Bad Boys – 1995 – Action, Comedy, Crime, Cop
Directed by: Michael Bay
Written by: Michael Barrie; Jim Mulholland; Doug Richardson
Main Players: Will Smith; Martin Lawrence; Téa Leoni; Joe Pantoliano; Theresa Randle; Tchéky Karyo; Michael Imperioli; Marg Helgenberger; John Salley
Miami. Beaches. Booties. Neon Lights. Detectives Mike Lowry (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) argue over eating a burger in the turbo Porsche that Mike owns, which costs a ton, but lacks cupholders. Mike pulls over when Marcus drops a fry in the seat crevasse. Can’t be having that nonsense.
Then, car jackers hit the scene. Too bad it is their unlucky day, as these two cops don’t play around, and take them down. That night, a group of orchestrated thieves led by mastermind Antoine Fouchet (Karyo) break into the police’s evidence lockup. Tons of drugs are secured by the criminals and whisked away.
The next morning, Marcus the family man wakes up to the noise of his kids, and Mike the player heads over to pick him up for work. They get a call from Captain Howard (Pantoliano) with bad news about stolen drugs. This was Lowry and Burnett’s career case, and now it’s all in the wind. Additionally, Internal Affairs Captain Allison Sinclair (Helgenberger) is sure this was an inside job.
Now the partners have a ticking clock to get their drugs back off the street, while the action gets complicated with some subplots. Do Mike and Marcus have the chops to crack the case, or will these cop bad boys wind up on the wrong end of a gun?
Director Michael Bay was a perfect choice to helm this action movie classic. His sleek shots and eye for color make it pop, while the story is definitely good enough. It may not be revolutionary, but it does the job and has a few okay moments. The dialogue can be a bit hit or miss as some of the gags don’t work, but plenty do. The comedy element fits just fine into the action and make it an overall fun time.
Lawrence and Smith are solid leads, and the surrounding cast is fairly enjoyable all around. The villain is a righteous jackass. A good score and pretty Miami scenery help push this film up a level, and the gunplay is fun to watch. This movie was not a massive hit with critics and can be a bit generic, but it is a good action film.
"Damn man! Watch where you swinging the dead leg!!"
See This If You Liked:
Lethal Weapon; Beverly Hills Cop; Tango & Cash; 48 Hrs.; Bulletproof (1996); The Rock; Miami Vice; The Last Boy Scout; Die Hard; Speed; Rush Hour; 2 Guns; The Wrecking Crew (2026)
Score:
7.5