Bad Boys - Bad boys. Fun film

Back in the nineties there was one name that was becoming synonymous with big, loud action movies. And that name was Michael Bay. How times change!

However, don’t be put off by seeing the man responsible for Megan Fox and Transformers’ name in the credits. ‘Bad Boys’ is actually quite a fun film.

It’s nothing new, i.e. two bickering cops do their best to protect a material witness while fending off various attempts on everyone’s lives courtesy of ‘the mob.’ But it’s fun and its two stars (Martin Lawrence and Will Smith – believe it or not, back then Martin Lawrence was the ‘star’ and Will Smith just the supporting cast member. Again, how times change!) play off each other nicely. They shoot, they playfully berate each other, while watching each other’s backs at all times. There are car chases and shoot-outs, plus a load of wise-cracks to keep you entertained.

I would almost say this is the perfect loud, dumb action movie. However, the only downside (in my opinion) is the film’s length. It doesn’t really need to be nearly two hours. The ‘extra’ plotlines revolve around the witness to the murder believing that Martin Lawrence’s character is really Will Smith and vice versa. A lot goes into this plotline and I couldn’t see the need for any of it (it almost degenerates into ‘farce’ at some stages). I’d rather the writers had played the film – a little – straighter and had more serious stuff with just the odd one-liner to keep things a little happy.

But that’s a minor gripe. The film is still fun and should be enjoyed with a big (bad) bag of popcorn.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that