Review: Bad Boys For LIfe

Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.

You'd be correct in any suspicions about the quality of "Bad Boys for Life" due to the previous film in the series and this new picture's release date in the dumping grounds of January. Yes, the film often feels like an unnecessary digging up of an old franchise that's past it's due date, and a ridiculous plot twist late in the film doesn't help either. But oddly enough, "Bad Boys for Life" is slightly better than you might expect - it's an average Hollywood buddy movie action-comedy that gets some mileage out of its stars' camaraderie, but it's about on par with the original "Bad Boys" and significantly better than the series' terrible second entry.

Perhaps, the most noticeable difference is the lack of Michael Bay as director, although he pops up briefly in a cameo as a wedding MC. Therefore, mostly gone is the blatant misogyny of the previous film as well as the homophobic humor and nonstop wall-to-wall action - there are plenty of action sequences here, but they're less bombastic than Bay's.

One of the film's saving graces is Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) engaging in some often humorous self critiques as to whether they are over-the-hill or, as cops in these types of films tend to describe it, "too old for this shit." As the film opens, Marcus is retiring, mostly due to having a new grandson, while Mike still lives for the thrill of the job.

Near the picture's beginning, a fierce Latina woman named Isabel (Kate del Castillo) breaks free from a prison with the help of her violent son Armando (Jacob Scipio), and the two appear to have some sort of revenge plot in the works that involves Mike. Meanwhile, Mike and Marcus' captain (Joe Pantoliano) is gently urging the two men to hang up their badges - that is, until Mike is shot and nearly killed on the streets of Miami.

At first, it appears that "Bad Boys for Life" is merely another action movie in which a pair of cops go up against a cartel - that's mostly true, but there's a plot twist late in the film that ranks fairly high on the scales of absurdity. Despite that, directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah keep the proceedings fairly fleet and often amusing. There's a lot more humor here than I recall from previous "Bad Boys" films, and enough of it works.

It's also refreshing to see the film's women characters get more in the way of development than in previous entries to the series. Mike and Marcus are forced to work with a new group known as AMMO, which is comprised of several young people whose capabilities behind a computer match Mike's abilities with a weapon. The group is led by Rita (Paola Nunez) and one of its toughest members is a cop played by Vanessa Hudgens. Minus Bay behind the camera, this third "Bad Boys" is a kinder, gentler and more engaging sequel. Yes, it's still a silly action movie with throwaway dialogue and numerous chase sequences, but as far as these types of films go, it's not half bad.