Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) Review!!!

Synopsis – When their former captain is implicated in corruption, two Miami police officers have to work to clear his name.

My Take – While it has been more than two years since he slapped Oscar host Chris Rock on live television, tarnishing a public image he’d spent decades cultivating, returning for a new installment of the beloved buddy cop action comedy series seemed like the best strategic retreat for Will Smith, following a string of prestige roles and of course, the controversial revelations of his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith.

Luckily for him, this is rare franchise which, despite being spread across a span of 29 years, peaks with each new entry.

Continuing the high-energy saga of detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, returning directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (aka Adil & Bilall), who took over helming duties from previous helmer director Michael Bay (Transformers, The Rock) for Bad Boys for Life (2020) and infused the series with a fresh perspective and some state-of-the-action, carry it all further here.

Delivering the franchise’s signature blend of explosive action, sharp humor, and strong camaraderie, as the duo face new challenges and adversaries further deepening their bond and personal growth.

Yes, it’s as over the top and silly as ever, and plot vise doesn’t bringing anything particularly new to the table, yet it’s done with such panache and genuine wit that one ends up relishing its heightened vibes.

Indeed, fans of the saga (like myself) will feel at home here, as it relies heavily on Will Smith and Martin Lawrence‘s already-proven gifted comedic chemistry and their long-standing legacy in this story. Resulting in yet another thrilling and entertaining addition to the beloved action series.

Set sometime after the events of Bad Boys for Life (2020), the story once again follows Detective Lieutenant Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Detective Lieutenant Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), two trigger-happy Miami narcotics cops who play by their own rules.

After years of being a bachelor, Mike is finally settling down with Christine (Melanie Liburd), his physical therapist, in a ceremony that is part wedding and part memorial for the late Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano), which has to be cut short when Marcus ends up having a heart-attack. While the near-death experience is a call for both to finally slow down, Marcus unfortunately takes it as a sign that he is invincible.

However, the next day, the two are shocked to find their late Captain framed for crimes he didn’t commit, but as the two begin working on the clues left behind by him to prove his innocence and break open a massive criminal case that he had spent a long time investigating without their knowledge, they find themselves framed as co-conspirators and are forced to go on the run.

As they struggle to differentiate friends from foes, Marcus and Mike join forces with Mike’s estranged son Armando (Jacob Scipio) to not just clear their names and but also find the person responsible behind the whole fiasco.

As a sequel that builds on what came before, screenwriters Chris Bremner and Will Beall do a great job pulling on a story thread that hasn’t been explored, while tying it seamlessly to its predecessor. Sure, the film can be ridiculous at times, and even occasionally silly, but directors Adil & Bilall don’t let these moments linger too long before moving on. The pacing is sharp and slick, but it leaves moments for the relationships to flourish.

In a series that’s never had much in the way of emotional resonance, there’s actually some weight to the scenes between these characters here, as they attempt to move forward with some semblance of a father-son relationship. After all it was Armando who killed Captain Howard. That fact weighs heavily on the story, as we meet Howard’s daughter, U.S. Marshal Agent Judy Howard (Rhea Seehorn), who is chasing the trio.

One of the best parts of the franchise is how it’s continued to explore Marcus and Mike at different stages in their lives. It would be easy to stick to the status quo and leave things unchanged, but life moves forward and so, too, do the characters. Here, directors Adil & Bilall highlight a decades-long friendship, backed by their incomparable camaraderie and banter, framing it as being just as integral to the characters’ survival as their families.

Adding value to the film is the involvement of some of the franchise’s best action set pieces. Leaning a bit heavier into the director Bay‘s known style as seen in the gloriously chaotic digital, neon tinged art exhibition shootout. One standout scene finds Mike and Marcus fighting for their lives on a small plane that’s in free fall: As the camera mimics their weightlessness, the duo fends off armed attackers and tries to stop some precious cargo from flying off the plane. The incorporation of first person POVs, drones, alligators, explosions aplenty mix together for a riotous bloody blowout.

Performance wise, Will Smith brings a more vulnerable and subdued turn, while Martin Lawrence steals the show as the motor mouth, wide-eyed, born again foul mouthed spiritual guide who claims he can’t die. He’s having a ball and both he and Smith’s chemistry is still unbeatable.

The AMMO team led by Paola Núñez‘s Lieutenant Rita Secada and formed by Vanessa Hudgens‘ Kelly and Alexander Ludwig‘s Dorn provide a much-needed respite from the buddy-cop dynamic, while Jacob Scipio steals the show as a silently lethal fighter. Eric Dane makes for a deadly but ultimately one note villain.

In other roles, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhea Seehorn and John Salley are alright. On the whole, ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ is an absolutely enjoyable crowd-pleaser that is both action-packed and hilarious.