Great Film: Bad Boys
Typically stylish cop flick that is better than the average
I don't know about you but there are two words that I associate with
disastrously bad films. Two words that fill my soul with dread and my
bowels with fear. And those two words are... "sports drama". Two OTHER
words that carry similar feelings are "Martin Lawrence" so to find a
film with him in that I like is something of a surprise. "Bad Boys" is
as traditional an action-cop film as you can imagine, filled with hot
action sequences, fast cars and beautiful women. And Martin Lawrence.
Lawrence is Det. Marcus Burnett, straight-laced family man and partner
to Det. Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) who is Burnett's polar opposite. He's
a fast-living ladies man with a passion for sports car and when $100
million dollars worth of heroin is stolen from the Miami PD, he and
Burnett are put on the case. But in order to trace the drugs, they need
to protect murder witness Julie Mott (Téa Leoni) from local hoodlums
led by suave gangster Fouchet (Tchéky Karyo).
As you'd expect from a Bruckheimer & Simpson production, this follows a
strict mantra of "style over substance" which makes "Bad Boys" feel
like an update of another Miami-based cop show "Miami Vice". The suits
are sharp, the action is loud and the cars look way beyond the economic
means of cops. And despite the characters being way too familiar
("Lethal Weapon", anyone?), Smith and Lawrence bring humour and
chemistry to their roles and lift the film beyond your expectations. In
truth, this is the sort of film where you switch your brain off and
just enjoy it and thanks to Smith and Lawrence, you can do just that.
They spark off each other really well, seeing them in good stead for
the almost inevitable sequel.
"Bad Boys" is not what you'd call a classic but it is an enjoyable
movie that you can enjoy if it's on TV or a rental DVD. Sometimes, you
just want to relax in front of something undemanding and while that may
sound like criticism, it isn't. The male half of the species will enjoy
this much more than their girlfriends (well, she didn't mind it...) but
this sort of thing isn't likely to expand your mind that much. Get
yourself some popcorn, slouch on the couch and watch the epitome of the
blockbuster cop movie.
Cast
- Mike Lowrey played by Will Smith
- James Burnett played by Cory Hodges
- Marcus Burnett played by Martin Lawrence
- Theresa Burnett played by Theresa Randle
- Girl Decoy played by Lisa Boyle
- Carjacker played by Michael Taliferro
- Eddie Dominguez played by Emmanuel Xuereb
