Bad Boys 4: A Fun, Ride or Die

Directed by: Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah  

Starring: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffud, Paola Núñez, Tiffany Haddish  

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Let me start this review with a confession: I haven’t seen the previous three Bad Boys movies. My introduction to this franchise came through Edgar Wright’s zany action comedy Hot Fuzz (2007). It's hard to believe it's been almost 30 years since the first Bad Boys came out, not that you’d know it from looking at Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, who still appear youthful at 59 and 55, respectively. The buddy cop comedy is a genre I enjoy, and that’s the main appeal for me.

Chemistry and Comedy

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the Belgian-Moroccan duo who directed Bad Boys for Life, are back at the helm here. Right from the start, we see the fun chemistry between Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Lawrence) and their constant squabbling, a staple of every buddy cop franchise. The movie opens with a wedding for Mike and a near-death experience for Marcus, the latter becoming a running joke throughout. Marcus’ outlook on life changes drastically after waking up, giving him a new sense of purpose and heightened self-esteem. While his endless chatter about near-death visions is funny at first, it quickly becomes tiresome.

Simplistic Plot, Big Action

As expected, the plot is inconsequential, merely a vehicle to get Mike and Marcus into various shenanigans and overblown situations. The simplistic storyline involves their former captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano), who posthumously gets implicated in corruption. Not familiar with the franchise, I initially thought Howard was still alive, but the idea was simply to reunite the two Miami police officers to clear his name.

Will Smith plays the more restrained cop, which works surprisingly well. Lawrence gets the zaniest lines and some hilarious, scene-stealing moments, while Smith primarily reacts to his partner’s antics. Unfortunately, the supporting cast isn’t memorable, as the three writers—Chris Bremner, Will Beall, and George Gallo—crafted them as basic stock characters. The villain, Eric Dane, lacks menace or charisma, while Ioan Gruffud sleepwalks through a thankless role. The subplot involving Mike’s long-lost son Armando (Jacob Scipio) falls flat, though Paola Núñez’s character arc is somewhat more satisfying. Tiffany Haddish makes a cameo in an unfunny sequence best forgotten.

Action and Nostalgia

The movie delivers plenty of Bay-hem: shootouts, explosions, scantily-clad women, car chases, and even a funny cameo from Michael Bay in a classic Porsche. The action scenes get bombastic, particularly towards the end. Although modern action films can be overly reliant on drone shots, one shootout styled like a video game offers a refreshing change of pace. The climactic scene inside an abandoned alligator-themed park is chaotic and features an albino alligator named Duke enjoying a buffet of bad guys.

There’s ample fan service, and I admit feeling nostalgic when Inner Circle’s reggae hit “Bad Boys” played. The filmmakers couldn’t resist referencing Smith’s infamous “Oscar slap,” but this time he’s on the receiving end, eliciting chuckles from the audience.

Conclusion

Bad Boys  is a quintessential popcorn summer action flick that capitalizes on Smith and Lawrence’s fun rapport. As an introduction to the franchise, it’s entertaining enough with some laugh-out-loud moments, though it’s likely to be forgotten a week later. For fans of the genre and the franchise, it’s a fun ride that doesn’t take itself too seriously.