Whaddaya know? There IS still life in the buddy-buddy cop flick – and it took reviving one of the best examples of the genre to prove it.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reunite for the first time in 17 years in ‘Bad Boys for Life’, the third chapter in the ridiculously popular ‘Bad Boys’ franchise. And although the second film was released in 2003, these films ooze 90’s flair – guns, cars, Miami neon, explosions, quips, testosterone, fistfights – all the good stuff. AND it’s served up on a bigger-than-big platter, so massive you’d swear that macho maestro Michael Bay is behind it all.
Despite a brief and clever cameo as a wedding emcee, Bay ISN’T at the helm here, stepping aside for the Belgian directing duo of Adil El Arbi and Billal Fallah (who are attached to pump new life into another action blast-from-the-past, ‘Beverly Hills Cop 4’ next year). But Bay’s fingerprints are all over this film – which means adrenaline, start to finish.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that producer and frequent Bay collaborator Jerry Bruckheimer is once again involved, for he too is known for mixing excess with formula. And make little mistake, ‘Bad Boys for Life’ isn’t notable for being creative – we’ve seen these guns n’ grenade launchers before. It’s the chemistry that Smith and Lawrence share that makes ‘Bad Boys’ a cut above the rest. It’s been 25 years since this whole things started, and these two still curse, bicker, bond and charm the heck out of us. THEY’RE getting older, but their relationship is still ultra fresh.
Big surprise, the plot centers on Marcus (Lawrence) and Mike (Smith) getting up there in age. Marcus is actually looking to hang ’em up and retire from the police force to focus on being a responsible grandfather to his recently born grandchild. But when his partner is seriously injured in an attack by a ruthless assassin (Jacob Scipio), a hit that has complicated ties to Mike’s past, the boys gear up one last time to hunt down the thug….and take out a good chunk of south Florida in doing so.
There’s a little bit of a twist on the home stretch, but it’s really not TOO twisty – at least, not enough to veer ‘Bad Boys for Life’ off its predictable course. And yes, this is one of the rare occasions that predictable IS pleasant. These characters haven’t changed a bit – and that’s exactly how we like ’em.
(* Note, trailer has some rough language. ‘Cause that’s how these boys talk.)
