Cinematography:
Robrecht HeyvaertComposer:
Lorne BalfeCast:
Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Paola Nuñez, Jacob Scipio, Kate del Castillo, Vanessa Hudgens, Charles Melton, Alexander Ludwig, Joe Pantoliano, Nicky Jam (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles as Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) in the third instalment of the action comedy trilogy. As Mike and Marcus prepare to start taking things easy as age catches up with them, an old enemy threatens to destroy their peaceful descent into retirement. With Mike assigned to the A.M.M.O department and Marcus now an inspector, they must reunite if they are to defend themselves and their right to retire. The cast also includes Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and Joe Pantoliano. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (15)
I didn't want to return to this overcooked version of Miami, but the new creators not only torched the pond but the whole series. Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah actually made the best installment. It's still doesn't make it too far without an infantile line, and more than one argument between the main duo takes several times longer than a joke should require, but it's still a much better estimate of what the audience can endure, and that level characterizes both the screenplay and the action twists. I also enjoy the main, overused twist, which may come to some as a surprise, but it simply suits my tastes that a seemingly invisible antagonist can suddenly turn into a respectable opponent.
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I spent a weekend with the whole trilogy and I’m raising my rating of the third instalment to four stars. At the cinema, I was bothered by the cheap digital visuals of the action scenes, which weren’t so noticeable on a large TV screen. The movie lacks Bay’s trademarks and compositional uniqueness, but when we take the third film’s screenplay into consideration, we see that the trademarks and visuals of the preceding films were really the only things that made them interesting. That’s true especially of the second one. Bad Boys for Life has the best screenplay by far, as it tastefully incorporates historical motifs, works cleverly and sympathetically with the characters, including the supporting characters such as the police team leaders and the distinctive bad guys, and even aptly makes fun of itself (“This is some serious telenovela shit!”). And the new, fresh team spirit evokes the beginning of a new Bad Boys era, which I believe will not eventually slip into the realm of retardation like the Fast & Furious franchise. At least as long as Arbi and Fallah are in charge.
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In its fourth instalment, a gerontic reunion held years later, the iconic buddy-movie series Lethal Weapon set out on the path of a sitcom or television genre show for middle-aged people. With its protagonists a decade older, Bad Boys makes a bee line to the soap-opera genre for seniors. On the one hand, it is fully conscious of that fact, which adds the necessary exaggeration to the film. On the other hand, the exaggerated soap-operatic moments of kitschy melodrama will paradoxically remain in the viewer’s memory longer than the diligently constructed action sequences, which are undermined by the need to digitally insert the aging stars into sequences with physically fit young people.
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A fine, Nineties-style Bruckheimer-esque flick with all of the strengths and weaknesses that we haven’t seen for a long time. Furthermore, it's a sequel that is, within limits, not likably not over the top (except for the scene with the armed sidecar). With its style and scale, the duo of music-video directors definitely come closer to the first movie than to the crazy second one. If there had not been pointless filler and the slow paced middle sequences resulting from it and rather slow action, there wouldn't be much to fault them for apart from trying to copy early Bay (albeit successfully). But the most important thing is that, surprisingly, this is not the worst movie of the trilogy. Taking into account that the main roles are played by two 50-year-old actors (one is fat and the other is past his prime) after almost two decades, that is encouraging as well as surprising.
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The best episode. A consistent, funny and very entertaining sequel that makes sense script-wise and doesn't offend with its action. Understandably, it lacks Michael Bay's signature style, so there's a lot less banging and iconic shots. But the unknown director duo have come up with a playful sequel that makes the most of the bare minimum and everything they touch works. Whether Bruckheimer held it together is hard to say, but it doesn't really matter. Bad Boys 4? I’m up.
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