Bad Boys for Life | Film Review

The action films of the 90s were an utter display of blissful excess. Lens flare, fast cars, witty retorts, graphic violence, salacious outfits, and unabashed political incorrectness. Offensive in today’s environment? Maybe. Gloriously entertaining? Definitely. The 1995 classic Bad Boys introduced our world to the shepherd of excess, Michael Bay, launched the film careers of Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, and brought a gamut of 90s stereotypes crashing into one another with reckless abandon. And now, 25 years later, it’s time for one last ride with Mike and Marcus in Bad Boys for Life.

The more things change, the more they stay the same for Mike Lowrey (Will Smith). Still a rich kid enjoying the good life his parents left him, Mike thus far has refused to settle down and accept a mundane family life. Known as the “Bulletproof Cop” in the media, Mike also still has a knack for attracting violent people and heart-stopping action at every corner of his existence. Even dropping his partner off to visit his new grandson turns out to be an adrenaline rush for ole Mike.

Speaking of his partner, Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) is the polar opposite of Mike. Long tired of the mayhem, Marcus has a newfound reason to invest in a little quality time with his family, and his eagerness to retire is only amplified when news of a crime family – practicing witch Isabel (Kate Del Castillo) and her son, Armando (the charmingly ruthless Jacob Scipio) – out to settle old scores rattles the Miami area. But when Isabel and Armando turn their sights Mike’s way, Marcus agrees to team-up for that one last ride.

Let’s cut to the chase: Bad Boys for Life is the first of these films to even bother with a functioning story rife with real stakes. As an avid fan of the first two movies, I was expecting more of the same: bullets, barbs, bombastic set-pieces. Instead, we are treated to these characters in actual danger with the possibility of dire results for those involved at every turn, legitimately heartfelt moments as both men grapple with the concept of age finally catching up to their theatrics, and the occasional acknowledgement of proper police procedures. Even though no one wants to sing that song, we’re watching grown men on the screen this time.

Will Smith – to no great surprise – hasn’t missed a beat. Hell, he even looks about the same  as he did decades ago and is somehow in better shape. A walking machine who churns out charisma with the same ease as any of us tying our shoes, Smith carries the weight of Bad Boys 3’s arc with the same gravitas as his overly confident 1995 self. Unlike the previous iterations though, this time around Mike Lowrey actually grows as a person throughout the film. It’s taken three movies and 25 years, but finally a Bad Boys film has introduced natural evolution.

Martin Lawrence’s Marcus has always rebelled against senseless violence, yet eventually succumbed due to the necessity or personal threats. This time around, this reaction is not played simply for laughs, instead Marcus has matured and accepted his preferred place in a peaceful world. While Lawrence might not have aged as timelessly as his on-screen partner, his acting prowess has. The humanity and emotion pours out of Lawrence when the film needs it most, and elevates the previously mindless trips to the cinema into a movie that reminds us of what we hope our closest friends would do for us in our times of need. All three films have revolved around these two as bickering partners and friends, but this is the first of them to pack an emotional punch over how they affect each other as brothers, and Lawrence is the glue that makes that feeling stick.

As far as villains go, Scipio’s Armando is a gleefully ruthless assassin, and he’s electrifying to watch in close quarter combat. In order to take Armando down, Mike and Marcus must enlist Captain Howard (the always wonderful Joe Pantoliano), AMMO (a special police unit stocked with younger cops and newer tech), and AMMO’s leader (Mike’s old flame), Rita (Paola Nuñez). It’s fun watching the Bad Boys realize they’re getting too old for this shit while trading insults with the cast of High School Musical, but ultimately you’re here to watch Mike and Marcus sing that stupid song while burning a crime family to the ground.

Taking over for Michael Bay this go-round, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (who helmed the criminally underseen Black) elect to update the 90s gloss for a more modern template suitable for this generation of cop flicks. Miami is still framed in the best light known in modern movies, but the ridiculous – yet thrillingly fun to watch – instances of shooting the henchmen 30 seconds after our characters drop a savvy one-liner are gone and have given way to more realistic action scenes of true peril. In Bad Boys for Life, when characters are shot, they do not always get up and shake it off. There are genuine surprises at play, and the consequences of violence are ever-present.

Bad Boys began as a series which followed two hilarious cops with no real semblance of police etiquette or diplomacy, and has evolved into a tale of two aging heroes finally understanding that it’s not the years, it’s the mileage. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence both kicked the tires and lit the fire of this franchise, and together they’ve returned to put the flame on their partnership out with humor, hijinks, and heart. Most importantly, they haven’t missed a beat.

Walking into Bad Boys for Life, the thought of a fourth film seemed ludicrous. Walking out, the idea brought one helluva smile to my face. I mean really, if they do decide to make a Bad Boys 4, whatcha’ gonna do?