A lot has changed in the four years since the last installment in the Bad Boys franchise ignited the box office in January 2020.  It was one of the last true old-school box-office blockbusters before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered theaters four months later and, if rumors were accurate, derailed plans for a quick turnaround on a fourth film as well as a planned spin-off with newly introduced characters.  Stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, their careers momentarily revitalized by the hit, would also have different trajectories.  Lawrence starred in just one movie, The Silence of the Lambs knockoff Mindcage, while Smith…well, we all know what’s been going on with Mr. Smith, whether we like it or not.
 
While the previous film seemed to come out of nowhere, it’s less of a surprise that the two actors have signed up for this fourth Bad Boys film because they both needed a bit of a reprieve.  Despite now being an Oscar winner, Smith again finds himself labeled box office poison and requires a hit to maintain his A-list status. At the same time, Lawrence needs to get out in front of viewers, hoping that some director will take a chance on him again.  It’s been nearly three decades since the duo first partnered up as wise-cracking, butt-kicking partners, and while the franchise has evolved with the times, I was curious to see if they could make magic happen again.

What made Bad Boys For Life so special was that it brought a new sense of purpose to a franchise that flamed out rather spectacularly with an overblown, beleaguered sequel.  Director Michael Bay (Pain & Gain) couldn’t leave well enough alone and took what made his first outing in 1995 such a thrill and amped it up to an unwatchable level.  In 2020, new directors Adil & Bilall put their stamp of visual style on the series, which, while still wild and over-the-top, knew how to let the stars be the central focus and not suffocate the fun.  In addition to bringing in new characters that weren’t obnoxious distractions, co-screenwriter Joe Carnahan (Boss Level) gave the third chapter some grit and helped to flesh out the personalities of the Smith and Lawrence pairing, pushing the dialogue past the trademark buddy cop banter. 

Landing squarely in the standard summer movie offering category without aspiring to much more, Bad Boys: Ride or Die will get the job done for fans of the actors and the franchise.  It’s an enjoyably uncomplicated watch that doesn’t require much previous knowledge to get your bearings (oh, for a cameo by Téa Leoni’s character from the original!). Still, you may wonder why it’s taken thirty years to only get to this point in the journey.  Couple that with stars who seem less participatory in the more extensive action sequences (don’t worry, their stunt doubles are), and there’s a general feeling that a series that began fueled by high-octane thrills is now coasting by on fumes.

Detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith, Aladdin) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) are back, and this time, they’re caught up in a scandal that hits close to home.  When their late captain (Joe Pantoliano) is accused posthumously of Mafia ties, they must clear his name and will need Mike’s imprisoned son (Jacob Scipio, Last Looks) to do it.  A carefully planned setup that reaches deep into the public service sector is working against them, though, and soon, the detectives become fugitives, forcing them to operate outside the law.  Now pursued by the US Marshalls (led by an unconvincing Rhea Seehorn as Pantoliano’s vengeance-seeking daughter) and a criminal syndicate desperate to remain hidden (led by a more believable Eric Dane), Mike and Marcus descend into Miami’s criminal underworld, unaware a bounty has been put on their heads. 

While I question what, if any, actual police work gets done in the film, Smith and Lawrence easily slip back into these roles, as is evident in the opening sequence, which finds the two racing to Mike’s wedding.  Stopping off so Marcus can feed his sweet tooth, they wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time and barely make it so Mike can deliver his vows to Christine (Melanie Liburd).  When both men seem to be settling into domestic life, the universe throws a real-world curveball at them, giving them a dose of reality and proof that they may not be as invincible as they thought. 

Who knows if either actor requested this material to be added, but it’s an intriguing (if, at times, disjointed) tangent for the film to explore early on when an audience might be more receptive and before they’ve been hammered with the film’s multiple action sequences.  While these scenes don’t equal the breakneck power of the previous film, returning directors Adil & Bilall inject their signature style of blending action and humor.  Their direction keeps the pace brisk and allows the adrenaline to kick in at the right rhythm, culminating in a banger of an ending at an abandoned gator park.

It’s somewhat disappointing that the supporting cast isn’t utilized as well here as they were in Bad Boys For Life when it appeared they were being groomed for something bigger.  I liked Vanessa Hudgens (tick, tick… BOOM!) as a whip-smart weapons expert and Alexander Ludwig (Midway) as her hacker cohort – both were charismatic and uncomplicated.  (A third team member played by May December star Charles Melton is conspicuously absent.) They paired nicely with Paola Núñez (The Fall of the House of Usher) as a ballsy, no-nonsense Captain who wasn’t afraid to roll up her sleeves and get into the trenches.  Whatever plans there were to spin these characters off seem to be on pause potentially…but here’s hoping they get revived.  There’s an offensively stupid cameo from Tiffany Haddish (Haunted Mansion), and I couldn’t tell if she was slumming it or the movie was.  I usually don’t do spoilers, but I had to point out that it was supremely satisfying to see the film dispatch the grotesque and untalented Khaled ’DJ Khaled’ Khaled (what’s with that name?) so rapidly and triumphantly.

Speaking of triumphant, Robrecht Heyvaert’s (Revenge) cinematography deserves special mention. There’s one standout action scene in particular where the camera work is incredibly innovative. In one seamlessly (edited) shot, the viewer is taken on a visual journey of shifting perspectives during a massive fight – from hovering above the action to looking down the barrel of a gun to being the gun itself and then viewing the shooter.  This inventive approach enhances the intensity, immersing the audience in chaos without overwhelming them at the same time. 

Though Smith and Lawrence remain a dynamic duo, sometimes irresistibly so, the franchise shows signs of running out of steam.  Does this fourth entry reach the delirious heights of its predecessor?  Not quite.  It chugs toward an entertainingly ludicrous finale capped by a humorous coda but winds up running a little low on new thrills.  It feels increasingly like the series needs a fresh face (or three?) to carry the torch forward, but for now, fans can enjoy this wild ride.  I don’t think Bad Boys Ride or Die is the last gasp for what was once a white-hot and celebrated pairing, but it’s cooling down with each new round.