Bad Boys: Ride or Die

I'd completely forgotten about "Bad Boys for Life" (2020) but luckily there are were few flashbacks to remind me that "Mike" (Will Smith) had been the target of a son he didn't know about - "Armando" (Jacob Scipio) - and that both he and partner "Marcus" (Martin Lawrence) risked life and limb to get him behind bars. Well now, a few years later, "Mike" has just got married; "Marcus" has had a revelatory out-of-body experience and their beloved "Capt. Howard" (Joe Pantoliano) has been killed. The authorities become increasingly convinced that he was on the take from the drugs cartels. $20m in your bank account can arouse some suspicions - though the Porsche and beautiful waterside home of "Mike" might have too! Anyway, our duo are having none of these scurrilous allegations and decide to investigate. "Howard" expected some sort of disaster, so has left the pair some breadcrumbs that lead them to suspect that there is someone close to them who is corrupt. With the body count piling up, they turn to the incarcerated "Armando" who thinks he may be able to identify the ringleader. That just makes him a target too - so pretty soon it's a nimble, deadly and quite grumpy triumvirate who are on the trail of the murderers. From now on we have a standard and predicable action adventure with loads of lively pyrotechnics, car stunts and an hungry albino crocodile to accompany some quite witty repartee between the two men who are clearly very much at ease in each other's company. There's a bit of eye candy from Alexander Ludwig and the underused Vanessa Hudgens and the pace of the drama builds to a denouement that works well enough whilst screaming sequel at us loudly. It's nothing at all new, but is an engaging exercise in on-screen charisma and I did quite enjoy it.

For a fourth outing, <em>'Bad Boys: Ride or Die'</em> still finds a way to produce the goods. I enjoyed what I watched. The previous installment remains the clear standout of the series comparatively speaking, though I was pleased to see this one still deliver the nessacary entertainment; it's perhaps my second favourite from the franchise. It does have flaws of course, like I'd say it's more serious than humourous and the more sincere stuff doesn't always hit as intended; especially the bits about Howard. Still, there's enough positive humour in there. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence continue to please in the lead roles, they are a great match. The rest of the cast are all decent enough, Ioan Gruffudd plays what feels like a typical Ioan Gruffudd character well. Jacob Scipio, meanwhile, is pretty solid. I will say, though, that Rhea Seehorn is underused - she's way too good for these sorta bit part roles! There are also cameo-esque appearances from Tiffany Haddish and DJ Khaled, which sounds bad on paper but, actually, both of their scenes are actually quite amusing! Away from those onscreen, camera work and editing are both pluses. Do we need a fifth <em>'Bad Boys'</em> film? No. Would I watch a fifth <em>'Bad Boys'</em> film? Yes. Yes I would.