The greatest achievement of the movies Bad Boys has undoubtedly been the impetus for the cinematographic friendship of the characters of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. From the first film in 1995, through the explosive 2003 sequel and the third installment in 2020, released just before the pandemic, narcotics detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) have trolled and defended themselves only as they do it Best Friends.
Hence Bad Boys: Until Death (Bad Boys: Ride or Die ) does not seek to change the dynamic in any way, much less reinvent the wheel of the franchise, so they continue to exploit everything that has already worked for them to a greater and lesser extent in the previous films: shooting action, vehicle destruction sequences and lots and lots of silly humor between the two cops.
Directed again by the duo of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallahwho previously directed the third part and in between were involved in the series of Ms. Marvel and a movie batgirl whose premiere ended up cancelled, Bad Boys: Until Death resumes the lives of Lowrey and Burnett, but beginning from points that literally turn their interactions upside down.
On the one hand, Lowrey is about to get married, so he decided to leave behind his life as Don Juan and the failed relationships that even included his current boss at the Miami Police Department, the beautiful Captain Secada. But that change of direction brings consequences for him, since after everything he has experienced, and the bullets he has dodged, the fact of continuing to put his life at risk, and potentially putting the his wife, they generate panic attacks that prevent it from continuing to be the justice machine it once was.
On the other hand, Burnett continues with his solvent family life, but just on Lowrey’s wedding day, and in the middle of a dance, he suffers a heart attack that leads him to suffer a near death experience with everything and a vision of the deceased Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano), which leads him down an extremely dangerous path: he believes he is invincible, almost immortal.
All of that new dynamic between the two characters obviously leads to a lot of funny sequences, as the tables are turned between the two in some pretty ridiculous ways, while the story doesn’t forget the events of Bad Boys 3 to generate a greater connection than usual in this saga that used to have villains not connected to each other.
That is, not only is there a new conspiracy here that is directly linked to the death of Captain Howard in the previous film, and that involves an internal investigation in the police itself, but also Lowrey’s Latino son, Armando (Jacob Scipio), is once again key to trying to unravel the conspiracy.
Without going into more details, since the story is so basic that it does not bet on big surprises, it is enough to add that Lowrey and Burnett end up in the crosshairs of absolutely everyone, including the lethal conspirators, the FBI, the United States Marshalls who They pursue fugitives and even Miami gangs seeking to collect a reward for their heads, dead or alive.
Given this scenario, it must be said that Bad Boys: Until Death does not have sequences as spectacular as the destruction in Cuba of Bad Boys II, nor does it feel as well on its way as the original film, but it is much better than the third part of the franchise. Furthermore, leaving aside the excessive sequences with chases, which there are anyway, its commitment to focusing on the action of hitting and shooting manages to give rise to a game with super solid cameras that include a first-person sequence executed perfectly without the need for digital effects. And if that doesn’t leave you happy, which would speak ill of you, maybe along the way there is action with aircraft, drones and even crocodiles.
What remains then is a film that delivers well everything it has to deliver in terms of action, but that also takes a lot of advantage from the relationship that Smith and Lawrence have managed to build over time. Obviously that work is not as emblematic as a Riggs or a Murtaugh, but no one requires them to reach that level. They are only asked that their interactions be as funny as the now classic scene of Bad Boys II with trolling Reggiewho returns with a great participation in this new film, and without a doubt As old stars, they completely comply when it comes to playing their greatest hits. With everything and its Bad boys, bad boys Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?.
Bad Boys: Until Death It’s already in theaters.
