[Movie Review] Bad Boys for Life (2020)
Plot Summary: The Bad Boys Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are back together for one last ride in the highly anticipated Bad Boys for Life.
Directors: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Writers: Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, Joe Carnahan
Runtime: 2 hours 4 mins
Main Cast:- Will Smith as Detective Mike Lowrey
- Martin Lawrence as Detective Marcus Burnett
- Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly
- Alexander Ludwig as Dorn
- Paola Nuñez as Rita
- Joe Pantoliano as Captain Howard
Review by: Chris F
It's been more than 15 years since the last Bad Boys movie, a franchise that knows exactly what it is. Director Michael Bay took the buddy cop action film to its extreme in the best and the worst ways. Despite their obvious flaws, I am an unashamed fan of both films. I personally love Michael Bay when he’s allowed to go to the extremes of the action genre and the Bad Boys films, especially part 2, are his best work in that regard. We really didn’t need another sequel, Bad Boys 2 was enough spectacle for 2 films. Will Smith and Martin Laurence were both at the top of their game, the action was so bombastic it still holds up despite the older technology. So color me surprised when a third film is announced. A film not sharing the previous director that gave the film its charm and having a pretty dumb name. Color me even more surprised when I find this film a fitting end and maybe the best in the franchise.
It’s been over a decade since we last spent time with the titular bad boys, Marcus is celebrating another event that further shows how old he is getting, and Mike is continuing his brash attitude and swag dispute his own age. After a shocking attack that breaks through Mike’s tough exterior by a hidden figure from his past, the two must track down the villain. At the same time, the duo is finding themselves being replaced by a new crew of young brash cops calling themselves AMMO (yea I know). It sounds like a pretty straight forward set up and it is, but the execution here, much like with the Bay films, takes it to another level.
What I Liked:
One of the things that has always worked in these films is the dynamic between the two leads. Both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are charismatic actors and these two characters showcase what they do well. Action Will Smith is my favorite Will Smith, so Mike Lowrey is a legendary character in my eyes. The swagger, the arrogance, the “fucks”. The Bad Boys films allowed Will Smith to be an unhinged trigger happy asshole and it’s great seeing him not lose a step. Some of his lines and character moments are so on-brand that it feels like the time gap between the films hasn’t happened. Martin Lawrence is showing his age on the action front, but he’s still an expert on timing and plays off Will Smith’s character well. This partnership needed to be and feel right to make this film work on a basic level, and these young directions made sure that dynamic was as funny and heartfelt as before.
One of my biggest fears was this film not feeling like a Bad Boys film, and feeling more like a generic modern action movie. A movie that forgets its legacy of being over the top and admittedly kinda stupid. A film that took itself too seriously. But what we have here is a film that feels like a throwback in a lot of ways. Taking the tropes of the genre and respecting how sometimes goofy it can be. There are a few amazing callbacks to the previous films that generally made me laugh out loud, including an amazing cameo. This film wasn’t afraid to be kind of silly without removing the stakes, it’s a tough balancing act that a lot of its contemporaries sometimes struggle with. The plot turns and story arcs feel like reasonable evolutions for the characters and the world established. Not to pretend there is some deep bad boys lore, but being that the themes are getting older in a young person’s world and family, the places the story goes respects where the characters have been. It’s taking a simple story of old scorned loves and making it fit, though not always perfect, with the few things we know about the characters. The villain’s connection to Mike, and these connections forcing him to deal with his mortality, shocked in how well it retconned the past while being a meaningful arc.
What I Didn’t Like:
As much as I enjoyed the story and characters, a lot of the new faces didn’t work too much for me. I didn’t hate the new cast, they were just not interesting. I don’t remember any of the members of AMMO, despite most of them getting some pretty cool scenes. Maybe if they had cut the team down a few members to spread out the personality more some of them could have more impact. It’s not super important, one of my favorite tropes in the genre is one-note stereotypes, you know, “tech guy” “tough guy” “douchebag” etc. and the more extreme the better. These characters were just dry, even the main love interest for Mike was forgettable, gorgeous as she was. Marcus’ wife had more stand out and memorable moments.
Summary
I came into this film with the lowest expectations. I watched Bad Boys 2 right before and was reminded what made me such a fan of these dumb movies. Will Smith swagging and bragging about killing people, Martin Lawrence quipping, and shaking my head at the racism. Being able to thoroughly enjoy the former without the latter is a great time at the movies.
Images Courtesy of IMDB
