BAD BOYS: RIDE OF DIE (2024) review
written by: Chris Bremner and Will Beall
produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith, Chad Oman & Doug Belgrad
directed by: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
rated: R (for strong violence, language throughout and some sexual references)
runtime: 115 min.
U.S. release date: June 7, 2024
After the successful and surprisingly good sequel “Bad Boys for Life” was released in 2020, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have signed on to helm another one. After looking at the opening weekend box-office numbers, Sony quickly made that announcement, hoping to maintain the renewed audience interest. Screenwriter Chris Bremner also returns, with the help of co-writer Will Beal (“Gangster Squad”), and the pair have whipped together a direct sequel to “For Life”, not bothering to try adding anything different or new to the franchise.
Instead, we’re back in Miami and once again following two supposed supercops getting into a heap of trouble with two directors delivering an indulgent amount of camera-swirling, time-lapse speeding, and hyperactive action to help extend what Michael Bay (look for his cameo early on as “Porsche Driver”) started 29 years ago.
To be honest, I barely remember what transpired in “For Life,” apart from being surprised that it didn’t suck. Let’s face it: the title and the attitude behind “Bad Boys” is a young man’s game. Seeing Will Smith and Martin Lawrence playing characters trying to hold on to their youthful bravado well into their fifties is a big ask. For example, I totally forgot that Detective Mike Lowry (Smith) has a son from a cartel widow who deals in witchcraft, but “Ride or Die” sets out to remind us of that and much more.
What I do remember is that quite a bit has occurred since the last “Bad Boys” movie regarding Will Smith and the directors known as Adil & Bilall. You may have heard of The Oscars Slap. I mean, who hasn’t? That event put the production of this movie on hold.
So, Adil & Bilall went off to shoot “Batgirl”, a movie budgeted at $90 million movie that Warner Bros. cancelled (which is code for tax write-off). The directors were then given the green light to start production on “Ride or Die.” It’s only fitting that Smith returns to the franchise that gave him his last hit. At the same time, there’s also been much discussion over whether or not audiences are even interested in “a Will Smith movie” after what happened two years ago during the Oscars telecast. So, considering what the box office numbers are saying about the summer movie season, there’s a lot (ahem) riding on this movie. Will it resuscitate moviegoers’ interest, or will we also see that (cough) die?
As the movie opens, Detective Mike Lowry (Smith) is careening through the streets of Miami with his longtime partner, Detective Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), in tow, both in formal wear and on their way to Mike’s wedding. On route, Marcus’ sweet tooth and craving for junk food find the pair thwarting a convenience store hold-up. This opening bit is played for laughs, reestablishing the comedic tone and fast-paced approach to the series. Even transitional aerial shots (courtesy of returning Belgian cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert) show the clouds over Florida accelerating as if someone is fast-forwarding in a hurry. I suppose that’s always been the “Bad Boys” style.
When the two Bad Boys finally arrive at the wedding, Marcus suffers a heart attack and has a hilarious (intentional?) look at the afterlife. The late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is hanging out on a tranquil shoreline. It feels like the place where Jodie Foster saw David Morse in “Contact.” When Marcus wakes up in the hospital, he is excited about his new lease on life, believing he’s invincible since Howard told him, “It’s not your time.” How he landed on invincibility from that is beyond me, but this is a fiftysomething man (child?) who typically has Skittles or any snack on his brain.
Any honeymoon plans Mike had planned with his bride (and former physical therapist), Christine (Melanie Liburd), were postponed when the news came out that the FBI had announced an investigation into Captain Howard’s alleged involvement in a police corruption scandal, linking him to the Romanian mafia. Refusing to believe such accusations, the Bad Boys set out to exonerate their former captain, which puts them at odds with Howards’ daughter, U.S. Marshal Agent Judy Howard (Rhea Seehorn) and strains their working relationship with Captain Rita Secada (Paola Núñez), head of Miami Police Advanced Miami Metro Operations (AMMO) unit and Mike’s ex-girlfriend. As in the last movie, Mike and Marcus are assisted in their investigation by tech expert Dorn (Alexander Ludwig) and weapons expert Kelly (Vanessa Hudgens), and eventually wind up seeking the aid of Mike’s incarcerated son, Armando (Jacob Scipio), who supposedly knows who is framing Captain Howard. Reminder: this is the guy who’s in prison for murdering Captain Howard, so obviously, there’s that awkward contention.
