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I’ve had my problems with the “Bad Boys” series in the past, but unlike the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, it’s been one of the most consistent series of action films ever released. The vision for “Bad Boys” has remained very precise and direct without adding too much or taking too much away. The stakes get higher with every film, and through it all we’ve stayed with Marcus and Mike only without adding on so much excess characters like “Lethal Weapon” fell victim to. “Bad Boys” has mainly been a vehicle for Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, sure, but at least it knows what it is and tries to deliver on more complex ideas and bigger stakes.
When we meet Marcus and Mike this time, Mike has finally found a woman he’s marrying, Marcus is a grandfather, and the pair of men are still grieving the death of their beloved Captain Howard. When we meet the pair, they’re older and now are facing their own mortality. This is a huge juxtaposition from their time in “Bad Boys” where they ran into gun fire and sped through a combat zone in a high powered hot rod. Now they’re wiser, slower, and finding more and more reasons to be as careful as possible in their crime fighting mission.
Where “Bad Boys for Life” was very much about role models and how the loss of one indicates a big turning point for them, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” brings us down another pretty rough turn. Now their former Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano returns) is being accused of working with the cartel, and Mike and Marcus are hellbent on clearing his name and saving his legacy. To make matter worse, Marcus experiences a near fatal heart attack at Mike’s wedding making the idea of mortality a grim and Earth shattering prospect for both men. “Bad Boys” takes ideas that the “Lethal Weapon” series toyed with but never really delivered on and it weaves them in to the series well.
The themes just mix with the direction of the newest sequel while Martin Lawrence and Will Smith’s sense of humility and charisma make them two men experiencing a new chapter in life that is horrifying. Lawrence, in particular, is not only dealing with his health but he’s also facing something of a mid-life crisis that makes him less considerate toward his own life and dwelling on what he’s leaving his family. Mike on the other hand finally has found someone, and his often reckless loose cannon attitude forces him to think twice about how his new wife Christine would fare without him. This contributes to moments where Mike breaks down mentally, making their mission tougher.
There are also a slew of great supporting turns from Ioan Gruffud, Jacob Scipio, and Rhea Seehorn, respectively. I especially enjoyed There’s also Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig who are fun as Marcus and Mike’s impromptu sidekicks. The writers are very good at actually giving these two real flaws and drawbacks that make them less the super powered gun toting maniacs from 1995. Now they’re getting older, they’re getting slower, and they have a lot to lose. “Ride or Die” has its imperfections here and there (there’s a weird sub-plot about Marcus’ obsession with candy). But it’s a damn good sequel and a really interesting, often bittersweet re-visiting of these two once dashing young crime fighters that are now men reaching a point in their lives where slowing down is inevitable.
“Ride or Die” may or may not be the last we’ve seen of Marcus and Mike, but it’s nevertheless a very good send off for these two underrated action heroes.