Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers for Bad Boys: Ride or Die
The Bad Boys movies were a staple of late 90’s/early 2000’s action fare, with 1995’s Bad Boys high-octane commercial success launching the film careers of not only its stars, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, but also that of its director, Michael Bay. 2003’s sequel Bad Boys II was a return to form and fortune for the trio, managing to become the tenth highest-grossing film of the year. With Bay moving on to the Transformers franchise and Smith stepping into the limelight as a leading man and box office draw, the Bad Boys movies seemed to be fated to become a memory of a bygone era.
Nearly two decades later, however, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (collectively working under the moniker Adil & Bilall) brought the Boys back together for Bad Boys For Life in 2020, following it up just four years later with Bad Boys: Ride or Die. This time, the Boys are tracking down an ex-Army Ranger James McGrath (played by Eric Dane of Grey’s Anatomy) in order to exonerate their recently deceased Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) from post-humous charges of corruption in relation to Mexican cartels.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Directed By: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Written By: Chris Bremner, Will Beall, George Gallo
Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence
Release Date: In theaters June 7, 2024
In the previous films, Detective Mike Lowrey (Smith) was the loosest of loose cannons, always prepared to jump into action regardless of what circumstances might dictate, while Detective Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) played the Good Cop to Lowrey’s Bad Boy, doing his best to rein in his partner’s antics.
In Ride or Die, however, that dynamic gets flipped on its head. Lowrey attempts to enter a new stage of his life, settling down as a newlywed, but Burnett, after a sudden and unexpected brush with death leaves him comatose for some time, awakens with a new lease on life. Now seeing death as something he believes he’s not yet due for, Marcus becomes the more gung-ho of the two, forcing Mike into the position of minder for once. It was great seeing Lawrence get to go a little crazy this time, and while Smith’s turn as the concerned partner was fun, his dramatic moments were mostly reminiscent of his insistence upon more serious roles in the years since this franchise was considered abandoned.
Action-driven plot
The plot itself is capable, if only just. The cartel-adjacent plotline allowed Adil & Bilall to rope Jacob Scipio’s character from the previous film, Lowrey’s illegitimate son Armando, back into the action as a reluctant protagonist. It is not uncommon for the plot of an action movie to be little more than a vehicle that brings the audience to each new set-piece action spectacle, and while it would be easy (and not inaccurate) to claim the same of Ride or Die, the existence of an unknown ringleader guiding McGrath’s hand provides enough mystery to keep viewers interested in more than just the next gunfight.
Even so, the story is still mostly propped up by the action sequences, a sense that becomes all-too-noticeable in the less-explosive second act where the pace really starts to flag. Even this, though, is quickly turned around as the third act opens with a tense home-defense nightmare scenario that easily makes for the movie’s best action scene, if not the best the series has ever put out.
Really, it should come as no surprise that a movie following in the footsteps of Michael Bay would be best known for its action, and Ride or Die does not disappoint in that arena. From the opening standoff to the final shootout, the movie gives us all the gunshots, punches and explosions we could ask for and then some.
There is a fun throughline to these scenes as well: the first action scene, indeed, the very first scene of the movie, is played almost entirely for laughs. When a man draws a gun to rob the convenience store Marcus is shopping at, it’s treated as just an inconvenience, wasting precious time on the way to Mike’s wedding. From there, each action scene becomes progressively less humorous, from Marcus taking breaks mid-shootout to gobble up some loose jelly beans to a wild set-piece on a helicopter that could’ve easily been directed by Bay himself.
The seriousness comes to a head in the aforementioned home defense scene, where Marcus’s son-in-law Reggie (Dennis Greene-McDonald) defends the family from invaders. This scene is itself an incredible evolution from Reggie’s original debut in the series in Bad Boys 2, in the iconic scene where Marcus and Mike dress him down in the doorway when he shows up to take Marcus’s daughter out on their first date.
This scene breaks the tension building in the action sequences, however, allowing for the final battle to perfectly mix that blend of action and humor that the series is most known for. All the stops get brought out here: there’s guns, there’s bombs, there’s even a few alligators for good measure. Everyone present gets their moment to shine under the glow of the explosions, and the bits and one-liners punctuate the action with a cadence not unlike the gunshots that pepper the rest of it.
Putting the “buddy” in buddy comedy
Speaking of humor, Ride or Die was definitely a return to form to the series in that area. Bad Boys For Life was not without its jokes, but there was an attempt at gravitas in the movie that didn’t quite feel like it was channeling the same spirit of the original Bay movies. Even so, Lawrence and Smith’s easy chemistry were still well at play there, and this continues into Ride or Die, even as their roles are reversed.
A great deal of the movie’s humor relies on this chemistry, maybe even too much, but the duo’s unending banter produces some serious laugh-out-loud moments. There are scenes that felt a little crass and out of place in the modern day, such as Marcus’s revelation to Mike that they’re “soulmates” and Mike’s particularly averse reaction to the idea. Even this joke, though, sets up a running gag for Marcus that could well serve as the entire comedy highlight reel for the film, and even the soulmate joke gets called back to a few times in ways that were made much funnier for its existence.
The acting performances in the movie are, generally, about what one might imagine from this type of film. Lawrence and Smith have the exact practiced ease that’s expected of two film veterans in their fourth installment of a franchise, and Dane’s McGrath is as menacing and effective a villain as is necessary to oppose such a duo. Better Call Saul’s Rhea Seehorn, who is always a delight, also makes an appearance as Conrad Howard’s daughter Judy, an FBI agent and secondary antagonist who will stop at nothing to avenge her father’s death. Scipio’s second outing as Armando Aretas was serviceable.
His action sequences were often top-notch, but outside of those, he was rarely given much else to do. He does get one attempt at a dramatic scene near the end, and it isn’t bad at all, but without spoiling anything, the end result of the film leaves it as one of the more confusing choices that the movie makes.
Paola Núñez also returns from Bad Boys For Life in her new position as Captain, offering a more nuanced and filled-out role than she had previously as Lowrey’s former lover. Perhaps the most impressive showing, though, is Dennis Greene-McDonald coming into his own as Reggie. From being treated as a home invader to stopping actual ones, McDonald’s performance really stands out, especially for an actor who doesn’t really seem to have any other roles under his belt currently.
A-game cinematography
Ultimately, however, the cinematography for the movie is what truly steals the show. Adil & Bilall brought back their previous director of photography, Robrecht Heyvaert, and he brought out his A-game, pulling out all the stops to deliver the action in as stylistic a way as possible every single time. There are dramatic pans, subtle use of handcams, rolling dolly shots and swooping drone photography, and rarely does it ever come off as overdone or unnecessary.
Even the basic composition of scenes is often very visually pleasing, whether it’s shot for humor or for aesthetic effect. It’s not always a hit (there’s a first-person sequence in the final fight that didn’t really land with me at all), but, while I can’t honestly say I know the first thing about shooting movies, I know what looks good when I see it, and Ride or Die definitely fit the bill.
In 2020, Bad Boys For Life made us wonder just how much life could possibly be left in the franchise after 17 years away from it. But Bad Boys: Ride or Die provides a much more satisfying send-off to the series with a film full of humor, action, and even an attempt at drama that does not feel unwelcome. It isn’t going to be in the running for best film of 2024 any time soon, but it’s a movie that’s well worth your time and easily stands with the now-classic original films.
