1h 55m
Director: Adil El Arbi / Bilall Fallah

Unlike some other movies I could mention Bad Boys: Ride or Die manages to capture the tone and energy of the originals. Of particular note is that the rapport between Mike and Marcus still appears to exist and the chemistry between the 2 actors still feels natural.

It's stitched together with some cool tunes which helps it feel contemporary.

Marcus has a heart attack which is accompanied by a vision, the whole experience renews his zest for life and gives him the impression he's invincible - this serves to make his family fuss about his bad habits but also provides some amusing moments as he takes all manner of risks believing himself to be unstoppable. A fact which is tested in the final scene.

The plot revolves around a previously murdered officer being framed for criminal activity and much of the drama consists of the bad guys trying to hinder the investigation.

They resist the urge to litter the narrative with old person jokes and both actors easily pass as young enough to continue the characters without it being jarring.

It was nice to see Rhea Seahorn (Kim from Better Call Saul) in there playing Judy Howard, a US Marshal who is the daughter of Captain Conrad Howard, the person being framed. She has a vendetta against Amando, Mike's son, she thinks he killed her father in a previous episode.

There's a few racing drone shots in this movie which is nice to see as racing drones seem to be seriously underused in modern media, I think perhaps they have yet to work out just how versatile they are. I predict just one really well directed scene will see drone use pick up in the near future. There's a bar shootout early on that has a drone flying between Marcus and his target which had the potential for this.

There is a rather nice drone shot at the climax of the film which gracefully and creatively morphs into a first person shooter shot which you don't see used very often. I keep mentioning drones of course, because I'm thinking of that shot in an earlier film in the franchise (Bad Boys 2) which has a tracking shot around the wall. You'll remember it (Warning - language / violence): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CiaevhHbcE

This film, isn't quite as brutal as that!

In conclusion, it's a straightforward but imaginative action movie and was better than I expected, lots of action and some heroic moments. It definitely has that 'summer blockbuster' aura to it. I had a blast and I think if you're looking for some lighthearted, playful adventure you will too.



Trailer: