Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, Bad Boys: Ride or Die follows Miami detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), who are attempting to clear the name of their late Captain, Conrad Howard, after he is falsely accused of conspiracy. However, things take a dangerous turn that puts them on the run and forces them to risk everything in order to complete their mission.
My history with the Bad Boys series is a rather short one because even though I am familiar with their impact on pop culture I have actually never seen any of the Bad Boys films growing up, unlike many others. So I recently decided to watch all three of the Bad Boys films in preparation to watch this one and I can say I definitely understand why these films have a strong following. The first Bad Boys film was a ton of fun while Bad Boys II ended up being a very mixed bag. Bad Boys For Life though was the one that I ended up loving the most due to the immense amount of heart and care that was put into it by directing duo Adil and Bilall.
So with the same duo returning to helm this fourth installment, I was really excited to see what they had in store, especially given their impressive filming techniques and the unique style they have nailed down. After getting the chance to see it in theaters I can say that I had a hell of a time with this film.
Bad Boys Ride or Die was an absolutely hilarious and awesome thrill ride that has magnificent style and strong substance holding it together, making it one of my favorite action films of this year so far. This film was given a grand amount of passion on every level by everyone involved, clearly showing this series is in much better hands compared to how it would have been if it was still in Michael Bay’s hands.
The best part about all of these films has always been the two leading actors, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, and their dynamic chemistry that remains the same for this film, with each of them giving their heart and soul to their iconic roles. Martin Lawrence is truly a comedic gem of an actor who when given the right material can bring out the best laughs in every scene he’s in, even during the adrenaline-fueled action. Every joke he made no matter how stupid it may be was always funny thanks to him. The character of Marcus Burnett had a great arc in the previous film that I was at first concerned was going to be repeated after something that happened to him in the beginning, but instead we get something else that results in even more brilliant moments of hilarity and heart.
Will Smith has always been fantastic as the straight man of the duo with the character of Mike Lowrey, though it was great to see more of his emotional depth and mental state evolve since the events of the previous film. It makes Mike feel like more of a compelling character who is dealing with so much, including protecting his family (Marcus included), reconciling with his illegitimate son Armando Aretas, and trying to save the legacy and honor of his former captain. Will Smith has great passion and love for this character and really shows it with his performance, both emotionally and physically. Together they are an absolute force but for the second time in the series, the supporting cast ends up being as equally lovable and compelling as the two leads.
Returning characters like the AMMO agents played by Paola Núñez, Alexander Ludwig, and Vanessa Hudgens are just as awesome as they were in the previous film and they get their own great scenes of comedy and action working alongside Mike and Marcus making for an effective team.
Jacob Scipio returns as Armando Aretas who goes on an interesting path of redemption as he is forced to work together with Mike and Marcus in order to survive. You see that he is truly trying to be better than the monster he was raised to be and his being paired with the leading duo leads to a lot of fun and funny moments that show a more human side of his character that had not been seen before. Jacob Scipio delivers such an incredible performance in this film and the previous that I am honestly surprised he isn’t being cast in more major roles in other projects. The man has serious talent and he gets a lot of great moments to show it on screen.
Our main villain of the film, played by Eric Dane, may not be as unique or personally impactful to the characters as Armando was in the previous film, but he is still a mostly solid villain who proves himself to be very formidable and merciless the very moment he steps on screen. He is a smart and scary bastard of a villain who comes off as very intimidating, largely thanks to Eric Dane’s strong performance, and sets up great personal stakes for the leading duo.
Other supporting cast members like Melanie Liburd and Rhea Seehorn are also great additions to the cast, adding emotional weight to the film that works even when they come in small doses.
However, the biggest surprise of the film for me came in the form of Reggie, reprised by Dennis Greene. The very minor character from Bad Boys II and Bad Boys For Life gets an absolutely outstanding sequence that was extremely satisfying to watch and certifies him as the underrated GOAT of this film. I heard a lot of people hyping up Reggie’s role in this film and I was definitely not disappointed. I think many fans of Bad Boys will love his brief but awesome segment in this film.
And while I definitely miss Joe Pantoliano’s humorous Captain Conrad Howard they do manage to include him in a great way in this film and make him feel like an important figure to the characters and the story.
Speaking of the story, this film sets itself apart narratively from the previous entries by being a conspiracy thriller with high personal stakes, yet retains the awesome heart and humor that was first presented in the previous film. Some parts of the narrative can be a little predictable but there are still numerous surprises that this film has up its sleeve and it brings in high volumes of entertainment in every way possible. It’s a blast from start to end and I was left mostly satisfied with the story as a whole.
The action of this film is absolutely insane from the way it is shot, edited, and executed with a mix of beautiful practical effects and brief but impressive CGI work. Just like in Bad Boys For Life and Ms Marvel, the directing duo of Adil and Bilall take very stylistic swings with all the technical elements and all of it pays off hugely with some of the most visually pleasing action sequences of the film. Easily my favorite sequence of the film is the gun cam sequence in the adrenaline-fueled third act that was executed to perfection. If you thought it looked cool from the trailers just wait till you see how phenomenal the complete scene is.
This film has gorgeous and awesome sets that are shown through excellent cinematography matching the fun energy of this film. And to top it all off we get another amazing score from composer Lorne Balfe who continues his strong musical streak in films and really enhances the intensity of this film in many ways.
I am glad I decided to watch this series because I found myself enjoying it for the most part and I can say I love the Adil and Bilall installments the most. They know how to make amazing and stylish action while offering great substance simultaneously. Fans of the Bad Boys franchise are guaranteed to love this one and I firmly believe newcomers like myself will also find themselves loving this film too. Definitely give it a watch whenever you can, especially on the big screen. I am going to give Bad Boys: Ride or Die an A = 97.
You can find more of my writing on instagram, and check out my channel on YouTube!