Bad Boys for Life review: A surprisingly self-reflective return to Michael Bay’s hyperkinetic franchise
The film, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, seems borderline apologetic for what came before
Dir: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah. Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nunez, Kate del Castillo. 15 cert, 124 mins.
“All our lives we’ve been Bad Boys,” Marcus (Martin Lawrence) tells his partner Mike (Will Smith). “Now it’s time to be Good Men.” It’s been 25 years since these rogue cops first graced the silver screen – maybe they’ve earned the right to a few dad jokes. But, oddly enough, this throwaway punchline reveals a lot more about Bad Boys for Life than its creators likely ever intended. The first Bad Boys, released in 1995, marked the relatively humble debut of future machismo juggernaut Michael Bay; when he returned for the sequel eight years later, he’d adopted every bad habit he’s now notorious (or wryly celebrated) for. There was the hyperkinetic camera work, the orgiastic explosions, and the gun-toting authoritarian viewpoint.
Bad Boys for Life, which sees Belgian duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah step into Bay’s shoes, seems borderline apologetic for what came before. Their approach is just as flashy, packed with dizzying helicopter shots and montages of bikini models, but notably less cynical in tone. The Bad Boys may not have quite reformed, but they’ve grown softer. Marcus is now a grandfather who finds simple pleasure in a bathrobe and a BarcaLounger; Mike’s still pursuing the bachelor life, but refuses to admit to a single soul that he dyes his goatee.
What’s surprising is that – despite the general air of pointlessness – the film still finds plenty of ways to entertain. Arbi and Fallah pick up a few tricks from both the Fast and Furious and the John Wick films; the car chases are as improbable as can be, while the fist fights are balletic and tightly choreographed.
The film relies heavily on Smith and Lawrence’s tried-and-tested chemistry, though Chris Bremner, Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan’s script avoids sliding too much into cheap nostalgia. Lawrence, who’s barely made an appearance on film in the past decade, never drops the ball here. He bulges his eyes and shrieks “Oh s***!” with perfect timing, as if all he did during his time away from the scene is bulge his eyeballs and shriek “Oh s***!”. Smith is as watchable as ever, fleshing Mike out in unexpected ways. While Marcus is ready to hang up the badge, his partner convinces himself that staying in the game and refusing to retire will stave off the inevitable march of time.
19 films to look out for in 2020
Show all 19
19 films to look out for in 2020
1/19 Queen & Slim
An intoxicating and romantic drama about lovers on the run, Queen & Slim marks the first feature film from Melina Matsoukas, the director responsible for music videos including Beyoncé’s “Formation”. Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith are the unlikely couple thrust together on a go-nowhere blind date, only for tragedy to transform them into folk heroes roaming across the USA searching for shelter. It’s a spellbinding debut. (Adam White)
Released 31 January
Universal Pictures
2/19 Parasite
Guaranteed to be one of the major players in next year’s Oscars, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite works better the less you know about it. What you should know is that it is a devilishly inventive deconstruction of class, brimming with energy, dark humour and nervous tension. (Adam White)
Released 7 February
Curzon Artificial Eye
3/19 The Invisible Man
Rising from the ashes of the aborted Universal Monsters multiverse, which was due to star Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise, this rebooted Invisible Man uses the iconic branding to tell the smaller and far more intriguing story of a woman on the run from her invisible ex. Elisabeth Moss is the domestic violence survivor convinced that her supposedly dead boyfriend has merely mastered the art of invisibility. Leigh Whannell, who directed 2018’s wonderfully inventive sci-fi thriller Upgrade, is behind the camera. (Adam White)
Released 28 February
Universal Pictures
4/19 A Quiet Place: Part II
A Quiet Place would surely have been better off as a standalone film, but the financial success of writer-director John Krasinski’s B-movie-style horror tale put paid to that. This isn’t to say there’s no more story to tell. In fact, Krasinski made no secret of the fact he had a whole universe he could one day explore, and sure enough, joining returning stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Thomas and Noah Jupe (so brilliant in Honey Boy) are new additions in the form of Cillian Murphy and Djimon Honsou. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 20 March
Paramount Pictures
5/19 No Time to Die
