By the time of “Bad Boys,” in 1995, it had become an almost self-referential form of escapism, one that now played like carbonated nostalgia for the ’80s. In the ’80s, the era of “48 HRS.” and the “Lethal Weapon” films, the genre evolved into a crackerjack breed of racially hostile action cop comedy - amped formula fun that was, in its way, starting to fray around the edges.
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The buddy movie as we know it came into being in 1969, when it was kicked off by “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Over the next decade, films like “The Sting” and “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” became a new kind of bromantic caper, exciting and even dramatic in a loose, joshing, nimble-spirited way. The marks may be standard issue, but they hit them with fury and flair.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence bring their A game they never let us feel like they’re going through the motions. Movies that end with a cookout and cheap imported beer, you know what I mean? Bad Boys for Life is that movie, and if you’ve got a need for one, it’ll do the job.“ Bad Boys for Life” is the sort of thing I suspect we’re going to be seeing more and more of: the sequel to a long-done franchise that may now be an all-too-obvious cash grab and infusion of movie-star brand enhancement, but doesn’t play like one.
Movies where performative masculinity is taken to cartoonish lengths, and women cut them down several pegs while also kicking ass on their own. I like having a big movie every year that I can watch with a solid hip-hop / urbana soundtrack, where the fades are tight, crisp white Nikes are standard issue, and dudes who look like my uncle chew scenery alongside reggaeton stars (or, in the case of Nicky Jam, reggaeton stars who look like my uncle). But Bad Boys for Life is doing something I deeply appreciate, something that only the Fast & Furious films attempt, despite their tremendous success: making an action movie for brown folks. If, reading all this, you think that Bad Boys for Life might be benefiting from low expectations, you’d be right! January has long been a dumping ground for bad movies, and no one has been clamoring for a new Bad Boys film (although if you have, there are plenty of callbacks just for you). Martin Lawrence, though? He’s perfect, and when the two of them find a groove - like an extended bit where the two merely sit on a plane and razz each other for several minutes - it’s still fun to watch. Current slang doesn’t roll off his tongue as naturally, and these days the lusty reckless cop act suits him poorly. Smith’s excessive and undeniable charm is the only reason Lowrey works at all, and even then it’s barely enough because Will Smith, like Mike Lowrey, isn’t the firebrand he used to be. Lowrey in particular is hotheaded in a way that would be troubling if he were played by anyone other than Will Smith: bloodthirsty, reckless, and self-interested to the point where he’s almost entirely unlikable. And they aren’t just old, they’re exhausting.īad Boys For Life is like a less self-aware Hot Fuzz, a movie about how much of a pain in the ass it is to be cops who work with wannabe action heroes. Headed up by Rita (Paola Núñez), AMMO is the primary way by which the film homes in on its obvious-but-effective conceit: Lowrey and Burnett are old. While clearly designed as a bid to build a Fast & Furious style “family” around Lowrey and Burnett (and bring in younger stars like Vanessa Hudgens and Riverdale’s Charles Melton), the conceit works. The charmingly named AMMO squad is Miami PD’s elite team that specializes in high-tech tactics for bringing down high-profile criminals. Unfortunately for them, they’ve got company.
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But when someone tries to assassinate Lowrey, the two have no choice but to get back in the game and crack some skulls. Lowrey, however, still wants to be a Bad Boy: taking down criminals, preferably like a badass, and never settling down romantically. Burnett’s now a grandpa, and wants to retire. But 17 years after Bad Boys II, Bad Boys for Life returns to Miami, where the boys remain bad even though they are both at the age where, as someone awkwardly says in the film, they’re trying to be “good… men.” And you know what? It works.īad Boys for Life catches up with its heroes Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) at what should be the end of their careers. The era for Bad Boys seemed to be as well. The worst thing about Bad Boys for Life is that it is not heralded with a chart-topping rap collab between Nelly, P.