The mismatched “Bad Boys” are back, and their misapprehension for being good guys looks funnier than ever. Also back is Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as the “Lethal Weapon”-like heroes. The better news, however, is that the franchises’ lethal weapon is gone. Michael Bay has left the directors’ chair.
Taking literal meaning to the theory that two is better than one, both Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have been tasked with transforming this explosive mess into a coherent trilogy. The two’s past work is sort of promising in that regard. Arbi and Fallah have done fine work in the indie scene with “Black” in 2015 and “Gangsta” in 2018. The two are also slated to take on “Beverly Hills Cop 4” in the foreseeable future. Whether these two are masters at transforming shopworn franchises or masters at following studio instructions (like J.J. Abrams) will be revealed sometime in January 2020. Still, it can’t get worse than Bayhem. Can it?
Fans of these pictures have been kept at bay for over 15 years. “Bad Boys 2,” with the unsung tagline “this time it’s personal!” was released in 2003 and has a 23 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. That didn’t stop it from raking in 273 million dollars. That also didn’t stop audiences of a certain variety from cheering the foul mouthed cops on to victory. Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) might be the worst cops since Leslie Nelson, yet their sparring language and apatite for blowing shit up could very well work with new directors.
As you can see in the thrill-ride of a trailer above, new faces like Alexander Ludwig, Vanessa Hudgens and Charles Melton have also joined the Bad Boys. All three newcomers come with name recognition. So, you can expect to see a big turnout at the box office. Not least because of the plot; which features more explosions, shootouts, jokes, drugs and, without Bay, presumably more character development.
Here’s the synopsis:
Marcus Burnett is now a police inspector and Mike Lowery is in a midlife crisis. They unite again when an Albanian mercenary, whose brother they killed, promises them an important bonus.
“Bad Boys For Life” opens January 17, 2020. Watch the first trailer below.
