(Possible spoiler here)
Plot -- Two vice cops (Martin Lawrence and Will Smith) must protect a young woman who is the only witness against a lethal drug lord. Also at stake is millions worth of heroin, stolen from a police evidence locker.
Critique -- "Bad Boys" is an appropriately mediocre feature film debut for director Michael Bay. Though clearly intended as an action-comedy, the film does not deliver enough laughs or thrills to be anything other than a passable time-waster. It's one of these movies you rent on a rainy Sunday afternoon, only to forget the next day. I'm shocked it was such a hit, but I guess the stars had a lot of fans (I do like Smith, but I don't run out to catch everything he appears in).
Lawrence and Smith both have strong screen presence, but they've done better in other movies. As the story unfolds, circumstances force them to exchange identities, in a plot development that is...contrived, to say the least. I could practically hear the plot-mechanisms creaking and groaning. Still, it's not a total loss. The final half hour is quite diverting, with two consecutive action scenes. The two stars, as well as Joe Pantoliano as an obnoxious but dedicated police captain, have an undeniable charisma. "Bad Boys" has a slick, glossy sheen throughout. But that isn't enough to recommend the film. It's most telling that according to the Internet Movie Database, even Bay himself disliked the script, and had the stars improvise certain lines. This movie goes on for much too long; its flaws would have been less apparent in a tighter film. In fact, I would have welcomed more explosions and a higher body count.
Rating: (**) out of four
Released by Columbia Pictures
Plot -- Two vice cops (Martin Lawrence and Will Smith) must protect a young woman who is the only witness against a lethal drug lord. Also at stake is millions worth of heroin, stolen from a police evidence locker.
Critique -- "Bad Boys" is an appropriately mediocre feature film debut for director Michael Bay. Though clearly intended as an action-comedy, the film does not deliver enough laughs or thrills to be anything other than a passable time-waster. It's one of these movies you rent on a rainy Sunday afternoon, only to forget the next day. I'm shocked it was such a hit, but I guess the stars had a lot of fans (I do like Smith, but I don't run out to catch everything he appears in).
Lawrence and Smith both have strong screen presence, but they've done better in other movies. As the story unfolds, circumstances force them to exchange identities, in a plot development that is...contrived, to say the least. I could practically hear the plot-mechanisms creaking and groaning. Still, it's not a total loss. The final half hour is quite diverting, with two consecutive action scenes. The two stars, as well as Joe Pantoliano as an obnoxious but dedicated police captain, have an undeniable charisma. "Bad Boys" has a slick, glossy sheen throughout. But that isn't enough to recommend the film. It's most telling that according to the Internet Movie Database, even Bay himself disliked the script, and had the stars improvise certain lines. This movie goes on for much too long; its flaws would have been less apparent in a tighter film. In fact, I would have welcomed more explosions and a higher body count.
Rating: (**) out of four
Released by Columbia Pictures