Directed By: Michael Bay
Written By: George Gallo and Michael Barrie
Dectectives Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawerence) and Mike Lowrey(Will Smith) are partners for the Miami Police in the Narcotics Department. They have just made the biggest Heroin bust in the cities history of over one hundred million dollars, but someone has broken into the police department and stolen it all. Their boss Captain C. Howard (Joe Pantaliono) gives them a 72 hour timeline before Internal Affairs butts it’s nose in and the department gets bashed across the television. When Mike inquires through a female escort that is his friend, she is murdered but leaves a trail to her killer. Julie (Tea Leoni), Max’s(Karen Alexander) roomate witnesses her murder and makes the call to Mike, the only man Maxine ever trusted. But Mike is not at his desk, only Marcus, who pretends to be MIke to keep Julie on the line. When he goes to recover her he also assumes the identity of Mike and by the time he has her safely in Mikes apartment, Mike is found and has to assumet he identity of Marcus. In the midst of Marcus and Mike hunting down a mad killer and drugloard named Fouchet(Tchkey Karo), they have to keep up false identities until the very climatic ending.
Bad Boys is a film that has been a source of infectious entertainment to me for the last thirteen years. In my book it’s one of the best action movies of all time. With a funny yet serious script, this film is the flat out definition of the “buddy” action flick. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are cast as duo of best friends from as far back as high school, who still in spite of their very different lifestyles retain a close friendship and a bond and passion for the job of narcotics detectives. Will Smith plays a smooth talking, handsome, ladies man, which was a very different role for the guy who’d been known as the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Not only did he demonstrate his amazing ability to sell a line, but his smartness of when to steal the scene and when to share it with Lawrence. There was never a struggle for supremacy between these two hilarious men. They moved across the screen together like a wave on the ocean. Smooth and endless in it’s perfection. This was a definitive role for Will Smith at the beginning of his career. It defined his strength for him to be a leading man, which set the precedent for the rest of his mind blowing successful career. As for Lawrence, who’s character was less than smooth talking, and more or less bumbling and awkward, he played his character to the max. He didn’t cross the line from his normal slap stick comedy. He stuck with a realistic goofiness and genuineness, that made Marcus not only funny but genuinely likable.
Backing these two powerhouses on onscreen chemistry was the beautiful and talented Tea Leoni that was like throwing a lit match into a kerosene tank. Each scene she was in, she was alive and powerful. This was a very pivotal role in her career and really propelled her forward into the acting community as well. Other shining supporting roles included Marcus’s wife Theresa(Theresa Randle), who was very full fleshed for only being in a few scenes. Their chemistry and bond felt real. Captain Howard was the insane little man that put the pressure on Marcus and Mike to build the suspense of the story by setting a time frame to reacquire the drugs, not to mention be crack the viewer up with his manic potty mouth while doing so. And lastly the very typical foreign one dimensional drug lord character. It’s a neccesary evil to have one of those in each of Michael Bay’s movies. While some find this annoying, I find it humorous as Bay obviously has a sense of humour, not to mention an enjoyable homage to the Lethal Weapon films, another classic Buddy action film success.
Bad Boys without it’s two lead actors may have just been another blow ‘em up, shoot ‘em up movie with nothing really compelling to set it apart from other action films, but with the charisma of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and the Michael Bay explosions, the cameo of the Porsche 911, the red lighting alluding to the dramatic heat of Miami, the action packed car chases, and fight scenes become important rather than just fun.
Bad Boys is a special film for a multitude of reasons, but it seemed to be one of those films where everyone was in the right place at the right time and movie magic was created. It is undoubtedly on my most watched list as I’ve probably seen it two hundred times, which could be a gross understatement. This movie is pure and simple great action flick fun. Everything about it is pure entertainment. The plot which is occasionally touched on is good enough that it is nearly irrelevant in the scheme of things. For it’s genre and rewatchability, not to mention the brilliant one liners, Bad Boys is easily Four out of Four stars.
