The Popkorn Junkie :: Bad Boys 2

Eight years after the success of the first film, the creative talents responsible have reunited and produced a summer action film that delivers. “Bad Boys 2” not only improves on the action content but it sets new standards for buddy cop movies to aspire.

The film continues the adventures of Miami Narcotics cops Mike Lowrey (Will Smith), and Marcus Bennett (Martin Lawrence), as they battle the bad guys and each other to stop a dangerous drug trafficker named Tapia (Jordia Molla) from flooding the streets with his deadly version of Ecstasy and from smuggling millions of dollars out of the country.

While the plot may seem like any other taken from other films in the genre, “Bad Boys 2” benefits from the great chemistry between Smith and Lawrence and the steady flow of action from director Michael bay who keeps the action flowing but never lets it upstage the characters in the film. The action is nonstop and gripping and there are numerous chases in the film that will not only delight but also raises the bar for future films to follow. One such chase had Mike and Marcus in a high-speed pursuit of the bad guys in a stolen car hauler. The scene was awash in action, energy and humor as the two detectives traded barbs with each other and bullets with the bad guys while dodging a vast array of vehicles that had been dropped from the hauler in an effort to stop the pursuit. The stunt work was amazing and it was a scene of masterful creation that kept the adrenaline flowing and the effects were used to enhance the scene without taking center stage away from the human element. This is but one of three main chase scenes in the film and each one was spectacular as it offered something new to what has often become a tired cliché in action films.

The film also had some great moments of humor and a scene in a video store where a frustrated Marcus bares his soul to Mike unaware that there conversation is not private is hysterical as is the scene where the two harass a young man who has come to take Marcus’s daughter on a first date. While the action is hot and constant, it should be noted that it is very violent and there are some scenes that upped the ante on graphic violence it is never gratuitous and often appropriate for the situation that it was presented in.

The supporting players in the film are good especially the work of Joe Pantoliano as the long suffering boss of the detectives and Theresa Randle as Marcus’s younger sister D.E.A. agent Theresa Burnett. However it is Lawrence and Smith who make this film fly as they feed off one another without trying to upstage one another. I have always thought that Lawrence works best when paired with a talent that will push him and allow his gifts to show and his portrayal of the turbulent yet confused Marcus is dead on as he blends action and humor in manner that comes off as natural for the character rather than forced as he had in some of his recent work. Smith exudes an easy going charm that makes his character Mike a likeable person despite his flaws. Mike and Marcus are good people who often have to do bad things in order to make the world a better place and are not Teflon action heroes as they are affected by the violence around them. Mike has learned to accept it, while Marcus has to debate if a less violent way is more appropriate and better for his family in the long run. Bay keeps the film clicking and despite it’s nearly two and a half hour length, it never becomes boring and the action sequences are original and captivating. Easily one of the best action and buddy cop film in years and yes, it’s better than the original film.

-- Gareth Von Kallenbache ( 3 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

Warning: If you're heavily sensitive to racial stereotypes, objectification of women and excessive violence, this is not the film for you. That's right. You can't say I didn't warn you. Now onto what I think of the film. Though it defies subtlety by all means, I enjoyed "Bad Boys 2" enough to give it a recommendation. I think the original was slightly better, but the formula still works. The comedy is hit-or-miss. I got more chuckles than laughs, but there are some very funny scenes like when Martin Lawrence is "opening up" to Will Smith in the back room of an electronics store and their conversation is caught on tape for the whole store to see, when Martin is hopped up on "E" and when the two of them search for drugs at a mortuary by literally reaching inside the corpses. Make all the Michael Bay jokes you please, but the guy does know how to direct a cool action scene. The scene where the villains throw cars onto the highway to prevent Martin and Will from catching up to them is quite spectacular. Bay definitely pulled out all the stops, as far as the violence is concerned. I'm talking actual zoom-ins of the bullets hitting people's heads and the blood shooting out in slow-motion. Again, don't say I didn't warn you. Sometimes he goes a little too overboard with the action and violence, but there's rarely a dull moment. The multiple shots of scantily clad women helps keep your eyes open as well--that is if you're a guy. Lawrence proves that he's quite good at playing the straight man. Maybe he should consider that same role in his upcoming movies. Let's just say he's much funnier in this movie than he was in his latest clunkers like "National Security" and "Blue Streak." It's much better when he lets the laughs come to him. Gabrielle Union is added to the cast as Lawrence's sister, and like I've said previously, she is gorgeous with a capital "G"! The film runs at a whopping 2 hours and 30 minutes, which is pretty long, but with action this intense you don't pay much mind to the time.

Billy Ray ( 0 out of 4 pops )

Here is another addition to the endless list of sequels that should never have been made. If the first film was not excruciating enough, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith manage to make this one twice as rotten. These are two formerly enormous stars who are giving all they have to try and jump back onto the A-list. "Big Momma's House" and "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" sank Lawrence, and the disaster of "Ali" was all it took to sink Smith. This film sure as hell does not do much for their careers, other than to show people that they will do anything for the green stuff. As with any Bruckheimer production (except "Pirates of the Caribbean") the action is high and the plot if low; not to mention, the performances are not that spectacular. This was just as excuse to revive a couple of declining careers and make a few bucks on the side. Pure garbage.