Film Review: Bad Boys: Ride Or Die

I keep wanting to call this Bad Boys For Life because, hey, fourth movie, duh! But then I have to remind myself, no, wait, that was the third one, and this one is called Bad Boys: Ride Or Die. But then again, I barely get a moment to think about the title because I remember that Warner Brothers shelved a mostly completed Batgirl movie from directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who return to helm this, and I get so mad I got steam blowing out of my ears all over again. But it’s only because this movie rocks so hard that you come out of it wanting to see everything these guys touch.

The film follows a newly married Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), who suffered a near fatal heart attack at the marriage ceremony, only to come out of it with a seemingly prescient look into the universe that results in him believing he is essentially untouchable. You know, typical Marcus shenanigans. Anyways, the two find themselves uncovering a conspiracy in which their late boss Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is framed for corruption, and the two will need to root out the real corrupted officials to restore the former captain’s legacy.

There’s obviously more details and more characters involved in the plot, but when you get down to it, the plot was never the main attraction with these movies. It was always the film’s ability to carry a series of frenetic action sequences in between moments of funny banter between two wildly charismatic stars. And that very much continues here, but I also don’t want to dismiss the script by Chris Bremner and Will Beall, which – similarly to the last one – manages to squeeze in genuine pathos for the characters, who are dealing with their age and mortality, giving more stakes to the action than ever before.

Obviously, a big thing about the last film was the new blood behind the camera as opposed to having Michael Bay return. The mean streak in this those first two films, the second in particular, are mostly gone, with only hints of it here, but these films managed to create their own distinct vibe that feels much more set in stone here than in the previous film. The filmmakers really double down on their style here with dynamic camera rigs, drone shots, neon lighting, and numerous other flourishes that feel in tune with this series without feeling like it’s copying the Bay aesthetic. If anything, this feels more in line with the vibe of John Woo’s action melodramas.

I don’t really have a whole lot to say about Bad Boys: Ride Or Die. It’s a very straightforward action movie, but man, is it such a well accomplished action movie, and in a year that is already full of stellar action films with plenty more yet to come. Not only is the action exciting and fun and ingeniously crafted, the character work is really solid, has actual emotional depth in the way it touches on redemption and aging, and offers real growth to the guys we’ve been following for over 20 years now. And I also have to commend the film for effortlessly pulling off one of the strongest and surprising long-term payoffs to a character I’ve seen…at least in recent memory. You’ll know what it is when you see it, and folks who have been fans of the Bad Boys movies will go absolutely nuts when this moment happens. I dare not spoil it. I’m just really astonished by the filmmaking on display, and I really hope Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah get to do whatever they want.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is now playing in theaters.