-video action sequel).
While the banter between the leads remains the main drawcard, there’s also a large supporting cast of old and new faces, including Rhea Seehorn from Better Call Saul as the captain’s daughter, a US marshal out for revenge. The transparent goal is to emulate the later chapters of the Fast & Furious series, combining over-the-top action with ongoing soap opera, and thus offering a compromise solution to couples who can’t agree on what to see on their night out.
As if taking his cues from Marcus’ love of sweets, the cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert adds as much visual dazzle as he can: lens flare, reflective surfaces, a camera that can’t keep still. But co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah bring little to the table beyond a desire to emulate original Bad Boys director Michael Bay, without being able to match the appalling but undeniably distinctive excesses of the master.
In case you’re wondering, there is a gag that alludes to Smith publicly slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, the last time he was in the spotlight: like everything else in the film, it goes by quickly and expresses no evident point of view. Bad, undoubtedly, but it could be worse.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is released in cinemas on June 6.
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