REVIEW: “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” – Not so bad after all – Cinelinx

Editor's Note: This review contains spoilers for Bad Boys: Ride or Die

The Bad Boys Films were a staple of the action fare of the late 90s/early 2000s, with 1995 Bad Boys a huge commercial success that launched not only the film careers of stars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, but also that of director Michael Bay. The 2003 sequel Bad Boys II was a return to form and luck for the trio, which managed to become the tenth most successful film of the year. With Bay's move to Transformers Franchise and Smith steps into the spotlight as a leading actor and box office magnet, the Bad Boys Movies seemed doomed to become a memory of a bygone era.

Almost two decades later, however, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (who worked together under the name Adil & Bilall) brought the boys back together for Bad boys for life in 2020, followed only four years later by Bad Boys: Ride or DieThis time the guys are looking for a former Army Ranger, James McGrath (played by Eric Dane from Grey's Anatomy) to exonerate their recently deceased Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) from posthumously raised corruption allegations in connection with Mexican cartels.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Led by: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah

Written by: Chris Bremner, Will Beall, George Gallo

With: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence

Release date: In cinemas on June 7, 2024

In the previous films, Detective Mike Lowrey (Smith) was a completely unpredictable guy, always ready to jump into action no matter what circumstances called for it, while Detective Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) played the good cop compared to Lowrey's bad boy, doing his best to keep his partner's antics in check.

In Ride or diehowever, that dynamic is turned on its head. Lowrey tries to enter a new phase of life, settling down as a newlywed, but Burnett awakens with a new lease on life after a sudden and unexpected brush with death that puts him in a coma for a time. Marcus now sees death as something he doesn't yet expect and becomes the more tempestuous of the two, forcing Mike into the role of caregiver for once. It was great to see Lawrence go a little crazy this time around, and while Smith's performance as the concerned partner was fun, his dramatic moments were mostly reminiscent of his insistence on more serious roles in the years since this franchise was considered abandoned.

Action-packed plot

The plot itself is capable, if just barely. The cartel-like plot allowed Adil & Bilall to bring Jacob Scipio's character from the previous film, Lowrey's illegitimate son Armando, back into the action as a reluctant protagonist. It's not uncommon for the plot of an action film to be little more than a vehicle that leads the audience to each new action spectacle, and while it would be easy (and not inaccurate) to say the same of Ride or dieThe existence of an unknown leader guiding McGrath's hand provides enough mystery to keep viewers interested in more than just the next shootout.

Still, the story is mostly carried by the action sequences, a feeling that becomes all too clear in the less explosive second act, where the pace really starts to slow. But even that quickly changes, as the third act opens with a tense nightmare scenario centered around defending one's home that is easily the best action scene in the film, if not the best the series has ever produced.

It should come as no surprise that a film that follows in the footsteps of Michael Bay is best known for its action, and Ride or die does not disappoint in this regard. From the first standoff to the final shootout, the film gives us all the shots, punches and explosions we could want and more.

There's also a funny thread running through these scenes: The first action scene, indeed the very first scene of the film, is almost entirely designed for laughs. When a man pulls out a gun to rob the supermarket where Marcus is shopping, it's dismissed as a mere inconvenience, wasting precious time on the way to Mike's wedding. From then on, each action scene becomes increasingly less humorous, from Marcus pausing mid-gunfight to gobble up some loose jelly beans to a wild scene in a helicopter that easily could have been directed by Bay himself.

The seriousness reaches its peak in the aforementioned home defense scene, in which Marcus' son-in-law Reggie (Dennis Greene-McDonald) defends the family from intruders. This scene itself is an incredible evolution from Reggie's original series debut in Bad Boys 2, in the iconic scene where Marcus and Mike reprimand him in the doorway when he shows up to take Marcus' daughter out on her first date.

This scene, however, breaks the tension buildup in the action sequences and allows the final battle to mix exactly the kind of action and humor the series is known for. Everything is exploited here: there are guns, bombs, and even a few alligators. Everyone present gets their moment to shine in the glow of the explosions, and the one-liners punctuate the action with a cadence not unlike the gunfire that permeates the rest.

The “buddy” element in the buddy comedy

Speaking of humor, Ride or die was definitely a return to form for the series in this area. Bad boys for life wasn't without its jokes, but there was an attempt at seriousness in the film that didn't quite convey the same spirit as the original Bay films. Despite this, the easy chemistry between Lawrence and Smith was still well in play there, and that continues in Ride or dieeven if their roles are reversed.

Much of the film's humor relies on this chemistry, perhaps too much so, but the duo's endless banter makes for some laugh-out-loud moments. There are scenes that feel a little crass and out of place in the present day, such as Marcus' revelation to Mike that they're “soulmates” and Mike's particularly dismissive reaction to the idea. But even that joke is a running gag for Marcus that could easily serve as the film's entire comedy highlight, and even the soulmate joke is revisited a few times in a way that's made much funnier by its existence.

The acting in the film is, by and large, what you'd expect from this kind of film. Lawrence and Smith have exactly the practiced ease you'd expect from two film veterans in the fourth installment of a franchise, and Danes McGrath is as menacing and convincing a villain as is needed to oppose such a duo. Better call SaulRhea Seehorn, always a delight, also appears 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 appearance as Armando Aretas was serviceable.

His action sequences were often top-notch, but other than that he rarely had much to do. He does attempt a dramatic scene towards the end, and it's not bad, but without giving too much away, the end result of the film is one of the most confusing decisions the film makes.

Paola Núñez also returns Bad boys for life in her new position as Captain, she offers a more nuanced and fuller role than she previously did as Lowrey's former lover. Perhaps most impressive, however, is Dennis Greene-McDonald coming into his own as Reggie. From playing a burglar to stopping actual burglars, McDonald's performance is truly outstanding, especially for an actor who currently seems to have no other roles under his belt.

First-class camera work

Ultimately, though, it's the cinematography that steals the film's show. Adil & Bilall brought back their previous cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert and he brought out his best, pulling out all the stops to capture the action as stylistically as possible every time. There are dramatic panning shots, subtle use of handheld cameras, rolling dolly shots and drone shots, and rarely does it feel over the top or unnecessary.

Even the basic composition of scenes is often very visually appealing, whether they're shot for humor or aesthetic reasons. It's not always a slam dunk (there's a first-person sequence in the final battle that didn't appeal to me at all), but while I can't really say I know anything about shooting movies, I know what looks good when I see it, and Ride or die definitely fit.

In 2020 Bad boys for life We wondered how much life there might be left in the franchise after 17 years of absence. But Bad Boys: Ride or Die offers a much more satisfying send-off to the series with a film full of humor, action, and even an attempt at drama that doesn't feel unwelcome. It won't be in the running for best movie of 2024 anytime soon, but it's a film that's worth your time and easily holds its own against the now-classic original films.