Ridin' with the 'Bad Boys'

By TYLER WILSON

For Coeur Voice

“Bad Boys” probably isn’t considered by anyone to be a prestigious franchise. In fact, after watching all three entries, including the new “Bad Boys for Life,” in a two-day span, I’ve concluded it’s not much of a franchise at all.

The 1995 original, directed by Michael Bay before he became the notorious auteur of “Bayhem,” coasts by entirely on the comedic chemistry between then-sitcom stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The plot is second-rate “Lethal Weapon” fare, involving a murder witness (Tea Leoni) who mistakes Lawrence’s risk-adverse Marcus Burnett with his more brazen playboy partner, Mike Lowery (Smith). This pointless (and increasingly far-fetched) commitment to the mistaken identity trope stretches endlessly across the film’s sleepy middle hour.

The climax, at least, delivers some solid action and laughs, and Bay clearly relished taking a few big swings despite a limited budget. Bay reportedly hated the script, leaving Smith and Lawrence plenty of opportunity for improv, and the director apparently also put up some of his own money to add more “Bayhem” to the final act.

Knowing the behind-the-scenes backstory helps to understand the excessive, over-the-top nature of Bay’s 2003 follow-up, “Bad Boys II.” After establishing his big action-movie cred with “The Rock” and “Armageddon,” Bay aimed for prestige with his bombastic account of “Pearl Harbor” in 2001. Critics savaged the movie and Bay seemingly retaliated by leaning into all of his worst impulses.

In short, “Bad Boys II” is a disgusting film with ugly stereotypes, gross-out violence, incoherent plotting and a soul-crushing two-and-a-half-hour runtime. It did, however, get credit for a few inspired action sequences, notably an insane freeway chase with cars being chucked off a semi-truck at full speed. “Bad Boys II” is an even tougher movie to watch in 2020, as recent installments of the “Fast and Furious” and “Mission: Impossible” franchises have staged better chase sequences with more coherent cinematography and editing. Bay definitely has the ability to stage spectacular action, but it’s tougher to argue that he actually knows how to shoot it.

That brings us to “Bad Boys for Life,” a revival made without Bay and instead directed by newcomers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fillah. Interestingly, it takes a few queues from the “Fast and Furious” franchise to tell a more “family” focused story of the two aging Miami cops who get caught in a series of killings that have a connection to Mike Lowery’s past.

By far the best thing about “Bad Boys for Life” is how it largely abandons the excessive style of “Bad Boys II,” although a few of those iconic shots (the ones so perfectly lampooned in Edgar Wright’s brilliant “Hot Fuzz” in 2007) come back to slow-motion spin around our heroes. Smith remains a charismatic force, and Lawrence has an amusing subplot surrounding his character’s retired life. While Lawrence’s dramatic chops seem rusty (the actor hasn’t appeared in much in the last 10 years), several of his comedic line readings land throughout the runtime. Also worth noting: Joe Pantoliano returns as the police chief to scream at the Bad Boys a few times. Hollywood should put good ol’ Joey Pants in more movies.

The action in “Bad Boys for Life” is serviceable if not spectacular, leaning hard on a group of younger actors, including Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig, to serve as combat partners to Smith and Lawrence this time around. They do much of the fighting and gun-toting, though the climax focuses the action around the old crew.

The “family” elements here are about as cheesy as they are with the Toretto gang over in “Fast & Furious.” Still, by focusing on a few basic conflicts between the main characters, “Bad Boys for Life” maintains a steady focus and tells its story economically, leaving little room for unnecessary “Bayhem.” The movie also doesn’t run on with endless loudmouth improv between the two stars, something that happened too often in both previous installments.

That simpler approach makes “Bad Boys for Life” the standout entry in the franchise, keeping in mind that it wasn’t exactly a high bar to clear. It more resembles a middling “Fast and Furious” entry or even a sturdier “Expendables” installment than either of Bay’s prior films, so comparing them only makes the franchise feel flimsier.

Maybe this new foundation will lead to more success in the next installment. Time to get ready for “Bad Boys 4 Ever.”

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected]. He’s been writing professionally about movies since 2000 and is the co-host of Old Millennials Remember Movies, available everywhere you get podcasts and at OldMillennialsRemember.com.