Bad Boys II

Sometimes franchises can be a victim of their own success; more money and creative freedom might sound good at first when making a sequel but sometimes it is those constraints that came at the beginning which can lead to a more refined product. When Michael Bay was directing Bad Boys in 1995, he had a weak script, a limited budget and had to fight the studio to get everything he needed when the weather started to wreak havoc on the sets but he came away with some great on-set improv his two leads in what is still a very entertaining action film.

Eight years later and we would then see the release of Bad Boys II but much had changed in that time. Will Smith’s career had skyrocketed and Bay pushed the envelope further with every film that came after ’95. The director also made himself friendly with a lot of the US military services which gave him access to bigger toys and so the stage was set for something even more bombastic.

Bad Boys II sees the two Miami cops getting caught-up in a DEA operation to take down a highly sophisticated drugs operation where Marcus’ sister is at the centre working undercover with the dangerous leader of the cartel, played by Jordi Mollà.

Much like his other work around this time, Bad Boys II is a visually eye-popping extravaganza and is very frenetic but almost to a nauseating degree. Bay really does go overboard here and is throwing so much at the screen to varying results but it is Smith and Martin Lawrence who keep the story anchored with their winning charisma for the most part. Mollà also makes for a much more interesting and memorable villain compared to the first film. However, there is just too much clutter here and not enough substance to justify nearly two and half hours of running time, and I soon felt the burnout come the 90 minute mark.

While there are some funny moments and some of the action sequences are entertaining, Bad Boys II is a case where less would have been more. Two Maimi cops go from witness protection in the first film to Navy Seals in the second and it’s just too much. There is some fun to be had but to do this in one sitting would be ill advisable for one’s health and, while not perfect, thankfully Bay would step-away nearly twenty years later for a much more palatable third film.