Movie · 2020 · Thriller, Action, Crime · 2h 4m · R · English
Curator score: 1.9/10 (427.4K ratings)
Ride together. Die together.
Overview
Marcus and Mike are forced to confront new threats, career changes, and midlife crises as they join the newly created elite team AMMO of the Miami police department to take down the ruthless Armando Armas, the vicious leader of a Miami drug cartel.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.9/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 2.93/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 59
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Production
Columbia Pictures, 2.0 Entertainment, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Overbrook Entertainment
Cast
Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nuñez, Kate del Castillo, Nicky Jam, Joe Pantoliano, Jacob Scipio, Theresa Randle, DJ Khaled, Happy Anderson, Bianca Bethune, Dennis Greene, Michael Bay, Gissette Valentin, Rose Bianco, Edelia Merida, Jasmin Lawrence
Where to watch
Hulu, fuboTV
Curator Review
Verdict
A slick, crowd-pleasing franchise revival that trades some of the series’ chaos for clearer action, stronger emotional beats, and dependable star chemistry. It’s less outrageous than the Bay-era entries, but it works as a polished buddy-cop thriller with enough humor and momentum to satisfy.
Best for
fans of buddy-cop chemistry
viewers who want accessible action over maximalist chaos
people who like legacy sequels with emotional stakes
audiences looking for a glossy Miami crime movie
Skip if
you want the wildest, most unhinged version of the franchise
you dislike polished studio action movies
you need inventive action over familiar beats
you prefer hard-edged crime films with a darker tone
Overview
Bad Boys for Life is the rare late sequel that knows exactly what it is and mostly delivers it. The movie leans harder into Marcus and Mike’s chemistry than into sheer spectacle, and that shift gives it a more coherent emotional spine than the earlier films usually bothered with. It’s still loud, flashy, and built around swagger, but it’s also more controlled and legible than its predecessors.
Worth noting
The action is cleaner and less deranged than the Michael Bay entries, which will be a plus for some viewers and a loss for others. If you came for maximum Bayhem, this can feel sanded down; if you came for a functional, energetic blockbuster with a few memorable set pieces and a strong sense of character, it lands well enough.
Bottom line
What really keeps it afloat is the chemistry between the leads and the movie’s willingness to let midlife-crisis humor coexist with gunfire and cartel stakes. It’s not the franchise at its most outrageous, but it may be its most complete as a movie.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Patrick Willems (3★) · 1167 likes
Lacks the style, craft, personality, and deranged nihilism of Michael Bay's masterpiece Bad Boys II but partly makes up for it with a surprisingly coherent, emotional story. A better ending than most trilogies get.
demi adejuyigbe (3★) · 658 likes
Three thoughts I had during this movie:
1) Think of the best possible cameo that this movie could have. Yeah, they got it. (No, not ** ******. The other one.)
2) Honestly a little disappointed at how smooth the action in this film felt– it was like they wanted to sand down the edges of Bayhem into something a little more palatable. Which is impressive! But Bad Boys should be the kind of dumb action movie where a bunch of… more
David Sims (3★) · 581 likes
Pants needs an Oscar for this one. The horse speech? Get outta here
#OscarForPants
davidehrlich (3★) · 539 likes
What defines a “Bad Boys” movie? It’s been 17 years since the last sequel came out, but some of the key elements are still easy to pin down: You need Will Smith as flashy Detective Sergeant Michael “Mike” Lowery, and Martin Lawrence as his slightly more sedate platonic life partner Detective Sergeant Marcus Burnett. You need Miami in all of its hyper-saturated splendor — nuclear orange skies, bikinis on the boardwalk, and a bass so thick that it seems to… more What defines a “Bad Boys” movie? It’s been 17 years since the last sequel came out, but some of the key elements are still easy to pin down: You need Will Smith as flashy Detective Sergeant Michael “Mike” Lowery, and Martin Lawrence as his slightly more sedate platonic life partner Detective Sergeant Marcus Burnett. You need Miami in all of its hyper-saturated splendor — nuclear orange skies, bikinis on the boardwalk, and a bass so thick that it seems to… more
matt lynch (2.5★) · 447 likes
In BAD BOYS II, they sneak a small army into Cuba. In this one they fly commercial to Mexico.
Not without its moments, including a handful of good lines and some nice handheld longer takes and assorted camera gags in the relatively legible action sequences. Otherwise this is mightily generic. You'll be longing for the manic, gorgeous awfulness of Bay's plastic poison.
2012 · Action, Comedy, Crime · 1h 49m · R · Curator 5.8/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, TNT, TBS, tru TV
A self-aware studio action-comedy that mixes bromance, jokes, and surprisingly effective set pieces.