While Daniel Craig’s Bond tenure has been marked by severe whiplash in terms of quality, there remains something incredibly exciting about the arrival of a new 007 movie. No Time to Die, Craig’s final outing as the super-spy, also boasts an intoxicating array of talent on and off screen, from Cary Fukunaga on directorial duties, to a script co-written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and cast newcomers including Ana de Armas, Rami Malek and Lashana Lynch. (Adam White)
Released 3 April
Universal Pictures
6/19 Antebellum
Little is known about the plot for Antebellum, the feature film debut of artists and music video directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. But the thriller's trailer is a visual feast, with Janelle Monáe appearing to be caught between the present day and the horrors of a 19th century plantation. From producer Jordan Peele, director of Get Out and Us, it also features Jena Malone, Gabourey Sidibe and Kiersey Clemons. (Adam White)
Released 24 April
Lionsgate Films
7/19 The Woman in the Window
An adaptation of the pulpy bestseller (which itself was engulfed in mystery when a New Yorker feature claimed its author, AJ Finn, had extensively lied about his personal life and history), The Woman in the Window puts Amy Adams centre stage for the first time since 2018’s Sharp Objects. She’s an agoraphobic psychologist convinced she has witnessed a murder across the street from her apartment. Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman and Brian Tyree Henry co-star. (Adam White)
Released 15 May
20th Century Fox
8/19 Candyman
Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen III continues his incredible ascent with the starring role in this remake. Produced by the ubiquitous Jordan Peele, the new Candyman revives the hook-handed killer originated in 1992’s genuinely terrifying Bernard Rose film, but with a black and female director and predominantly black cast – which ought to mean the frustratingly ambiguous racial themes of the original can finally be given their due. (Adam White)
Released 12 June
Universal Pictures
9/19 Wonder Woman 1984
The sequel to 2017’s mega successful Wonder Woman is a rare thing: a DC film worthy of excitement. The first outing saw Patty Jenkins become the highest-grossing woman director in cinema history, and she’s looking to beat her own record with a follow-up centred on the Amazon princess’s battle against a villain named Cheetah (Kristen Wiig in her superhero film debut). That Jenkins describes it as “a grand tentpole like they use to make in the 1980s” is reason alone to mark its release on your 2020 calendar. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 5 June
Warner Bros Pictures
10/19 Soul
Soul is a curious new Pixar film that appears to emulate the philosophical wonder of Inside Out with the lived-in cultural exploration of Coco. Jamie Foxx is a struggling musician who finally gets his big break, only to experience a freak accident that propels him into a mysterious netherworld in which souls are imbued with talents and passions, before being implanted in newborn babies. It looks gorgeous, is potentially insane, and is co-written by Tina Fey. (Adam White)
Released 17 July
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
11/19 Tenet
Hours after the first reviews of both Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Cats took over social media, Warner Bros dropped the trailer for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s top secret espionage thriller. It’s fair to say plenty of sunshine was stolen – and for good reason. Tenet marks Nolan’s return to the mind-melting thrills of Inception and, while the plot remains unknown, it seems to focus on a team of heroes who must rewind time to prevent the outbreak of war. Sign us up. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 17 July
Warner Bros Pictures
12/19 Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise is taking a (short) break from carrying out impossible missions in 2020. Instead, he’ll return to the cockpit for a sequel to the daddy of all Eighties films, Top Gun. There’ll surely be an element of “teach new dogs old tricks” in the Joseph Kosinski-directed film as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell mentors a new generation of US Navy fighter pilots. We’re hopeful the result will – wait for it – take our breath away. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 17 July
Paramount Pictures
13/19 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
It’s not the Bridesmaids sequel everyone begged for nearly a decade ago, but Barb and Star is its spiritual follow-up at least. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, the women behind the 2011 smash, write and star in this new comedy, playing two best friends who venture out of their small Midwestern community for the very first time. They soon get mixed up in a villainous plot to kill an entire town, while Jamie Dornan and Damon Wayans Jr also star. (Adam White)
Released 24 July
Lionsgate
14/19 The Many Saints of Newark
