Matt is a Bad Boy (for life)... Review

Bad Boys for Life (15)

Dir. Adil & Bilall

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (@Cleric20)

“Do you want your legacy to be muscle shirts and body counts?”

The infamous Bad Boys are back in town some 25 years since Bad Boys hit the cinema. Much has changed since then but this 3rd outing is kinda awesome in that it brings the wise-cracking, whiz-bang buddy cop formula up-to-date and makes it feel fresh again for whole new audience.

The 'boys' are back...

Of course, that’s not entirely true, as a huge fan of the original I’m sensing that the record breaking box-office of this threequel is largely due to many other like me who have been waiting to see Mike
(Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) hit the streets again.

What’s different this time? Well, there’s no Michael Bay at the helm so whilst the action still kicks ass, it isn’t quite as hyperkinetic and over-the-top as before. That’s not a criticism but merely a nod to how the two leads have aged and somehow got better with it despite not being as buff as they once were (I can relate).

Bad Boys for Life brings back the winning cocktail of fast cars, hot women, guns – lots of guns, explosions and laugh-out-loud banter – pretty much everything that was great about the other films.
The new Belgian director team of Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are known for their streetwise, racially focused crime films and they slot right in here. The plot sees Mike and Marcus forced to contend with growing old and somewhat obsolete.

'multi tasking'

But when Mike is shot by Armando (Jacob Scipio), whose drug kingpin father he killed and whose mother, Isabel (Kate del Castillo), he got imprisoned – the reality of their perilous situation bites them.

Watching middle-aged dudes deal with such trauma and coping in wildly differing ways - Marcus walking away from his life of violence, while Mike seeks brutal revenge for his wounded sense of masculinity - is compelling stuff. Assigned the help of the tech-driven Advanced Miami Metro Operations (AMMO), led by Mike's ex-girlfriend Rita (Paola Nunez) – a new breed of drone wielding police team who are a fun addition to the old-school run and gun style of the Bad Boys.

'Vroooomm'

Can Marcus reclaim his virility by waging a war against the powerful enemies he finds himself up against? Will Marcus keep his faith and vow a peaceful life – when as Mike tells him at one point:
‘God gave you that machine gun’?

It’s a blast to watch them ‘Ride together, die together’ – I’m hoping this isn’t quite the last we see of the iconic duo.

Out of a potential 5 - you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Huge fun backed up with quality action)

Awesomeness öööö – They do what they do best

Laughs öööö – Really funny

Horror ööö – Not too nasty, some violence (obviously)

Spiritual Enlightenment öööö - Friends hold to a creed

Want some more madness? 

Check out COMPLETE DARKNESS which delivers near future nightmares...