Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Directed by: Adil & Bilall

Written by: Chris Bremner & Will Beall

Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) are back. This time, after Marcus has a near death experience, the boys find that the late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is been set up as the link between the Miami police and the cartel,  taking money for 20 years, to feed corruption. Mike and Marcus set out on a mission to clear his name.  A mission that sees the boys question everyone around them and puts at risk those closest to them.

This is the fourth in the Bad Boys series and I’m not sure we needed another one. Let’s start with the easy bit. It’s rubbish, the storyline, for what it’s worth, is a complete mess. It starts with a bizarre near death dream sequence and gets less sensible from there.

While it’s rubbish, it’s rubbish in a fun way! The two leads have evolved a little more, Mike older and wiser, Marcus more spiritual and an odd belief in his invincibility. What it does unapologetically, is commit to its own ridiculousness. It doubles down on the stupidity and plays it for laughs. The spark between Smith and Lawrence remains. There’s good support from Jacob Scipio as Smith’s son Armando and Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig return as they boys support. There’s also some nice cameos from Bad Boys alumni, as well as some nods to previous storylines and images. But it doesn’t try to overly trade on nostalgia and judges itwell.

The recognizable Bad Boys look and soundtrack are there. The action set pieces are loud, over blown and enjoyable. And that probably sums the film up. Over blown, ridiculous and enjoyable.

Bad Boys:Ride or Die is utter nonsense. Its story is a ridiculous mess. But that doesn’t stop it been a bit of fun. Committing fully to its nonsense and is better for it. Action set pieces are overblown and enjoyable. And it gets the balance of fun cameos and self referential nods, just right. Nonsense?  Yes. Ridiculous fun? Yep, that as well!