150 Word Review: 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' (2024)
But seriously, whatchu gonna do?
I'll get to the boys in a moment. But first, Bad Boys: Ride or Die isn't quite as good as the last one, Bad Boys For Life, a surprisingly self-aware threequel about middle age. But it is directed by the same pair: Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. And they're immensely talented chaos conductors. This flick has swooping drone shots, intense close-ups, and inventive camera angles. It's a movie that moves—hard and fast, smooth, and elegant. The nonstop violence improves on Bad Boy's original director Michael Bay's kinetic aesthetic.
The plot is Men Flashing Badges and international conspiracy nonsense; someone is framed, and a killer is killing. Martin Lawrence is almost 60 years old but still an accomplished fool. Despite recent controversies, Will Smith is a charming star and always will be. Their testosterone-dipped banter is occasionally homophobic, but overall, the boys are just older and crankier.