Bad Boys: Rider or Die, the fourth installment in the franchise, puts career-long friends/partners Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) at the center of a police corruption scandal involving the cartel and corrupt cops. Like muscle memory, Smith and Lawrence pop back into character and bring the same comedy and over-the-top action fans of the franchise have grown to love.

In this very Mission Impossible style plot, their late boss Capt. Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is named as the leader of a corrupt ring within Miami Police Department that was working with the cartels. Mike and Marcus know it wasn’t their old boss and are on a mission to find the person behind it. The only person that can help identify whoever is behind this is Mike’s estranged son Armando (Jacob Scipio). After a botched prison transport, Mike and Marcus are fugitives on the run as they try to clear their names along with Capt. Howard’s.

Bad Boys is a typical summer blockbuster that leans into all the action movies clichés: there’s nobody they can trust, there’s a bounty out on Mike and Marcus, they only have a small team of people (that includes Dorn played by Alexander Ludwig and Kelly played by Vanessa Hudgens), and their families are in danger.

On top everything else, Marcus had a near death experience that makes him believe he can’t die and Mike is suffering from panic debilitating panic attacks. These issues keep coming up throughout the movie with Marcus’ new found belief as a running joke and Mike’s panic attacks as something that’s going to show up at the worst possible time.

As predictable as Bad Boys is, this is a formula that works for action movies and is done very well in this franchise. One of the best parts of this film and the franchise is watching two characters get old together. That dynamic may lend itself to corny jokes and some slapstick humor, but it also highlights the natural chemistry between Smith and Lawrence. It’s been fuel that kept this franchise going since 1995.

Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah did a wonderful job shooting the action sequences. There’s a fun car chase, an insane helicopter crash, and big shootout in the third act at an abandoned theme park. They use drones and some new point of view camera technology in the third act to get some very entertaining action shots. They also did a good job with the pacing in the film. It comes in at just under two hours, but it’s paced so well that it feels like a 90 minute film.

The best action sequence in the film comes during a home invasion. It has the best mix of comedy and action. It’s one of those scenes you want to see in a crowded theater opening weekend.

Eric Dane (Euphoria, Grey’s Anatomy) plays the big bad named McGrath. He’s has the perfect look for a Bad Boys villain. I wish the film spent more time with the character so audiences could see more of Dane onscreen. If there’s one thing this film needed more of, it’s more Eric Dane.  The story needed a little more of the big bad being big and bad so he feels like a real threat to Marcus and Mike.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the definition of a summer blockbuster. It delivers enough nostalgia, big action, and big laughs for audiences to enjoy. It feels like the kind of film that would’ve been made in the 90’s while still feeling like a film made in 2024. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence can keep making these films if they’re going to be this entertaining.

Grade: B+