25 years later and I can’t believe the formula still works.

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, two of the most decorated detectives of the Miami PD, 25 years after the original and 17 years after its sequel. More than a decade after its initial order and after no less than three changes to its release date during the 2010s, Bad Boys for Life came to the big screen and offers much of the same: Smith’s wise-cracking hot shot and Lawrence’s god-fearing family man sharing impeccable chemistry in this police action shoot’-em-up.  

After the birth of his grandson, Marcus reveals to long-time partner Mike that he wishes to retire and enjoy the rest of his life, the pair having escaped too many close calls. Mike has earned the reputation of being “bulletproof” and wants to remain a macho hero, so he rejects the civilian life. Soon afterwards, Lowrey is shot in a targeted drive-by, putting in place a series of events that forces Mike and Marcus to team-up and face a mysterious threat from Mike’s past. Joe Pantoliano reprises his role as the unit’s commander, Captain Howard, and the primary villain – a woman for the first time in the franchise – is both dangerous and sexy and played with quite a bit of zeal by Kate del Castillo.  

The violence is a lot gorier than I had remembered from the previous two films, but even with a different director at the helm – long-time collaborators Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah – the DNA remains much of the same. Will Smith is once again a tolerable action hero equipped with one-liners in a franchise that is reaching Fast and the Furious levels of ludicrous (not always a bad thing), and I swear there is some direct correlation between the quality of the film and how many times Smith gets to put on sunglasses (MiB, anyone?). Martin Lawrence doesn’t have a serious bone in his body so every line he delivers with a scowl is met with a low-volume chuckle, and considering how much less care he’s put in his body over the years compared to the Fresh Prince, he is tailor-made to be his foil. The irresistible Inner Circle theme song is back and remixed, and without Michael Bay’s impatient hands, the action is clear and explosive, and even the 360-degree hero shot that the franchise popularized seems much cleaner and smooth.

There’s just something about buddy cop films and Miami as a setting for lawlessness that never ceases to be interesting. It can span all kinds of genres, from a Cops-like treatment with the extremely underrated End of Watch, to the more comedic duos like The Nice Guys. There’s just about something for everyone, and while Bad Boys for Life has some utterly stupid and ridiculous moments – usually related to plot and another trite script – it’s still shockingly enjoyable if you’re looking for mindless, formulaic heart-pounding fun.

Bad Boys for Life gets two and half stars out of four.