Bad Boys Ride or Die Movie Review: Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Watcha Gonna Do? Well, they did all things entertaining! Returning for their fourth run, the ‘Bad Boys’ of Hollywood — Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reunite for a hilarious and action packed Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Sony Pictures’ Bad Boys: Ride or Die, aka Bad Boys 4, comes four years after the third Bad Boys film — Bad Boys for Life — released. While it not only kept the legacy of the franchise going, it also marked Will Smith’s first full-fledged release on the big screen since his Oscar slapgate featuring Chris Rock. (Note: Emancipation released in select cinemas on December 2, 2022, and streamed on Apple TV+ a week later.)
As for Bad Boys 4, the film went on floors months after the slap incident. Given the franchise’s history, it was a given that the film will be entertaining, if not logical. But the post-slap effect was a tad bit evident in the film.
Before we deep dive into the analysis, here’s a quick look at the Bad Boys Ride or Die plot: The film follows a simple storyline — Life has changed for Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence). The film starts with Mike getting married to Christine (Melanie Liburd). The wedding celebrations is filled with gags until Marcus suffers a heart attack. He explores the after life and even bumps into Conrad who tells him that he is not destined to die just yet.
Returning from death, Marcus gives Mike and the audience a glimpse of what lays ahead of Mike. With his bare butt on display, Marcus informs Mike that he will be dragged into a complicated case. He advices him to remain strong on his stand and when the time will come to choose, he will eventually find a way to make the right decision.
Once he returns to life, Marcus and Mike get dragged into an investigation of the corruption in the Miami PD. They are forced to get to the root of the corruption after the late Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is accused of being involved with the Romanian mafia following his death. As the film progresses, Bad Boys: Ride or Die goes from being a bromance movie to exploring family dynamics. For those who love the action sequences shown in the franchise, don’t worry, the action is still at the forefront of it.
Directors Adil and Bilall have delivered an entertaining film with the help of Smith and Lawrence. The director duo pack in the necessary doses of drama while keeping the high-octane action and fight sequence in the forefront. Not a single character goes without an epic action sequence. My personal favourites were the scenes featuring Reggie McDonald, Marcus’ son-in-law, played by Dennis Greene, and the epic climax fight scene.
What stood out the most in the climax shot was that Adil and Bilall make you believe that you are in a video game and you have the controls. The climax plays out like one of a gameplay demo. The camera work by cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert is impressive. The crisp writing by Chris Bremner and Will Beall adds a perfect cherry on this icing.
While the production value was undoubtedly great, Bad Boys: Ride or Die suffered from uneven editing. The film was not patched in together well, especially in the first half, affecting the viewing experience. It felt unnecessarily rushed at a few points as well, leaving little room to truly grasp the plot.
However, the performances and dialogues were great distractions. Martin Lawrence is the star of this film. The makers put him in the spotlight, and gave him the best moments and dialogues. He was like a box of firecrackers in the film, blowing up with epic one-liners at every given window.
Will Smith, on the hand, doubled up as his support. While the film shed light on his relationship with his drug dealer son and even explored the impact of Captain Conrad’s death, it felt like he was purposely restrained from a lot of solo screentime in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Even in the scenes featuring his son Armando Aretas, played by Jacob Scipio, the latter shone brighter than Smith.
Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and Paola Núñez held the screen even in their limited roles in the film. But hats off to the string of cameos and their placements in the film. Tiffany Haddish, who plays Tabitha in the film, had me bowing down to her. DJ Khaled reprising his role as Manny the Butcher left me in splits.
I wish Bad Boys: Ride or Die was a bit longer to truly sink your teeth into the characters. Vanessa’s character could have been explored a little more while Eric Dane’s James McGrath did not give me the baddie vibes. He just felt like another supporting actor in the film. I also wanted to see a little more of Jacob Scipio, maybe a little more banter between his character Armando and the ‘Bad Boys’
Despite its shortcomings, Bad Boys: Ride or Die serves as a fun watch which is bound to leave you in splits and awe.
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