“This is some dysfunctional shit.”

Story: Detectives Mike Lawrey and Marcus Burnett have had years of experience dealing with bad guys. But what happens when their latest bad guy turns makes our duo look like they’ve done wrong? Time to find out who to trust, and who to take down. *gun-type noises*

Genre I’d put it in: Sequels That Are Boilerplate But Still Fun
Release Date: 2024
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Part of the Bad Boys franchise. I mean, obviously.

Gotta say: There have been many times where I’ve enjoyed a film during a screening, and thought well of it when I reviewed it…only to have doubts creep in. They become less shiny as time progresses, and a few I’m embarrassed to say I enjoyed. But there a few that do the opposite; become better and/or more fun after I’ve sat with them for a while. Die joins the latter category, with films like The Witch (a review I wrote after my lightbulb moment) and Cabin in the Woods (a review I wrote in darkness). Not bad company, my dudes.

Die is a paint-by-numbers story with scenes you’ll be able to easily predict long before they hit your eyeballs. The dialogue is boilerplate – do not take a shot every time you recognize a line from someplace else, you will be hospitalized. And the cinematography, along with the camera shots and angles, are straight from Action Movie 101. Still? Die will have you rooting for these two heroes, even though we all know that they’ll naturally escape. Unharmed. That’s thanks to the irresistible charisma of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, whose onscreen BFF chemistry is undeniable. The situations they find themselves in are absolutely crazypants – Chekov’s Albino Alligator, anyone? But their friendship feels grounded, and that goes a long way towards getting my cold, dead heart thumping.

Fans of the series will recognize characters introduced in earlier films. I won’t spoil too much, but it’s safe to say that in Die, if you’ve seen them before? You’ll probably see them here. As a good chunk of the cast has been to this rodeo a time or two, they’ve got an excellent idea of what to bring to the table, and how to ham it up without becoming too much of a parody. We do like a touch of parody in our modern day action films. (Me, I’m we.) Silliness helps amp up the adrenaline in bombastic stories, and here in Die, there’s a decent balance of silliness, thrills, and payoff.

Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah pay homage to Michael Bay in many ways, but mostly with their penchant for dialing the action up to 11, and then ripping the knob off. There’s an almost anime quality of over-the-top when it comes to the explosions in this film. Ditto for the situations M&M find themselves in. (See: albino alligator. Sorry not sorry; I love me some reptiles.) I especially enjoyed how even the action scenes have nods to the franchise’s overall story, like Marcus’ love of junk food. There’s a scene where Marcus is sorely tempted, and the film cues Barry White…it’s brilliant it it’s majestic absurdity. Doesn’t make up for so many tired-ass lines of dialogue, but this was the moment when I started to get into the groove of this film.

Special shout-out this time goes to Vanessa Hudgens and Alexander Ludwig, who play police weapons and tech experts Kelly and Dorn. We met these two in Bad Boys For Life, and in Die, they play an indispensable part in aiding our guys. Hudgens and Ludwig have definite star power themselves, but in these roles they know how to dial it back and become part of a team that lets the leads shine. Plus, they have really cool gear that they use like they know exactly what they’re doing. Not always a given with performers, but Hudgens and Ludwig nail it. (Also, keep an eye out for a particular driver during a traffic scene. You’ll see a director this series knows well.)

If you’re in the mood for a mindless action fest with a guaranteed HEA because you know what’s coming from a mile away? Look no further. Dare I say that I wouldn’t mind yet another story with these characters? I dare.

#Protip: One scene has a drone drop a grenade…and yeah, that tech exists. Though it seems like it’s more armed forces than law enforcement. Though there is the possibility that this tech could make the leap sooner rather than later. WHOA.