It really sucks that P Diddy turned out to be awful and this film couldn’t have “Shake Ya Tailfeather” or “Bad Boys for Life” playing, but the movie still manages to be a good time.
The fourth film in the franchise starts out with Mike (Will Smith) getting married to a new character, Christine (Melanie Liburd). The celebration is great until his longtime friend and police partner Marcus (Martin Lawrence) has a heart attack. After a near death experience, though, Marcus walks away with a new found confidence and a positive outlook on life.
It’s certainly needed as the detectives’ late captain is framed for major crimes by the cartel. As they begin to investigate, the cops themselves are framed and are not only sought by the cartel, but other law enforcement as well.
The third “Bad Boys,” released early in 2020, was a real let down. It introduced a long-lost son for Mike creating an overly melodramatic subplot and compared to the original two, it just felt stale. Part four, meanwhile, is a big step up.
“Ride or Die” feels more like the original two. Yes, the characters are older, but it has the swagger, humor and fun that the third movie just missed. It’s an entertaining buddy cop romp, and comes in with run time under two hours, so it never overstays its welcome.
Some new aspects introduced offer a bit of freshness to differentiate it from previous installments, too. Marcus’ near-death experience and subsequent belief that he’s untouchable provides good levity, while the fugitive angle takes away a lot of the resources the duo would regularly have.
Regarding the latter, “Ride or Die” isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, as it’s reminiscent of other wrongfully accused fugitive movies, from, well, “The Fugitive,” to action flicks like “Angel Has Fallen.” It’s a fairly standard action formula, but the filmmakers get it to work well enough with a mix of solid comedy and police adventuring.
The dynamic between the two leads is once again the highlight of the film, with Smith and Lawrence continuing to have a great on-screen chemistry. This film more-so than part 3 feels like it advanced the characters, too, with Mike now being a married man who deals with some moments of anxiety, and Marcus being more spirited despite some new health issues.
It’s not enormous character development, but it’s new turns for each of them, while they still boast their Miami coolness. There’s also the factor of Mike playing the role of a father to his fugitive son, and it’s fairly enjoyable seeing them join forces here.
Jacob Scipio who plays Mike’s son Armando does well in making his character a bad ass anti-hero. Also good additions on screen are Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and Paola Nunez as the heroes’ allies on the police force.
Less impressive are the antagonists who are much more generic, including a surprise villain who may as well have been holding up a neon sign saying “I’m the bad guy.” The heavies still do their part, though, which is combatting the good guys in major action scenes.
On that front, “Ride or Die” doesn’t surpass previous entries in terms of action spectacle. Part of the reason is the camera work and editing get too chaotic here and there. However, there’s still some really solid moments of action included, such as one great scene where a side character has to protect one of the protagonist’s family.
The latest “Bad Boys” doesn’t hit the highs of the first two in this series, but it’s far better than the third picture and it really is a good time hanging out with these two characters as they take on a major challenge. While the cinematography gets messy at times and the story is a straightforward fugitive tale, “Ride or Die” succeeds as a popcorn flick. 3.7 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
An excellent review. I’m not sure if I will watch this movie mainly because of its leading star. I’ve often appreciated Will Smith and adore his movies from early 2000’s. However, my perceptions of the actor forever changed after the slap at the Oscars. I just can’t bring myself to watch this latest movies. So I think I’ll skip “Bad Boys” for this reason.
That being said, I do love Smith’s turn in “King Richard”. He was phenomenal in a role of a father guiding tennis prodigies to victories. Here’s why I loved that film:
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