Bad Boys: Ride or Die review – A thrill-ride, trope-filled adventure

The signs of aging are evident in the first half hour of Ride or Die, when Lawrence’s character Marcus Burnett suffers near-death coronary artery disease at his partner Mike Lowrey’s wedding, and Mike himself- even has a panic attack during a shooting shortly after.

Still, here they are for a fourth dose of bullets and jokes, four years after Bad Boys for Life, and the familiarity with the latter film comes in handy.

Last time out, Miami detectives Mike and Marcus lost their beloved Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano), shot to death by Mike’s drug-dealing son Armando (Jacob Scipio).

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They reappear here, the last behind bars, and the first in Marcus’s idiotic “go back, it’s not your time” dream after a heart attack, and in a clandestine “if-you-watch-this” dream. “I’m Probably Dead” video alerting the bad guys to rumors about rum within the police force.

Armando has information about the cartel pulling the strings of the corrupt police (and sullying the late captain’s name by making him the center of wrongdoing), but when M&M transports him from prison to make an official statement, their helicopter is attacked, forcing all three to become fugitives – so our heroes are also accused of engaging in illegal activities.

In a twist worthy of the most melodramatic soap opera, chief among the lawyers pursuing them is U.S. Marshal Rhea Seehorn (Kim Wexler in Netflix’s Better Call Saul), who happens to be Captain Howard’s daughter.

It’s a practical if bizarre situation, but one that seems normal in a script that has never encountered a cop movie trope it didn’t like. At one point, mayoral candidate (not to mention would-be contortionist) Ioan Gruffudd tells Burnett and Lowrey, in the same sentence, that he’s both sticking his neck out and putting his butt on the line.

Yet for all the script’s tendencies to present the film as a particularly expensive game of clichéd bingo, Ride or Die still delivers on its promises on two fronts. The comedic interplay between Smith and Lawrence is as clever and clever as ever (although Lawrence might have been advised to take the buffoonery down a notch or two), while the fast-paced action sequences are superbly choreographed.

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Guns are gleefully discharged at every opportunity, from a candy-filled nightclub that seriously challenges Marcus’ new sugar-free diet to an abandoned amusement park shaped like an alligator (wink wink shamelessly in Scooby-Doo) or Marcus’s scene-stealing soldier son. Brother-in-law Reggie (Dennis Greene) single-handedly protects the Burnett home from a dozen or more armed invaders.

Aside from the two leads, Greene is the only player to leave a deep mark, with Mike’s new wife, Melanie Liburd, and Marcus’s wife, Tasha Smith (replacing Theresa Randle from previous episodes), who are not. little more than window dressing.

Seehorn’s Conflicted Captain’s Daughter might have been worth fleshing out, especially in the hands of such a nuanced actress, but it arguably would have distracted from the film‘s default setting of bluster and bluster exaggerated.

Ultimately, Ride or Die chooses to carry its emotional baggage light, in favor of thrills. And don’t get too hung up on the plot threads, because you’ll find more questions than answers – including why, after nearly three decades of selflessly protecting Miami from the scoundrels, neither Mike nor Marcus ever been promoted.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 5 June 2024.

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