BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE REVIEW

4 min readJun 13, 2024

Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. A runtime of one hour and fifty-five minutes. With an R rating.

The summer is here, and “Mike Lowrey,” played by Will Smith, and “Marcus Burnett,” played by Martin Lawrence, are hitting the Miami streets, guns blazing. These two long-standing detectives/friends are back at it in the fourth installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise.

The impossible has happened with “Mike” in a multitude of ways. “Marcus” is enlightened and letting loose for once. It’s like a “freaky Friday” moment. With both of them swapping minds.

Regardless crime never stops.

“Kelly,” played by Vanessa Hudgens, and “Dorn,” played by Alexander Ludwig, are back as well. “Rita,” played by “Paola Núñez, is now taking the place of “Captain Howard,” played by Joe Pantoliano.

A man named “McGrath,” played by Eric Dane, has made it his mission to frame “Captain Howard.” Which is tarnishing his legacy. “Mike” and “Marcus” set out to clear his name. Which only gets them in the thick of it.

A lot is going on, and this whole thing somehow also involves “Mike’s” son, “Armando,” played by Jacob Scipio as well. “Armando” is not the most liked person right now. Especially by “Captain Howard’s” daughter, “Judy,” played by Rhea Seehorn.

With tons of new and old faces. “Mike” and “Marcus” will have to do everything they can to clear the captain’s name as well as keep them and their families alive in this action-packed comedy.

“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” was so much fun. The action was great, but they focused on the comedy more. Martin was in rare form. He had my daughter and me cracking up the whole film.

I loved the creative decisions they made in this film. Switching certain things up while still giving us a film full of nostalgia. Paying homage to the previous films.

The “Bad Boys” franchise will always be dear to me. I saw the first one with my mom when I was nine. I remember the joy and excitement it made me feel. I was on a trillion jumping over the couch and shooting fake bad guys. I still had that same enjoyment feeling with this one; I just wasn’t jumping over couches anymore.

It was the perfect blend of new and old. No spoilers, but “Reggie,” played by Dennis Greene, might have the best scene of the film. What a character ark. My daughter only saw the first film, so some of those key nostalgia scenes didn’t hit her the same. BK still loved the film even without knowing certain contexts. It’s great because it gives me another reason to watch the previous films.

I don’t know where I rank this film. I know the second one was my favorite, but this one is up there with everything that conspired during the film. The directors said they will probably have one last film and maybe a spinoff, depending on how it does at the box office. Well, let me tell you, it killed it at the box office, pulling in one hundred and four million worldwide. They had the nerve to say Will Smith’s career was over. Tuh.

Be prepared to laugh a lot and have a lot of fun. You get the full film experience. We ride together, we die together-bad boys for life. I give this film five more fires 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.

BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE REVIEW

Written by Harvey Bravo