The Plot: It’s clobberin’ time in Miami. The bad boys of the Miami P.D., Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence), find themselves caught up in a criminal conspiracy when their late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is connected to a drugs cartel. Knowing in their own hearts that he was innocent, they set out to clear his name. In doing so, they draw the attention of the ruthless McGrath (Eric Dane) who is coordinating nefarious activities in the background. Along for the ride is Mike’s wayward son Armando (Jacob Scipio), who holds the key to the solution…
The Verdict: When Bad Boys For Life opened in January 2020, it just seemed like another franchise getting a jolt of life to see if there was anything still worth keeping in the buddy cop format that was previously jazzed up by Michael Bay. Surprisingly, it turned out to be better than expected – a breezy summer movie in the bleak midwinter, mere weeks before the world went into shutdown mode. Maybe expectations were low, maybe it was the time of the year or maybe there was still life in these old(er) dogs yet. The success of that film very much lay in the capable hands of Belgian co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, so it’s reassuring to know that they’re back once again for the fourth instalment – Bad Boys: Ride Or Die. This time, it’s going to get more personal as the bad boys strike out on their own to uncover and eliminate corruption that soon encircles them.
Ride Or Die is very much a combination of the two co-directors and the two lead actors working in sync to place the characters of Mike and Marcus at a particular point in their lives. Mike is getting married and is attempting to hold that initial union together, while patching things up with his incarcerated son Armando. Marcus has a near-death experience and thinks he’s invincible (the source of the film’s big laughs). That bit of narrative backstory could easily be overlooked, but it shows progression for these characters that have been around since the 90s. They still spark off each other with their marriage-like bickering, but when push comes to shove they’re a dynamite combination in the field. El Arbi and Fallah tap into the comedic and dramatic strengths as well as the combined star power of both Smith (Hollywood loves a comeback kid) and Lawrence (still hanging in there) to propel the explosive action sequences – of which they certainly deliver on that front.
The script by returning co-writer Chris Bremner along with Will Beall treads a familiar line in police procedurals in that many crooks are attempting to spoil the broth and nobody is assured of anyone’s allegiances. Along with McGrath (a steely Eric Dane), there are a number of other interested players in the field with all guns pointing at Mike and Marcus. A predictable script like this needs to be lifted up by the co-directors and make it look more impressive than it actually is. It’s to the credit then of El Arbi and Fallah that they nimbly skip over the predictable patterns and consistently enliven the script, so that their propulsive energy beats through it in not only the action sequences but in the much-needed character moments too.
Smith and Lawrence’s shtick is a little worn now, but it has that lived-in quality that comes with time and is not unwelcome. They’ve said that they might have one more film in this series in them, which sounds about right unless they want to compete with Liam Neeson. For now, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is what it needs to be: an enjoyable summer popcorn movie that keeps its amiable characters in check while everything blows up around them. Strap yourselves in and enjoy the wild ride.
Rating: 3 / 5
Review by Gareth O’Connor
In short: Wild ride
Directed by Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah.
Starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jacob Scipio, Vanessa Hudgens, Joe Pantoliano.