Review of Bad Boys (1995) by Moviemastereddy — 02 Apr 2016

"Bad Boys" wasn't imagined so much as it was stitched together, like some cinematic Frankenstein's monster, from the body parts of other movies. There is the mismatched cop-buddy angle from "Lethal Weapon," this time with Martin Lawrence as the loyal family man and Will Smith as his partner, the handsome womanizer. As they try to track down the sophisticated thieves who stole $100 million worth of heroin from the police department's evidence room, they acquire a spunky, female sidekick, a la "Speed." There is the Miami setting from "The Specialist," exploding trucks from "True Lies" and enough shattering glass to rival either of the "Die Hards." But formulas exist because they work, and "Bad Boys" is a loud, fast, action movie laced with comedy. In this case, the genre shows few signs of wearing itself out.

Mr. Lawrence, a stand-up comic and star of the sitcom "Martin," and Mr. Smith of the television series "The Fresh Prince" and the film "Six Degrees of Separation," approach their roles as comic actors rather than action stars, and their playful attitude helps. Mr. Lawrence is Marcus, hyperactive and easily ruffled. Mr. Smith is Mike, the calm one, who has a trust fund and a lavish bachelor apartment but whose dedication to his work is, of course, unrivaled. Mike and Marcus confiscated all that heroin in the first place, only to have it stolen by an arrogant European villain (Tcheky Karyo), the logical foil to the down-home detectives. They have four days to recover the goods before the F.B.I. steps in.

In no time, a prostitute is killed by the thieves while trying to help Mike get information. This has two results: it leaves her best friend, Julie, as the sole witness; it reinforces the time-honored movie rule that hookers are always more expendable than nice girls. Julie (Tea Leoni) calls Mike for help; he's away from the phone so Marcus pretends to be Mike, setting things up for the old "Prince and the Pauper" gag. For most of the movie, the family man has to live Mike's bachelor life while Mike looks after Marcus's family. The dialogue is not as snappy as it should be. "The bad guys probably know where you live" is saved by Mr. Lawrence's mocking delivery. The actors liven up their lines where they can and let the first-rate action carry the rest.

Eventually, Julie, Mike and Marcus end up in a truck filled with barrels of flammable ether, the villains racing after them. Mike sends the barrels out on the road, shoots them on fire and sends them roaring into the cars. And there are bigger explosions ahead.

"Bad Boys" is the first feature by Michael Bay, a 30-year-old director. His background in music videos is evident in the jumpy camera movement and quick cuts; his background as a maker of beer commercials is evident in the conspicuous beer signs that clutter the background. The film is produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, the team behind "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Top Gun." They know the action turf well and should have known better than to stumble into the trend to make movies longer. "Bad Boys" is just over two hours, and would have been better if it had been sleeker and shorter. After all, this film isn't aiming for high-toned drama, just high-energy entertainment, which is what it delivers.