Face-Off: Bad Boys vs. Bad Boys II

Martin Lawrence as Detective Marcus Burnett
Will Smith as Detective Mike Lowrey
Tea Leoni  as Julie Mott
Joe Pantoliano as Captain Conrad Howard
Theresa Randle as Theresa Burnett
Tcheky Karyo as Fouchet
Nestor Serrano as Detective Sanchez
Julio Oscar Mechoso as Detective Ruiz
Michael Imperioli as Jojo
Marg Helgenberger as Captain Alison Sinclair
Saverio Guerra as Chet

Original Thoughts: Audiences didn't have to wait for Michael Bay to start blowing up whole cities using asteroids and robots to see the man had a knack for over-the-top action and chaos filled with over-dramatic intensity and style. Even as far back as his first movie, BAD BOYS, he was relishing in taking every moment where even something mildly exciting was happening and making it as ridiculous and unabashed as possible. Whether it be the gunfight scenes that operate with zero regards for civilian casualties or Will Smith running with an open shirt through the streets of Miami, Bay makes everything barrel at a mile a minute and only gives the viewer a chance to slow down and catch a breath when things go into slo-mo, the characters looking very dramatically at something while covered in sweat (which everyone seems to be). This style is perfectly suited to a mid-90s action movie when it was still okay for cop-action flicks to be as ridiculous as possible, and Bay gives it that sun-drenched vibe and makes excellent use of the leading men at the core. Let it never be said Bay has never had a distinct style that makes a movie with so little going below the surface look so effortlessly cool.

New Thoughts: As we will get to next door, he isn't *quite* the Bay we have come to argue over, but what I admire about his work here is he while he still proves he can shoot an action flick like no one else around, he's not so indulgent that he can leave some room to breathe, and where Smith and Lawrence have enough charm to work a scene with nothing but their wits. 

Original Thoughts: Thank god for Bay making this movie look as stylish as it is and for making the action scenes as ludicrous and entertaining as they are, because the script BAD BOYS is just plain bad. Written by , Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland and Doug Richardson and filled with every cop cliche you can think of, without the improvosation by Smith and Lawrence and the guidance of Bay this would've just made the straight-to-video pile. Some bad guys break into the police department and steal some pricey drugs, and then across two hours the main characters have to, I guess, find them and stop them, but aren't that great in going about it. Trying to capitalize on the fish-out-water scenario, for some reason, the story comes to a standstill when Lawrence's Burnett and Smith's Lowery have to play a game of Wife Swap and live in each other's shoes. Why the story takes this route, god only knows. Because of it we get a lot of whacky shenangians and misunderstandings that might, at their best, give the story an action-comedy vibe rather than a straighter action flick. It's such a simple story that jumps through bizarre hoops, only to bounce from set piece to set piece or joke to joke that it's hard to discern if there even is a story. Again, praise be to Lawrence and Smith — who were told by Bay to improvise given the bad script — for making these moments entertaining.

New Thoughts: Look, the fact of the matter is the script work for BAD BOYS is bad, but it's damn-near THE SOCIAL NETWORK compared to what was written next door. The jokes work better; the story, although a mess, is still more focused than what goes on in the sequel and; while the cast isn't as colorful and given much to do, still feel like they have a place here. 

Bits:

Car Jack Gone Wrong

Drug Heist

Friend Gunned Down

Smith Shoved Throw Dramatic Window

Apartment Shoot Out

Bathroom Fight

Bar Fight

Home Invasion Gone Wrong

Questioning Jojo

Lowery on the Move

Final Shoot Out

Race on the Runway 

Lines:

Store Clerk: “Freeze, mother bitches!”
Lowrey: “You freeze, bitch! Now back up, put the gun down, and get me a pack of Tropical Fruit Bubblicious.”
Burnett: “And some Skittles.”

—–

Burnett: “You forgot your boarding pass.”

—–

Lowrey: “It's $105,000 and this happens to be one of the fastest production cars on the planet. Zero to sixty in four seconds, sweetie. It's a limited edition.”
Burnett: “You damn right it's limited. No cup holder, no back seat. Just a shiny dick with two chairs in it. I guess we the balls just draggin' the fuck along.”

—–

Lowrey: “Don't be alarmed, we're negros.”
Burnett: “Naw man, naw. There's too much bass in your voice. That scares white folks. You got to sound like them. [high voice] 'We were wondering if we could borrow some brown sugar…?'”

—–

Mott: “That's flesh that you're shoveling into your mouth. You know, that was, like, a living, breathing creature. You know, it probably had a name.”
Burnett: “It's just bologna. My bologna has a first name.”

—–

Lowrey: “What are you talking about, man? You sleep with a beautiful woman everyday.”
Burnett: “I'm married. That's what married means. It means you sleep together, but you can't get none.”

—–

Lowrey: “Marcus, I just have one question for ya bro. How the hell you gonna leave my ass at a gun fight to go get the car!”

—–

Burnett: “If you don't sit your lanky ass down right now, bottom-line, I will knock you the fuck out.”

