Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reunite in the fourth installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise. Yes, you read that right — the fourth movie. The third one came out in 2020 and was pretty much swept away by the dawn of the pandemic, so it’s understandable if you didn’t see it or forgot about it.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” dives right in with Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) speeding in a Ferrari to Mike’s wedding. Like Mike’s foot, the movie presses on the gas and doesn’t stop.
Complete with wild stunts and dumb jokes, which honestly work, this latest installment of the franchise delivers what you’d expect.
What is 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' about?
In this movie, Mike and Marcus are smacked in the face with a defamation case. Their former boss, the late Capt. Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano), is found to have millions of dollars of cartel money in his name. The only thing is, he would never take money from the cartels. Both Mike and Marcus are dead sure of that.
While on the case to clear their old boss’s name, they pick up Mike’s son, the cartel-linked Armando (Jacob Scipio). He knows the face of the man who is really behind the cartel money. But the baddie is on to them and soon, the three are on the run.
While everything is a mystery for Mike and Marcus, the audience sees everything. We know who the bad guy is, what he’s up to, and how he’s doing it. So there’s no mystery. Instead, you’re champing at the bit for the heroes to figure out the case — and do it, like, now.
Of course, the main joy of these kinds of buddy-cop movies is the friendship between the leads. Lawrence and Smith play off of each other naturally. And while Lawrence is the funny man, Smith gets to exercise his comedic chops here and there while also playing the tough, cool guy.
The jokes are really stupid, like when Marcus says that Mike has a “baby soul.” The moment is actually pretty deep if you stop and really read into what’s going on, but the delivery is just too funny to take it seriously. And honestly, you don’t want to take anything seriously.
The best line in the whole movie is a comment on a redneck Jurassic Park — which will make sense when you see it.
Do you need to see the other 'Bad Boys' movies first?
Do you need to see the other "Bad Boys" movies to enjoy this one? The answer is no. You can easily enjoy “Ride or Die” without watching any of the other films. But if you are familiar with the previous movies, you’ll enjoy this one that much more. There are plenty of callbacks and Easter eggs for fans of the series. But these in no way leave newbies in the dust.
You know what you’re getting when you walk into this film. And it delivers exactly that. Lots of gunfights, ridiculous stunts (with some killer drone camera work), and just enough emotional pull to give this movie some substance — although not much.
'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' 3 stars
Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★
Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★
Directors: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah.
Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Tiffany Haddish.
Rating: R, strong violence, language throughout and some sexual references.
How to watch: In theaters Friday, June 7.
Contact Kaely Monahan at kaely.monahan@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on our podcasts Valley 101 and The Gaggle, and X, formerly known as Twitter, @KaelyMonahan.