By Jamil Weeks

Almost 30 years ago, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith took their careers to the next level with Michael Bay’s directorial debut, Bad Boys. Both Lawrence and Smith dazzled screens as Miami detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowry, respectively, becoming the most recognized buddy cop duo since Riggs and Murtaugh from the Lethal Weapon series. The success of the original 1995 film led to several sequels over the next couple of decades. In a time when movie insiders are panicking due to shaky theater ticket sales, Lawrence and Smith resurface to once again save the day with Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Directors, Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi, return to direct the fourth installment in the series. In the latest story, Burnett and Lowry find themselves caught up in a plot to frame their late friend and former boss, Captain Conrad Howard (played by Joseph Pantoliano). When Captain Howard is accused of being involved with the cartel, Burnett and Lowry team up to clear his name. As they uncover the truth, they find themselves on the other side of the law becoming guilty by association. To add to this predicament, become targets after a bounty is placed on their heads from every underworld organization in the city. The movie marks the first major release of a movie starring Smith since the infamous Oscars slap that shocked the world. Ride or Die is a make-or-break film for Will Smith’s staying power as a box office champion. Controversy aside, is the film any good?

The chemistry between Lawrence and Smith is ultimately what carries the film. Their ability to play off of each other is what has kept this franchise going and Ride or Die is no exception. You can tell they still love playing these characters and have fun working together. The dynamic between Burnett and Lowry has changed in this film. Usually, Lowry is the character that takes risky chances and Burnett, being the family man, has to reel Lowry in so to speak to keep the pair out of danger. However, in this film the tables have turned. Lowry is now a married man, as well as a father as we discovered in Bad Boys For Life. Thus, Lowry is now more conservative in his decision-making. Burnett suffers a life-threatening health issue and comes out on the other side feeling invincible due to an out of body experience. The role reversal between the pair provides a fresh take on the nature of their relationship, both as friends and as partners. Lawrence steals the movie from Smith much like he did in the original, although Smith is great as well. Most of the comedic moments that do land in this film come from Lawrence.

The action in this movie is what you would come to expect from a Bad Boys film. Fallah and Arbi do a great job of mimicking stylistically the tone of the action from the first two Bad Boy movies while adding their own personal touch as well. The clever use of the camera from the first-person point of view, as well as the fast-paced drone shots, add an eye-pleasing aesthetic to the shootout scenes. There are two action sequences in particular that are both fun and suspenseful with high stakes. The first is the airplane action set-piece. This specific scene is where the movie really starts to pick up the pace and where I became more invested in the story. There is another action scene that does not even involve Lawrence or Smith but turned out to have one of the biggest crowd reactions and was the most significant scene stealer of the film. That scene alone will have you contemplating spin-off possibilities in the future of a certain character. The action is where this film really excels in providing the most satisfying and most fun moments.

Speaking of fun, another strong point of the movie is the nostalgic callbacks. There are plenty of cameos from characters from the previous films that will have you taking a trip down memory lane. These callbacks provide continuity with certain plot points from previous films and connect the films together. The filmmaker’s choice to not abandon the storyline of Lowry having a son was a great choice. In Ride or Die, Lowry and his son are forced to deal with some of the consequences from the events of the previous film. Tying that storyline into the events of this film proved to be a high wire balancing act. For the most part it works, but it would have been more effective if the story centered more around Lowry and his son continuing to build on their relationship. There are other cameos that will bring a smile to your face when you see them. Not only do they add to the story but they will make you look at these characters differently when going back to watch some of the previous Bad Boy movies.

Ride or Die does have its drawbacks as a film. The dialogue is so cringeworthy at moments that it would make a writer from the Fast and Furious films jealous. The movie suffers from too many characters, and this leads to having generic, cookie-cutter characters who serve no purpose other than existing to advance the story. On top of the “cardboard-cutout” quality of these characters, the acting from most of them is garden variety at best. A prime example is the villain. There is nothing special about the villain. He is just an evil person that does evil things. Not saying I was expecting a Heath Ledger Joker type of villain in a Bad Boys film, but a more compelling villain could have made this film so much better. Perhaps, the biggest flaw in the Bad Boys series is having forgettable villains, and Ride or Die is no exception. Another example is Lowry’s wife, whose only purpose in the film was to be the typical “damsel in distress” that Lowry has to rescue from being kidnapped. With the number of characters in the film, all with different storylines, the film lacks focus ultimately hindering the movie from having genuinely earned moments towards the final act. Certain side stories do not make much sense given the previous films in the series. An example is the panic attacks that Lowry suffers. Given everything Lowry has been through and survived in taking on the criminal underworld, Lowry's sudden panic attacks simply from being a newlywed proves to be implausible. The ridiculous nature of some of the plot points in this movie is another way this film resembles a bad Fast and Furious film at certain points. Going into this movie, you need to understand that to buy into certain moments in this film, you need to turn your brain off. One final drawback of the film is that the comedy is hit or miss. There are some genuinely funny moments but there are also a good number of scenes where the comedy does not land, particularly in the first half of the film.

Overall, the positive outweighs the negative when it comes to Ride or Die. The film is one of the most fun in-theater experiences I have had post-pandemic. It has been a while since I have seen a movie where there was not an empty seat in the theater. The lively crowd reactions are what makes Ride of Die a must-see film to see at the theaters. You will not be able to duplicate this sort of experience at home. You can feel the aging of Lawrence and Smith in this film in terms of the energy they bring. However, Ride or Die manages to deliver everything you want from a Bad Boys film. Thrilling car chases through the city, violent shootouts with the city’s underbelly, plentiful laughs, and Burnett and Lowry finding a way to come together at the end of the day to survive the latest adventure in their ongoing saga as Miami cops. Ride or Die is an enjoyable two-hour experience showcasing the talent of two movie stars in an era in Hollywood where there are no more new movie stars left. One cannot help but be happy for Will Smith given all the controversy surrounding his public and personal life in the past few years. Regardless of cancel culture running rampant today, fans of the Bad Boy franchise have proven they will ride or die with Will Smith at the box office.