—–

Lowery: “Now that's how you supposed to drive! From now on that's how you drive!”

Original Thoughts: Smith and Lawrence are this movie's biggest saving grace, showcasing their talents beyond what their TV shows were providing them with at the time. Not only are they expert comedians getting let off the leash, but they also completely fall under Bay's spell and commit fully to the over-dramatic action and gunplay. From the moment they're first seen onscreen, cruising around in Lowery's car and bickering over Lawrence eating fast food and making a mess, the two seamlessly come off as men who love each other like brothers, showing it through fast, macho banter and even playful hostility. Burnett's character development may never get beyond “I'm married and not having sex!” and it gets laid on thick that Lowery wants to be seen as more than a guy with tons of cash and lady friends, but their chemistry matters more than their development. Through the improv, they perfectly complement each other's comedy, like when Smith added in the “…and get me a pack of Tropical Fruit Bubbalicious,” with Lawrence touching it up with the simple, “and some Skittles.” 

New Thoughts: This first movie made great use of the two actors' skills, capitalizing on their chemistry by giving them ample room to play around. Their very much a saving grace of the the whole thing, even if the story itself doesn't provide much of a story for them to do more than banter. Having them switch lives for the sake of the case was an odd move, and what the sequel does so better, as I will explore, is that it makes time (between the shouting) to push the two characters through larger hoops emotionally — if not chaotically. 

Original Thoughts: BAD BOYS sports the kind of action you won't find in movies anymore less it be covered in CGI to the point of seeming off-putting. By that I mean you have completely over-the-top gunfights in the middle of screaming crowds, with no one caring about anyone's safety or really anything else around them; The heroes unironically slide across the hoods of their cars as a way of getting to the other side in the coolest way possible; Everyone shoots wildly with no tact while taking cover behind flammable objects, all before lighting one up with a clever catchphrase. It's unapologetically brash and entirely devoid of substance, but its endlessly entertaining, and with Bay behind the lens you get those *chef's kiss* stylistic choices that make the familiar seem distinct, and makes these two men known more for comedy seem like true action stars.

New Thoughts: The action in this first movie provides more than enough thrills to rank as some of the craziest in the 90s action flick canon, but they cannont compare to the gargantuan absurdity in the sequel. Yeah, there may be a cool chase scene with a clever line or two, but then BAD BOYS II rolls up and bashes 10 cars together as explosions stream the road, with Smith dropping numerous one-liners in the process. There me a final shootout, but the sequel has several climax-level shootouts where hundreds of bullets fly with gleeful abandon, with Smith firing two guns whilst jumping through the air. 

Original Thoughts: As I've covered, Smith and Lawrence are two very funny men. Smith was becoming a superstar thanks to the comedy FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR, while Lawrence had his show, MARTIN, both of which were two of the most popular TV comedies during their runs. So together, they complement each other's humor with brotherly banter that could go for ages as long as Bay kept the cameras running. Several funny lines come from the duo being let loose with an R-rating, and their humor bounces so well of each other that when they're apart, things can start to feel a little flat. Side characters like Joe Pantoliano and Tea Leoni get good back and forths with the boys, and all this makes BAD BOYS one of Bay's funnier movies, which is a good thing considering his movies work better the less seriously you take them.

New Thoughts: I won't say the comedy in this first movie is more “pure” than the sequel, but it certainly feels more nature and less reliant on gross-out gags. These two men are incredibly funny, and all the best laughs come from the two trading barbs either when they're driving around or in the middle of  a gunfight. And like I said in the “Director” section, Bay exhibits some relative restraint, giving more room for the humor to flow than the sequel. 

Awards:

Nothing special

*1 Win and 3 Nominations* Per IMDb

Praise:

Rotten Tomatoes: 42% (78% Audience)
IMDb: 6.9
Metacritic: 41 (8.7 Audience)

Money:

$65 million domestic ($141 million global)

Going back to listen to Mark Mancina's score for BAD BOYS is like getting in a time machine and going back to a time and genre when it was okay for intense action movie scores to have sweet guitar riffs and sweet saxophone solos blended. Those are the kinds of tracks you're gonna hear when you rewatch BAD BOYS, with Mencina occasionally rising to the challenge when Bay whats to get super intense. He successfully makes the scene with Smith running around Miami with an open shirt that has a fast-paced theatricality to it, which is the only way in which Smith running around as that should feel. Mancina also gives the movie at least a glimmer of a theme, with the opening “Prologue” and a methodic sound perfect for throwing on sunglasses as you hop into a convertible, getting a bit of style as things speed up. But, as we will get into more with the sequel, a claim to fame with the movie is the soundtrack, featuring rap and R&B hits from the likes of 2Pac, Warren G, Diana King. If Mancina's score is enough to make you think fondly about the style of the 90s, the music from the various artists will force you to scour all the thrift shops you can find for over-sized shirts and Kangol caps. These songs give the movie a smoother, more stylish flow where Mancina's score would have it feel boxed in like a typical action flick. This was blown too far more impressive levels come the sequel, though.