“Ride or Die” has one of those screenplay tropes where the writers give the audience more information than the main protagonists have, or at least before they find out. We learn that the guy pulling the strings is James McGrath (an underutilized and bland Eric Dane), a guy who’s something of a cartel enforcer but may have his reasons because of a tortured (literally, the guy had his fingernails torn off on his right hand) past on the right side of the law.
This villain’s motivations are as hazy as his backstory, and these “Bad Boys” movies need antagonists who are bigger and badder than the characters Smith and Lawrence play to elevate the stakes and discern an identifiable threat. Look at Michael Shannon’s over-the-top antics in “Bad Boys 2” (yes, he was in the second sequel) for an example. Dane’s character here isn’t any of that, and the movie lags because of it. Apparently, McGrath has enough pull in the Miami underworld that he’s able to put a bounty on the heads of our Bad Boys, which has every gangbanging gangster on the hunt – hey, it’s DJ Khaled as Manny the Butcher!
It’s funny that McGrath is headquartered in a villain liar that used to be an alligator-themed aquatic park throughout the movie. Was there an ad that he answered for that property? Did he inherit it? You know that when a giant albino alligator is mentioned to be still lurking around the closed park, that will play out later on somehow. Early on, there’s a new character introduced named Adam Lockwood (Ioan Grufford), who’s a potential candidate for mayor of Miami and Rita’s new boyfriend. Because he’s played by Grufford and a politician, it’s clear he’s also an antagonist, even though the writers are trying to be coy about it. As soon as I saw Grufford I could tell he’d be revealed as a “bad guy” and was reminded of Roger Ebert’s Law of the Economy of Characters. Google it.
Such blandness and obviousness regarding the threats facing the Bad Boys is unfortunate. It makes it seem like the writers and directors plan on viewers simply coming for what they expect. Considering studios are hoping to get butts in seats with familiarity, maybe that’s true.
When people think of the “Bad Boys” movies, they likely think of the comical comradery between Smith and Lawrence. Maybe that element overshadows the level of brutal violence and raunchiness that also exists. Much of the action scenes in “Ride or Die” veer into a first-person shooter video game aesthetic that’s supposed to be “cool” but winds up drawing too much attention to itself. I was taken aback a little when certain brutally violent scenes received audible applause from the audience at the screening I attended. I’m no prude, but maybe that says more about us as a society than it does about the movie.
A scene that’s supposed to be funny plays out as flat-out uncomfortable and awkward. When Mike, Marcus, and Armando are on the run, they seek assistance from a character named Tabitha (a miscast Tiffany Haddish), apparently some gang queen boss. She offers to help the trio, if Smith’s Mike eats her out. Is this supposed to be funny because it’s Tiffany Haddish, or is the intent of an audience to sit there and chuckle uncomfortably until the scene is over? Comedy, after all, is subjective.
Surprisingly, what did work when it comes to comedy are the few scenes involving Reggie McDonald (Dennis Greene), Marcus’ son-in-law and a United States Marine staff sergeant. Marcus complains that Reggie is eating all the snacks at home, but when defending their family from invaders, this young man takes charge and dispenses upwards of fifteen armed goons. When Marcus isn’t around, he can protect his sister and his mother/Marcus’ wife, Theresa (Tasha Smith, replacing Theresa Randle from the previous three movies). Thanks to home security camera surveillance, Mike and Marcus can witness Reggie in action, and their reactions are amusing.
A fun scene at the end of the movie involving Reggie stepping into the Bad Boys’ outdoor grilling duties may make these middle-aged “Boys” with a panic disorder and a heart condition realize when to step aside for the Real Bad Boy. Of course, that depends on how “Bad Boys: Ride of Die” does opening weekend. We’re in a place in a time where studios and prognosticators have no patience for anything other than how a movie does financially when it opens.
Bremer and Beall try to inject some reality into the story, particularly how life and job stressors (and poor dietary choices) have impacted Mike and Marcus over the years. Sure, they’ve been “bad” all these years, but the job has also affected them mentally and physically. Despite Marcus’ cardiac event and his doctor telling him to avoid certain foods and stressful situations, he’s still in a “Bad Boys” movie. In this movie, Mike is given anxiety attacks to deal with that flare-up during especially stressful moments. He tries to brush it off, but Lawrence slaps Smith three (maybe four) times to get him to snap out of it. You shouldn’t have to think about why it’s the movie’s funniest moment.
RATING: **
