Movie Review: Bad Boys II (2003)

A film by Michael Bay

I'm almost embarrassed to say that I was entertained by this movie. I did not like the original "Bad Boys" movie, and I have seldom enjoyed much of the work of director Michael Bay. Yet, "Bad Boys II" is full of such mindless action that the movie is more entertaining than it has any right to be.

Marcus (Martin Lawrence) and Mike (Will Smith) are undercover Miami cops who are once again going after a drug Kingpin. This time it is Johnny Tapia (Jordi Molla), a drug lord who has never been convicted despite having been brought to trial many times. "Bad Boys II" brings a change to the relationship between Marcus and Mike. They had been friends since high school and partners on the police force, but there is tension. Marcus seems frazzled, burnt out, and he blames Mike. Mike has a powerful, flashy personality and Marcus feels that Mike is always getting him into some sort of trouble. He plans on transferring to another department away from Mike, but doesn't know how to tell him. Mike, for his part, has been secretly dating Marcus's younger sister Syd (Gabrielle Union). They want to tell Marcus, but worry about his reaction.

The bulk of the movie deals with the investigation of Johnny Tapia and the attempts to finally bring him down. In the process there is a ridiculous amount of action, explosions, gunplay, chase sequences, and violence. It is all very stylish, fluid, and mindlessly fun. "Bad Boys II" is not a very good movie. It is dumb with a very implausible plot which only gets more and more implausible by the end of the movie, but "Bad Boys II" is fun. For a movie as implausible as this one is, it is still an enjoyable ride right up until the last twenty minutes or so when Michael Bay proves that even this movie can go too far in stretching the bounds of credibility. Up until that point I was into the ride the movie took me on, after that point "Bad Boys II" lost me.

This is a visually impressive and stylish action movie with no substance. If that sounds good for one Saturday night out with the guys, "Bad Boys II" is a good choice. It has its place and will certainly find fans among fans of the genre. It is often a funny movie, besides the action, and that helps.