Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2025)

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a 2024 American action comedy film starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the fourth installment of the Bad Boys series of buddy cop films. The sequel to Bad Boys for Life (2020), it is directed by Adil & Bilall and written by Chris Bremner and Will Beall. Joe Pantoliano, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Jacob Scipio, and DJ Khaled reprise their roles from the previous film with Tasha Smith taking over the role of Theresa Burnett from Theresa Randle, who previously played the character in the last three films. New cast members include Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhea Seehorn, Melanie Liburd, and Tiffany Haddish. It follows Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett trying to clear the name of their late Captain, Conrad Howard, falsely accused of conspiracy.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die premiered at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on May 22, 2024, and was released in the United States on June 7, 2024 by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed over $22 million.

Plot[]

After Detective Mike Lowrey marries his physical therapist, Christine, he and his partner, Marcus Burnett, delve into an internal investigation within the Miami Police Department following accusations that their late Captain, Conrad Howard, was tied to drug cartels. Despite Captain Howard's posthumous tarnishing, Mike is determined to prove his innocence with the help of Marcus.

Their hunt for the truth leads them to Mike's son, Armando Aretas, who is in incarcerated for the murder of Captain Howard.^{[lower-alpha 1]} Armando claims that Captain Howard was not corrupt and offers to help identify the person responsible for his murder. As they transport Armando to Miami, a series of events lead to a helicopter crash, leaving Mike and Marcus as fugitives, hunted by both law enforcement and criminal gangs.

With the assistance of the AMMO team members Dorn and Kelly, who are revealed to be dating, Mike and Marcus uncover the truth behind the murder and a setup involving a former Army Ranger turned DEA officer named James McGrath. McGrath, in cahoots with a mayoral candidate named Lockwood, orchestrates the kidnapping of Christine and Callie, the daughter of U.S. Marshal Judy Howard, the latter being Captain Howard's daughter.

In a dramatic showdown, Mike, Marcus, and Armando, along with their allies, engage in a fierce battle with McGrath's men at a former alligator park to rescue the hostages. Mike finds and confronts McGrath, who holds both Christine and Marcus at gunpoint. McGrath presents Mike with an ultimatum: either Christine or Marcus must die. Mike, alluding to Marcus's newfound belief that he "can't die", tells McGrath that one of them can't die before shooting Marcus in his bulletproof vest. The chaos allows Christine and Marcus to break free before Mike shoots McGrath multiple times and kills him.

Amidst the chaos, Judy finds Armando and prepares to take him into custody. With Armando being held at gunpoint, Callie appears and tells her mother that Armando saved her life. Grateful for his heroic act, Judy shows mercy to Armando and allows him to escape. After they are cleared of all charges, Mike and Marcus celebrate by cooking stuff on a public grill, only to be shown up by Marcus's son-in-law Reggie.

Cast[]

• Will Smith as Detective Lieutenant Michael Eugene "Mike" Lowrey
• Martin Lawrence as Detective Lieutenant Marcus Miles Burnett
• Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly, weapons expert of AMMO^[1]
• Alexander Ludwig as Dorn, tech expert of AMMO
• Paola Núñez as Captain Rita Secada, head of Miami Police unit AMMO and Mike's ex-girlfriend, now dating Lockwood.
• Eric Dane as James McGrath^[2]
• Ioan Gruffudd as Adam Lockwood, a potential candidate for mayor of Miami, and Rita's new boyfriend
• Jacob Scipio as Armando Aretas, Mike's son
• Melanie Liburd as Christine, Mike's newly wedded wife
• Tasha Smith as Theresa Burnett, Marcus's wife. Smith replaces Theresa Randle, who portrayed the character in previous films.
• Tiffany Haddish as Tabitha^[3]
• Joe Pantoliano as Captain Conrad Howard^[4]
• John Salley as Fletcher
• DJ Khaled as Manny the Butcher
• Rhea Seehorn as U.S. Marshal Agent Judy Howard, Captain Howard's daughter, and Callie’s mother, who is hunting down Mike and Marcus
• Dennis Greene as Reggie McDonald, Marcus’ son-in-law and a United States Marine Master Sergeant.
• Joyner Lucas as a gang leader
• Quinn Hemphill as Callie Howard, Captain Conrad Howard's granddaughter and U.S. Marshall Judy Howard’s daughter.
• Trae tha Truth
• Jenna Kanell as Nicole
• Michael Bay as Porsche driver
• Khaby Lame as himself

