Bad Boys For Life Movie Review: Will Smith And Martin Lawrence Get It Right This Time

Language: English

Duration: 124 minutes

Story: Starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Bad Boys Franchise comes back after 17 years. The film follows two buddy cops as they come to terms with their growing age and at the same time realise they can still do their best with the help of the next generation.

Review: Bad Boys For Life had been in making since the release of Bad Boys II back in 2003. After several attempts, the film is finally out in theatres with the same cast but a new crew. Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, and written by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig, and Joe Carnahan, it seems like a blessing the film took forever to be made.

It could have turned into one of the many franchises like Fast And Furious only to be lost in the crowd. This time we have a film that belongs to the lot but makes sure to get the little things right. And of course, I would rather have Will Smith do films like these, then have another Gemini Man or After Earth.

Miami Detective, Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), who just witnesses the birth of his grandson, tells his partner Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) about his intentions to retire. Mike, however, does not take it seriously, he believes in catching crimes on the streets for life. After a party, Mike gets shot by an assassin named Armando, who recently staged the escape of his mother Isabel Aretas in Mexico.

After being rehabilitated, Mike believes Marcus will join him to hunt down the man who tried to kill him. But to his surprise, the assassin's attempt helps Marcus believe his decision to retire was right, causing a fall out between the two. Mike then follows the trail to the killer and began to investigate alone. On the other hand, Armando, son of a Cartel Boss is hell-bent on killing everyone associated his father's arrest and death, including Mike.

The film introduces the audience to several candidates for the next generation of Bad Boys including Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, and Charles Melton. We also get a blast from the past, even before the 1995 original release Bad Boys. Mike's past from before he became partners with Marcus comes to visit him.

Bad Boys For Life has a tone that sets you in for the last ride, this is the time they will hand the battalion to the next generation of cops (but spoiler, they don't). We get a number of jokes on how old the two have gotten, and also on the generation gap between the new cops and the old school cops. While Mike is not ready to accept it, Marcus has already moved on. The banter these two have, for the entire run time never gets old, even though it may seem repetitive at times, it still is just as much fun to watch.

Timing is the key and Will and Martin have the chemistry set since 1995. It does suffer a bit with the young cast is unable to follow their charisma on screen. But the contrast makes the scenes with the lead actors way more fun. Even though the story is predictable, certain scenes and dialogues will catch you off guard. The characters surprisingly have a complete emotional arc, even though it is not in your face all the time, it does leave a deeper meaning to the film and a satisfactory end.

Bad Boys For Life, tries hard to balance between cultural appropriation, staying true to the context and audience tastes. The soundtrack complements the action sequences well and so does the comic relief after or during battle scenes.

What makes this one fun to watch is, Mike and Marcus riding back home in a car that just took a hit by a dead body. Overall, I have seriously missed the old Will Smith, and Bad Boys For Life is just what I needed. It is a summer entertainer, in the middle of the winter.

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