Movie Review: Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

Synopsis: After years of being a bachelor, Det. Mike Lowrey finally gets married, only to have his wedding nearly ruined by his partner, Det. Marcus Burnett, having a heart attack. Burnett survives but soon after leaving the hospital, the pair learn their former mentor, Captain Howard, is being accused of working for the drug cartels. Not wanting their deceased captain's name to be tarnished, Mike and Marcus conduct their own investigation, with the help of Mike's criminal son, Armando, and soon find themselves being framed both as accomplices and murderers.

Who's in it? The movie stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Jacob Scipio and Ioan Gruffudd.


Review: After binge-watching the first three movies in the series on Monday, my wife and I decided to finish things up with Bad Boys: Ride or Die last night. As is the case with most movies with multiple sequels, this installment showed signs of the series needing to come to an end. However, that didn't mean it didn't turn out to be a fun film to watch.

These films are known for their action and this fourth one didn't disappoint in that regard. Some of the scenes were a bit choppy and hard to follow but there were plenty of explosions, lots of gunfire and even a helicopter crash and hungry alligator. In other words, the kind of stuff that can keep you on the edge of your seat.

The main plot of the film was also decent. I would have probably liked it a little better had there been any attempt to convince the audience the deceased Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) was a dirty cop rather than let them in on what was really happening from the start and the surprise bad guy wasn't much of a surprise (my wife and I figured out that twist about 20 minutes in). I did, however, like the little scavenger hunt Howard set up for Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Lawrence) that led them to his evidence against who was really behind things and the way the main villain, McGrath (Eric Dane) framed them.

The final battle in this movie is one of the things worth watching. This is both because of the action and because of how it ties up multiple storylines, ranging from Marcus believing he can't die and Mike's guilt causing panic attacks to Howard's daughter (Rhee Seahorn) wanting revenge on Armando (Scipio) for her father's death. The movie even ends in a way that sets up a potential sequel, though as I mentioned before, I hope that doesn't happen.

If I had any complaints about the movie, it would probably be the whole Marcus having a heart attack thing. Part of this is because it is a bit too similar to Mike almost dying in the third movie. The other part is, for a guy who just had a heart attack, Marcus seemed to be in the best shape of his life. I'm not a medical expert but I do find it hard to believe someone would be able to do some of the things he was doing just two weeks after nearly dying from cardiac arrest. Not to mention, wouldn't the Miami Police Department make him get doctor's approval before allowing him back?

Final Opinion: It's a solid fourth installment and a great way to end the franchise if they choose to do so. At minimum, if you like action movies, it's a film worth watching.

My Grade: A


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Here are some reviews of other action movies:

Movie Review: The Accidental Spy (2001)

Movie Review: Awake (2021)

Movie Review: Monster Hunter (2020)


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