The Bad Boys franchise has been hit or miss so far since its inception back twenty-one years ago. I very much enjoyed the last Bad Boys film, Bad Boys: For Life. It was released a month before the Covid-19 pandemic shut the world down. It was a big hit that year, but took a little while to get the Fourth installment off of the ground. By Hollywood standards, three years is relatively fast to make a film.  As mentioned a lot has happened in the three years since the last movie in this franchise came out, but it doesn’t seem like any time has passed because this film is like Will Smith and Martin Lawrence has never left these characters. They are perfect together in this franchise.

As the Fourth film in this franchise picks up there is a cold open as Smith and Lawrence’s characters are racing through the streets of Miami on the way to the wedding of Smith’s character. A quick stop at a convenience store sets the stage for how this film is going to go. The banter between Smith and Lawrence starts off and never stops through the course of the movie.  Lawrence had me laughing non-stop at all the funny one-liners and awkward moments throughout the movie. Smith played second fiddle to him in this fourth film in the franchise. 

There are a few plot things that in other action franchises I would consider contrivance, but in this story, they are smart character traits the writers added to the story to make it better. The first is two different health issues for both of the main characters. One has a heart problem and has to cut back on sweets and food that isn’t good for him the other has panic attacks which causes him to stop dead in his tracks. He doubles over in pain and can’t breathe. During the movie, these moments fit into the story well. They aren’t plot contrivance like you would think. They mean something in the context of the film. The third thing is a character is brought back from the dead in the most unusual way which works perfectly for what the writers are trying to say with the story. This was a very fresh and original way to bring a deceased character back to life. 

The Bad Boys films are produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and the characters were created by George Gallo. The first two films in the franchise were directed by Michael Bay. The last two movies have been directed by different people, but have still retained the essence of what this franchise is all about and the look of the first two films. Bay has a distinct style in his movies and this one follows that style perfectly. The cinematography and camera work are right in line with what Bay would do which helps this film stay in line with the others in the franchise. While having its own story that fans can get behind. 

This franchise has some good character actors attached as part of the supporting cast Paula Nunez is back as the police captain. She is stuck in the middle between her two detectives and a lawyer she’s dating, played by Ioan Gruffudd. He has a secret he’s keeping from her that puts her in a bad spot. Also, there are two other cops that help the Smith and Lawrence characters played by Alexander Ludwig and Venessa Hudgens.  These two also bring another layer to the supporting cast as friends and co-workers of the main characters. The villain in the movie is played excellently by Euphoria alum Eric Dane. He brings a gravitas and believability to this character. I completely bought him in this role as an ex-police detective working for drug cartels.

The one reason why this franchise works so well is the relationship between Smith and Lawrence. They have a shorthand relationship with each other. No matter what situation they are in, their banter back and forth helps the movie shine. They can be in a life-or-death situation and their back and forth with each other is hilarious.  A lot of the banter is about their healtnditions and family dynamics with their families and so forth. These guys are on a level with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover from the Lethal Weapon franchise as one of the best police detective duos. I especially enjoyed them in the last two films. 

Adi El Arbi and Bilall Fallah the directors have done the last two Bad Boys movies and they’ve created a rejuvenation of this tired franchise. It’s not tired anymore though. They have breathed new life into it with the storylines and the reliance on a more family-oriented story. These two main characters seem like brothers and the story shows that. These directors have infused the proper level of storytelling with action and banter between the two main characters. They have found the right balance with everything they are doing with this film and franchise. I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed the last two films. Similar to the Mission Impossible franchise this franchise has gotten better with each subsequent installment. That’s a good thing.

Some interesting thoughts on the odds and ends in the movie I have are these. The film relies on a little too much product placement. Characters wearing Budlight shirts, Skittles flying around in slow motion and a Porche that gets a lot of screen time are just a few of the instances I’m talking about. Maybe that’s how they make money for the film. Who knows? The other item I thought that was a bit much was the forced cameos. I don’t mind a cameo once in a while in a film that I watch. The way these were done was a little too much for my liking. Maybe others will like them more than me. It wasn’t a complete turn-off for my enjoyment of the movie though.

Bad Boy: Ride or Die is another fantastic installation in the Bad Boys franchise. It has a lot of laugh-out-loud moments involving back-and-forth banter between Smith and Lawrence’s characters. Lawrence almost steals the show with his performance. There is a legitimate story in this film that genuinely had me intrigued throughout. The supporting cast was also good. The action sequences were pretty amazing including the final sequence at an amusement park. Unlike some franchises that get worse as they go forward, this one is getting better with each subsequent installation.  At this point, I’d be excited to see another film in this franchise and I’m very surprised to say that right now.

 4 stars

Dan Skip Allen