Production[]

Development[]

Following the opening weekend box-office success of Bad Boys for Life (2020), Sony announced plans for a fourth installment, with Chris Bremner returning to write the script.^[5][6]

In April 2022, it was reported that development for the fourth film was being put on hold in light of the incident with Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony. However, the following month Sony head chairman Tom Rothman confirmed the fourth film was still in development, despite the previous report.^[7][8] In February 2023, Smith announced that he and Lawrence would reprise their roles for the film, which was in pre-production, with Adil & Bilall returning to direct.^[9][10] In March 2023, it was revealed that Vanessa Hudgens would reprise her role as Kelly from Bad Boys for Life.^[1] In April 2023, it was announced that Eric Dane had been cast, reportedly as the villain, and that Paola Núñez and Alexander Ludwig would also reprise their roles from Bad Boys for Life.^[11] The same month, Ioan Gruffudd joined the cast.^[12] In May 2023, it was announced that Rhea Seehorn had joined the cast.^[13] Bad Boys: Ride or Die was originally the working title by co-director Adil El Arbi, before it was confirmed in early 2024.^[14]

Filming[]

Principal photography began on April 3, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia and Miami, Florida.^[15][16] On May 22, 2023, TMZ released behind the scenes clips of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence filming scenes of the movie in Atlanta.^[17] Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.^[18] In March 2024, it was revealed that Jacob Scipio would reprise his role as Armando Aretas from the previous film.^[19] Filming wrapped on March 4.^[20]

Post-production[]

Asaf Eisenberg and Dan Lebental served as editors on the film.^[21]

Marketing[]

The first trailer of the film was released on March 26, 2024.^[22] The final trailer for the film was released on May 16.^[23] On May 28, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat and Lionel Messi of Inter Miami featured in another trailer.^[24]

Release[]

The world premiere of Bad Boys: Ride or Die was held at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on May 22, 2024,^[25][26] and it was released in the United States on June 7, 2024. It was originally scheduled to be released on July 3, 2019,^[27] but was moved up to May 24, 2019,^[28] before being pulled from the schedule. In July 2023, it was announced that the film would be released on June 14, 2024.^[29] In February 2024, the release date was moved up to its current date.^[30][31]

Reception[]

Box office[]

In the United States and Canada, Bad Boys: Ride or Die was released alongside The Watchers, and was initially projected to gross around $40 million from 3,850 theaters in its opening weekend.^[32] After making $21 million on its first day, including $5.88 million from Thursday night previews, weekend estimates were raised to $52 million.^[33]

Critical response[]

Template:RT prose Template:Metacritic film prose Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale (the first installment of the series not to earn an A), while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 90% overall positive score, with 94% saying they would definitely recommend it.^[33]

The Independent found that the film was "nihilistic, maximalist fun".^[34] Variety too was positive about the production and notably certain scenes: "There’s a hypnotic shootout aboard a military helicopter, a crowd-pleasing encounter at an NRA encampment, a rollicking finale at a Florida theme park abandoned by everyone but its crocodiles (...) making yesterday’s overcooked street-smart popcorn seem tastier today than it has any right to be."^[35]

The BBC was more mixed, stating, "Critics are sometimes told that we shouldn't analyse Hollywood blockbusters, we should just switch off our brains and enjoy them. Well, not many films are as dependent on our brains being on standby as Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The plot is nonsensical, the grenade-dodging stunts are even more nonsensical, and the internal logic is non-existent: the assertion that Marcus has to avoid stressful situations after his heart attack is forgotten within 30 seconds. But the film is fun enough in its chaotic, grungy, rough and ready way."^[36]

Notes[]

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References[]

External links[]

• Official website
• Bad Boys: Ride or Die at the Internet Movie Database

Template:Bad BoysTemplate:Adil El Arbi and Bilall FallahTemplate:Jerry Bruckheimer
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