Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Bad Boys : Ride Or Die 

This film is so much fun and after 30 years into this buddy cop franchise the films keep getting better with each new entry. Will smith and Martin Lawrence have not lost the fun banter that made people fall in love With these characters and the humour is still very much present and as funny as ever along with fantastic action set pieces that will have you on the edge of your seat. The directors that have taken over the franchise since the third one totally understand the characters and how to go about telling a Bad Boys story that dose not loose the style we fell in love with. They respect the characters and the world that Michael Bay set up for them and have really explored these two characters lives in ways that keep the audiences engaged and finding new fun stories for the two lovable cops to get thrown into without it feeling repetitive. Bad Boys ride or Die shows no sign of running out of fuel and is as fun ever. 

Firstly, The way this film explores how these lovable characters have been since we last saw them is amazing as they further their character depth and keeps finding new sides of them to present to the audience. The thing with revisiting a action series 4 films deep into it is you have to keep evolving the characters as if you don’t it’ll just fall into a trope and people will get bored and see the whole layout of the film before it reaches its final act. Seeing Will Smith’s character Mike dealing with the burden of seeing his boss and also close friend die in his arms he has been having a tough time not blaming himself for it with what is clearly post traumatic stress disorder he is going through and I think that is such a great way to show that these two characters as funny as they are they do suffer battle wounds and sometimes it makes a a lasting impact on who they are and making that a big theme in this film was such a smart choice. As for Martin’s character Marcus he goes through a near death experience that changes him and makes his entire outlook on life forever altered after going through that and sure it at times can play for laughs but it is quite the deep theme to put that character through and it felt very fitting for his arc. The film then takes both those two separate journeys and have them support each other through both their hardships which is what the heart of these films have always been being there for your friend no matter what. They show that bond and beautiful friendship that these two have in such a fantastic way that sure makes for great laugh out loud moments but their is serious amounts of heart in these last two entries which is why they in my opinion have been the best out of the whole franchise. The film takes on themes of friendship, existential thought provoking questions and also family and they explore it in a way that is fun but also has you maybe shed a tear or two The way they explore the cops of Miami and their personal lives was amazing and really fleshes them out in ways that keep the audience learning new things about them with each new film. 

Secondly, The performances by Smith and Lawrence are solid in this film! Smith brings the most emotionally hurt side of Mike we’ve seen as in the previous film we learned he was a father and he had to come to terms with that and so we see how he has been having a handle on that since then. But that isn’t the challenge he is facing in this film the obstacle he faces is the untreated trauma he has been dealing with since the death of his Captain and he is always mr jokester but he can’t even disguise his pain behind those jokes this time.  Smith is able to show that deeper part of his heart to the character in a way that dose not change his entire personality but that being said he is changing with each new experience he goes through so their will be scars he cannot shake that stay with him and that trait he brings to the character in a truly amazing way. Then their is Martin Lawrence who goes on a very big religious journey after a moment where he could of died he comes to a Moment of clarity to live life to the fullest and a lot of it is taken from the angle of humour and it is funny for sure but their is some great dramatic weight shown from it that really makes him more in tune with being in the moment since his life was almost taken from him. Lawrence is able to bring  that fun bumbling humour while also deepening his soul of Marcus at the same time without it feeling to comedy leaning or also too deep as well. It’s a great balance both actors do a great job at showing the headspace of these characters into their 50’s and what baggage they are dealing with at this stage in their life. Both give tremulous performances. 

Lastly, Bad Boys : Ride Or Die is a film that is one of the best entries of the series showing the wear and tear of how the job has had a effect on both officers while also keeping that light hearted feel to the story without it feeling overly serious. That being said it also dose not lean to hard into the comedy that it becomes one note the films directors greatly present the humour and comedy giving a even amount that both tones have time to shine and can strengthen the already engaging story that we have in front of us. Its action packed with truly hair raising set pieces that will have you in awe all the while having that fun banter between both leads. Then the  most important aspect of what people love from these films is the large amounts of heart the film is able to once again deliver resulting in a fun popcorn film that you can’t help but have a big smile while watching. Bad Boys : Ride Or Die shows that even after 30 years this franchise finds new ways to explore new ground to bring these characters that keep the story fresh and furthering their characters so we constantly keep  more about them it’s a fun time to be had Bad Boys : Ride Or Die is a blast. I recommend everyone go see this film you’ll have a great time. 

