Picking up four years after the events of Bad Boys for Life, Bad Boys: Ride or Die sees detective lieutenants Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett on their most important assignment to date: Mike’s wedding. Mike is preparing to marry his partner, physical therapist, Christine, and he, Christine, and Marcus couldn’t be happier.
But Mike’s happiness is suddenly cut short when Marcus suffers a heart attack during the course of the wedding. Mike then watches as his best friend and partner is rushed to hospital, and he sits and waits for him to wake up.
When Marcus does finally come round, he feels great. He experienced a life-affirming dream while unconscious, which has put him in a good mood, however, this dream also came with a warning that a huge test is coming.
This test proves to be true and soon Mike and Marcus are called into police headquarters, where they are told their former boss, the late Captain Howard, was on the take. According to inside information, Howard had ties to drug cartels and wasn’t the fine upstanding officer he appeared to be.
Of course, Mike and Marcus don’t believe Howard was a dirty cop and are keen to clear his name. So, they set out to uncover the truth, with a little bit of help from Mike’s son (and former Cartel assassin), Armando Aretas.
Directed by Adil & Bilall (aka Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah), Bad Boys: Ride or Die is an action comedy starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Joe Pantoliano, Jacob Scipio, Vanessa Hudgens, Melanie Liburd, Eric Dane, and Ioan Gruffudd. The film is the fourth entry in the Bad Boys movie series, following on from Bad Boys (1995), Bad Boys II (2003), and Bad Boys for Life (2020).
Building on plot threads from its nearest predecessor, and maintaining a similar style, tone, and aesthetic too, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is an enjoyable follow-up and a likeable entry in its own right. It’s not quite as good as Bad Boys for Life, but it is a million times better than Bad Boys II, which is something we should always champion.
As with the previous films, the big draw here is Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. The actors are the backbone and the driving force of this franchise and they continue to deliver.
Both appear to be enjoying the ride and there are no signs of fatigue. Sure, this film exists because Bad Boys for Life was a financial success, but it doesn’t seem like Lawrence and Smith are back purely for the money – they seem to want to be here!
And because the two lead actors are invested and having fun, the audience can have fun too. Bad Boys: Ride or Die serves up a good mix of action, spectacle, and comedy, and as the balance is more-or-less right, it’s easily digestible stuff.
OK, so Bad Boys: Ride or Die is disposable popcorn fodder, but it is well-built popcorn fodder. It is a film designed to offer a couple of hours of entertainment, nothing more, and it fills this quota quite nicely.
As a general reminder, none of the Bad Boys movies are amazing, but when done right, they can be very agreeable. And this is exactly what Bad Boys: Ride or Die is – an agreeable blockbuster, which provides enough bang for your buck.
Highlights this time around include a mid-flight brawl on a helicopter, as well as a showdown at an alligator-themed amusement park. The film also finds time to explore the relationship between Mike and his son, with an effective bit of bonding.
Outside of the action and character beats, the comedy in Bad Boys: Ride or Die is fairly consistent and a few laughs are drawn out from Marcus’ health scare. After surviving a heart attack, Marcus believes he is invincible, and some mildly amusing moments follow.
This plot thread doesn’t get played out to its fullest, but it is suitably playful. It essentially exists to delve into the mortality of the characters, while offering some lighter moments amongst the gunfire.
While it isn’t the best entry in the movie series, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is absolutely fine as a summer blockbuster. If straight-forward, reliable entertainment is what you crave, then Bad Boys: Ride or Die has it in spades.
Lawrence and Smith continue to remain the big sell, but the action and comedy hit the right note too. I doubt very much we’ve seen the last from Marcus and Mike, but that’s OK, this one was fun and there’s still room for another instalment.
Should you wish to check out Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the movie is currently playing in UK and US cinemas.
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