Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

Plot of Bad Boys Ride or Die: Mike marries his physical therapist, but at the wedding Marcus has a heart attack, during which his hallucinations make him think he cannot die. Later they find that their now dead boss, Captain Howard, is accused of corruption, and determined to prove the accusation wrong go on the trail of Howard’s hidden files.  They get help from the man accused of Howard’s murderer, Armando, now in prison who followers of the franchise will remember is Mike’s son. Armando is attacked in prison, but while being relocated to a safer place with Mike their aircraft is downed and they are both forced to go on the run, chased by US Marshall Judy Howard, Howard’s daughter and various criminal elements. The guys new boss, Rita Secada has a boyfriend who is a mayoral candidate, but we find out he is a villain, and later the guys also find out, and use him as bait when they are forced to go to a former alligator park where Mike’s wife and Judy’s daughter are being held by the villains.

Content: No sex or nudity, or smoking or drug taking, was there a bit of drinking? Don’t remember. There is some driving of fast cars and one or two scenes of the guys sorting out minor villains, once in a shop, once when they are on the run at a farm. Both Armand, Mike’s son and Reggie Marcus’s son-in-law are seen to be capable of taking on multiple villains. There are multiple fire fights and during the flight of the helicopter fighting in the passenger cabin as the thing tips up. They get messaged by video from the dead Captain Howard and there is a chilling determination by his daughter the US Marshall to catch them. It all comes to a head at the alligator theme park.

A View: I have quite enjoyed all the presentations of the franchise but maybe it is now a bit tired. Nevertheless it tipped the total earnings of the Bad Boys to more than a billion dollars, and this outing well covered its quite high costs. The BBC said that ‘the film is fun enough in its chaotic, grungy rough and ready way’. The younger members of the cast are obviously being groomed for more involvement in any further sequel. What can I say, if you’ve seen the others you’ll probably want to watch this, just to complete the set, if not go back to the first and work through them. They are quite good fun.

Fun Fact: Rhea Seehorn is in the film because the directors are huge fans of ‘Better Call Saul’.