This film centres around the officers boss being dragged into the dirt of how he was in connection with drug cartels and they go back into the field to clear his name 

Rated R : Some Sexual References|Language Throughout|Strong Violence

Will Smith : Smith delivers a performance of Mike we have not seen before! What I loved about his work in Bad Boys 3 is that he finally had started showing sides to him that didn’t have to always be comedic or quippy. As we love the lady’s man quality he shows and that is fun but the choice to bring that more serious element to him since the third film really worked well as it showed us he has such more depth. As the last film it showed he was a father and seeing him exploring the complications that came with taking that on as the person that was his son was a criminal so how he had to deal with that was such a fun arc for him to embark on. Now we see how he’s been dealing with another big situation in his life and this time that is the untreated PTSD that he has been going through since the death of his captain as he was at the scene of the crime when he died he held him as he died and so in many ways he feels directly responsible for bringing his name to justice as also was close with him. So seeing him Freeze to take a shot at someone because he is so rattled by what happened to him has really shaken up which has affected his ability to perform well in the field and not even Marcus knows that he keeps it all inside and dose not tell anyone this heavy burden he’s been carrying. Smith is able to provide that tough aspect that is putting on a mask to show he’s fine when he clearly isn’t and Mike is more serious then Marcus and is able to channel that emotionally stern quality really well that never comes across too dark but you can understand the reasoning why he’s not the same person we first saw him like in the first film as he’s gone through experiences that have changed him some for the best and others for the worse. Either way Smith is amazingly able to show that cry for help for emotional support through his eyes and his character is one who used to always tell Marcus that being open with his feelings is a sign of being weak and now Marcus has been trying to get him to open up about his feeling and tell him it’s okay to be vulnerable regardless in how that looks. Smith still provides that Mike charm and fun witty humour but this time he’s broken inside since the death of his captain and you can see he’s been trying to deal with that pain in silence and it’s taken quite the toll on him. The longer he dose not help himself the more emotionally tough he becomes and Will shows Mike suffering in silence in such a emotionally subtle way that is quite powerful honestly as he dose not have to be crying and screaming to have you pick up on the heavy things he’s facing it takes a feel looks in his eyes and you can see everything he wants to say but won’t. Smith delivers a performance that is both charming and funny with greatly timed humour but it’s the emotional journey he goes on this time around that is front and centre that is the best part of Mike’s arc and Smith is able to channel that emotional complications he goes through in such a touching and heartbreaking vulnerability that is greatly presented by him onscreen in what I think is the best portrayal we’ve seen of his character as of now. Smith is truly amazing exploring the depth of Mike’s soul and how many scars he’s suffered while still giving you that Smith fun you come to love from his character but at the sam time finding new places for the character to go without it ever becoming stale or repetitive Will Smith is amazing in this film. 

Adil E Arbi & Bilall Fallah : these two have once again knocked it out of the park Siri another greatly entry to this franchise! These guys both directed the previous Bad Boys film which was such a solid film and they are the breath of fresh air this series needed in order to keep people coming back to seeing these lovable characters these many years later. As what this film tackles is aging, legacy and family they have very much dug deep into both characters arcs and shown sides to them we have never explored before while still giving that thrilling style and fun the brand of Bad Boys is known for. The film packs a bunch of action humour and a ton of heart that connects with the audience. These directors seem to really find  the ingredients that work to make these films really pop and it’s not just mindless action and misplaced humour they have greatly planned each moment out so that it results in a truly fun popcorn flick that is among one of the best entries of the whole series. It is able to tackle deeper themes without it feeling to serious but also not just be a joke a minute comedy film either they really keep exploring new places to bring these characters which is why the third film an this one really in my opinion outshine the first two films a large part of being the great direction at hand and fantastic management of its tone and story at hand. Adil E Arbi & Bilall Fallah have once again given another great entry to this action franchise that is full of heart humour and great action the bad boy name is in great hands with these two at the helm of the films.