When Bad Boys: Ride or Die arrives in theaters next month, the fourth installment in the blockbuster buddy cop franchise will bank heavily on continuity behind the camera. Sony has re-enlisted directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, whose innovative approach helped reinvigorate the series with 2020’s critically acclaimed Bad Boys for Life.
That legacy sequel, which marked Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s return as iconicMiami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett after a 17-year hiatus, proved to be the franchise’s biggest box office smash. It grossed over $426 million worldwide against solid reviews, a dramatic turnaround after the previous two Michael Bay-directed entries received lukewarm receptions.
In a recent interview with Empire, Smith praised the “aggressive” creative mindset that El Arbi and Fallah have brought to Ride or Die’s development. “We’re taking some really brave creative shots,” the Oscar winner teased. “It has to feel like it’s earned the right to be a movie today. I always hate when you see sequels that are just victory laps.”
Part of that bold new approach seems to involve deeper character exploration atypical for a big-budget action franchise. Smith cited the original Lethal Weapon as inspiration for “pushing the envelope” with added nuance to the protagonists, particularly Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett.
“There’s a spiritual aspect to it that I think people will be like ‘Okay, that’s an interesting evolution for Marcus’ character,'” Smith revealed. The aim is to continue separating Bad Boys from the hypermasculine, more problematic excesses that plagued earlier installments under Bay’s direction.
Lawrence has echoed similar sentiments about Bad Boys 4 taking the series in a refreshingly “different” direction from its predecessors: “You’re gonna see something different from all the movies we’ve done.”
Of course, the anchoring chemistry between Smith and Lawrence as the wisecracking cop duo remains a fundamental draw. But the secret sauce that helped Bad Boys for Life transcend its reputation seems to have been the inspired choice to hand directing reins to El Arbi and Fallah.
Critics praised the 2020 film’s balance of “action and leading-man charisma,” a mix the previous Bay entries often struggled to achieve. One review even singled out how the new creative vision purged much of the “rampant misogyny” that had marred past sequels.
With the returning filmmakers looking to take even bolder, more character-driven risks, Bad Boys: Ride or Die could cement this revamped franchise’s status as more than just mindless pyrotechnics. An “aggressive” new mentality may be just what’s needed for these veteran cops to remain contemporary almost 30 years after their big-screen debut.
As Lawrence succinctly put it about his perpetual creative partnership with Smith: “I’m going to carry on as long as my brother carries on. It’ll be very hard to get rid of me.” If Ride or Die connects, that buddy cop brotherhood could have brilliant new avenues to explore.
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