Bad Boys: Ride or Die: Movie Review

Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Joe Pantoliano, Jacob Scipio, Eric Dane, Ioan Grufudd
Director: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah

It almost seems pointless to rail against Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the kind of formulaic action thriller that used to be all the rage in the 1990s.

But there are large swathes of this that feel like most of the joy was had by those on set, while the editing sticks to a fairly rote mix of swirling camerawork, explosions and chases.

A loose plot concerns Smith and Lawrence's cops being dragged out of retirement when corruption charges are filed against their former Captain Conrad (Pantoliano). Determined to clear him, Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) find themselves on a collision course with their past.

To call Bad Boys: Ride or Die the kind of crowd pleaser cinema that is doled out to the masses is to undersell some of what is within.

On the plus side, there is some solid chemistry between Lawrence and Smith, who clearly demonstrate they have been doing this for years. In parts it feels like Lawrence is really struggling with some of the dialogue and a nonsensical plot that seems to have him thinking he can't die; but in others, Smith emerges clearly with his focus on the job and a desire to score redemption in a role he's beloved for after he chose violence at the Oscars.

But too much of Bad Boys: Ride or Die feels perfunctory, too familiar and scared to take risks. 

Aside from one POV action sequence, the cliched dialogue taps into every crime-buddy trope ever unleashed and becomes a giant game of action movie bingo. Michael Bay gamely steps up for a cameo, but even he's smart enough to keep moving.

With more serviceable than memorable fare, and a bloated 2 hour run time, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the kind of film you wish would do something to shake up its formula. As it is, it's intolerable to anyone with brain cells, and even with Smith's performance aside, utterly unmemorable when the lights have gone up.