When the consequences of past case come back to haunt him, Detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) is gunned down by a mysterious figure. His partner and best friend Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) prays to God to save Mike, and Mike pulls through. However, their friendship is fractured with Mike on the warpath to get revenge and Marcus happily enjoying retirement. At the request of Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano), Mike reluctantly teams up with his ex, Rita (Paola Nuñez) and her special squad, AMMO. When the stakes get raised, Mike and Marcus reunite to fight the demons from Mike’s past and take down lots and lots of bad guys.
Director: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Joe Pantoliano, Paola Nuñez
Review: If this is the last Bad Boys movie with Smith and Lawrence, then the series goes out on a high note but leaning into what works while still adapting to the current action landscape. Arguably, a series about two Miami cops taking down bad guys has been better than it had any right to be, but it managed to break away from being a Lethal Weapon clone and do its own thing on the strength of its leads and the cartoonish set pieces. Franchises don’t really end these days, but Bad Boys for Life isn’t a bad way for Mike and Marcus to ride into the sunset.
Verdict: Worth the Popcorn
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