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Week after week this summer, a new sequel arrives and takes over
at the box office. Of course, it should. The whole reason for the film to
be made is because the original probably made a ton of box office
money and the characters were likeable. From the Matrix
Reloaded,
Charlie’s Angels:
Full Throttle, 2
Fast 2 Furious, and even Terminator
3: Rise of the Machines, the characters in these films were
very enjoyable to watch, and each landed at #1 during its opening
weekend. When Bad
Boys came out in 1995, its two stars, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence,
were just two comedians in a comedy-drama. The film went on to become
Columbia Pictures’ highest grossing film that year with $65M. Yes,
it’s hard to imagine it with that number, but it was during Columbia’s
feeble financial years.
Eight years is a long time to wait for a sequel, but with so many cable
channels on TV nowadays, the original film gets played so much,
you would think the film came out yesterday. Now comes what I believe is the best summer action of
2003. “Bad Boys II” is action-packed
and filled with excitement. Besides the reunion of Smith & Lawrence,
who bring in their “A” game, the car chase scenes alone are worth
the price of admission.
Set in Miami, someone is using coffins to smuggle cocaine and
money in the state in exchange for ecstasy. Miami sends their two
best men, Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), undercover
to uncover the identity of the ring leader, Cuban drug lord Johnny
Tapia (Molla). As usual, Lowrey and Burnett are never in sync and
more bodies wind up dead. Meanwhile, Marcus’ little sister Syd
(Union) drops by to hang with the family. Although the family
knows Syd works for DEA, little do they know that she on the biggest
case of her career. Syd is also ready to tell her brother that she’s
been dating Mike on the sly for the last few months, which worries
him being that he and Marcus aren’t really getting along at this
time. When the guys discover what Syd is up to work wise, they
do everything they can to protect her as well protect the city
from drug dealers who come to take over Miami.
From the beginning to the end, the action never stops. At 2 ½ hrs,
one would think that the film is a tad too long and that some of
the scenes and dialogue get repetitive, but if you could see the chemistry
that Smith and Lawrence have together, you can tolerate it. The
thing about buddy films that work is that fans want to see
the guys interact with each other, especially if there's comedy involved.
It worked for Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte with 48 HRS,
and Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon films. No one cares
about the bad guy, in this case Jordi Molla, who was very good
as Johnny Depp’s betrayer in Blow, but has the worst dialogue
in this film. Michael Bay, director of the first film as well as
Armageddon, has taken this film to the highest extreme. The graphic
violence is out of this world. Believe it or not, some folks don’t
want tamed violence. They want to see the gore, and they get it.
No holds barred. Lawrence is amusing as ever. His scenes with the
rats and dead bodies are priceless. Smith brings with his suave
self and “A” game to the plate. Union, looking pretty, doesn’t
have much to do for the most part, but she definitely makes her
mark in a couple of scenes. It’s good to see that although they
weren’t given meaty roles, Randle, Salley, and Pantoliano came
back to join in on the fun. From the car chase scenes, to the shootout
in the house scene, and to the “Reggie” scene, the fun never stops. Bad
Boys II is definitely the film to see if you want to see action,
gore, comedy, and romance all in one film.
Bad Boys II is the
best summer action film of 2003. Absolutely fantastic! |
