Bad Boys (1995)

[K1stpierre]

Discuss

Edited September 23, 2014 by Impact

[RobinHood26]

C (75)

[bartonfink]

Its style and chemistry between two heroes are excitingly striking. 

[Goffe]

Smith and Lawrence's improvised banter is pretty entertaining and I was impressed by the dialogue. 50/100

Edited September 13, 2015 by Goffe

[baumer]

Written in 1999.  My opinion hasn't changed.

 

There is something about black humour that I love. And I don't mean humour that is gross or dark, I really mean humour by black actors/artists. Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor were funny in their day. Whoopie Goldberg has me in stitches when she is on stage or in a movie. Chris Rock is an up and coming comic genius. And the two guys in this film have me in laughing almost every time I see them on screen. Martin Lawrence was the best part of Boomerang and in Bad Boys he is hilarious as the married side kick to Will Smith's bachelor playboy. And of course Will Smith launched his career with this movie. He is very funny in The Fresh Prince television show and he shows here that his propensity for comedy is excellent. Together these two are brilliant, one of the best cop buddies since Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh.

Bad Boys has a fairly typical buddy comedy set up.  There's a witness to protect and she is on the run from some very bad men and drugs are involved, of course. Now it is up to the two heroes to try and crack the case and not get into too much trouble in the process. There are so many cliched things about this movie, but sometimes cliches are good, if you have likable actors to carry out the script. As in every buddy cop movie, you have the two partners that are very different but have a mutual respect for each other. You have the police chief that does nothing but tell them how much they have cost the department, how they could be suspended if they are not careful and how they are the best at what they do but a little too care free. You have the bad guy with the foreign accent who is charming and debonair but as deadly as a rattlesnake. Take any good cop/caper movie from Lethal Weapon, Stakeout, Beverly Hills Cop to films like Last Action Hero. They all have the same themes, but what makes them all good, and that includes this one, is how well they are executed. A lot of the credit has to go to Smith and Lawrence, but I also think special attention has to be given to Michael Bay. He was a new comer here and he proved that he has a great eye for action. The chase scene that starts in Smith's apartment and ends on the street where Lawrence almost dies, is one of the most emotionally charged scenes I've seen in a cop comedy. It kind of reminded me of Lethal Weapon 2, when at the end I thought Riggs was dead after his battle with the South African bad guy. That had power, this one is even better than that.

Bad Boys is great entertainment and Smith and Michael Bay have become major players in Hollywood now. This is the start of it all and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It is funny, action packed and likable. You can't go wrong. If you like some of the films that were mentioned in the review, then you'll have a hard time not liking this one. An excellent film.

 

9/10

[IndustriousAngel]

I found it entertaining and with good tension and fun actors. But the steady bantering, and the fact that the female witness (her name escapes me) constantly decides on the most stupid way of action possible gets a bit grating after a while. B

[Kosko]

I still prefer the second one but this one is a very good action movie, the chemistry between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence was just phenomenal and I really hope they make a third 5/5