Whether you like it or not, a film prequel based on The Sopranos is being released in 2020. The presence of David Chase, the HBO show’s creator, goes a long way to abate any concerns fans might have, and it’ll at least be a fine chance to explore the mobsters’s family history. The film is expected to focus on Dickie Moltisanti, the father of Christopher, whose memory loomed large over the series. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 5 September
HBO
15/19 Last Night in Soho
Edgar Wright is adding “psychological horror” to his filmmaking repertoire with Last Night in Soho, a neon-soaked thrill ride starring quite the ensemble (Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg). The intriguing plot focuses on a young girl for whom “time falls apart” after she’s somehow transported to the 1960s. It sounds like a cult hit in waiting. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 18 September
Getty Images
16/19 Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
The feel-good West End smash is transformed into a feel-good movie, with Richard E Grant, Sarah Lancashire and Sharon Horgan leading the story of a teenage boy who overcomes insecurity by embracing drag. Newcomer Max Harwood portrays the title character. (Adam White)
Released 21 October
20th Century Fox
17/19 The Eternals
Regardless of whether you’re a keen follower of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not, The Eternals should pique your interest. Sure, it may be spearheading a brand new phase of Marvel franchises – there really is no end to the studios’ box office stronghold – but it features what has to be one of the most eclectic casts ever seen in a superhero film: Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry and Salma Hayek. Colour us intrigued. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 6 November
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
18/19 Dune
A remake of David Lynch’s Dune would ordinarily cause our eyeballs to rattle around our sockets, but not when Denis Villeneuve’s in the director’s chair. So committed to his vision is Warner Bros that they ignored the fact his breathtaking Blade Runner sequel flopped and handed him the keys to a fresh adaptation of Herbert Ross’ novel. He did direct Prisoners, Enemy and Arrival, after all. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya head up the cast. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 18 December
Getty Images
19/19 West Side Story
Long in the works, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story looks set to be a festive smash this time next year. Speculated to be closer in spirit to the original Stephen Sondheim musical than the iconic 1961 film, this new version casts Ansel Elgort as Tony and newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria – the latter, incredibly, beat out more than 30,000 candidates for the role, after submitting an audition video via Twitter. (Adam White)
Released 18 December
20th Century Fox
1/19 Queen & Slim
An intoxicating and romantic drama about lovers on the run, Queen & Slim marks the first feature film from Melina Matsoukas, the director responsible for music videos including Beyoncé’s “Formation”. Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith are the unlikely couple thrust together on a go-nowhere blind date, only for tragedy to transform them into folk heroes roaming across the USA searching for shelter. It’s a spellbinding debut. (Adam White)
Released 31 January
Universal Pictures
2/19 Parasite
Guaranteed to be one of the major players in next year’s Oscars, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite works better the less you know about it. What you should know is that it is a devilishly inventive deconstruction of class, brimming with energy, dark humour and nervous tension. (Adam White)
Released 7 February
Curzon Artificial Eye
3/19 The Invisible Man
Rising from the ashes of the aborted Universal Monsters multiverse, which was due to star Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise, this rebooted Invisible Man uses the iconic branding to tell the smaller and far more intriguing story of a woman on the run from her invisible ex. Elisabeth Moss is the domestic violence survivor convinced that her supposedly dead boyfriend has merely mastered the art of invisibility. Leigh Whannell, who directed 2018’s wonderfully inventive sci-fi thriller Upgrade, is behind the camera. (Adam White)
Released 28 February
Universal Pictures
4/19 A Quiet Place: Part II
A Quiet Place would surely have been better off as a standalone film, but the financial success of writer-director John Krasinski’s B-movie-style horror tale put paid to that. This isn’t to say there’s no more story to tell. In fact, Krasinski made no secret of the fact he had a whole universe he could one day explore, and sure enough, joining returning stars Emily Blunt, Millicent Thomas and Noah Jupe (so brilliant in Honey Boy) are new additions in the form of Cillian Murphy and Djimon Honsou. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 20 March
Paramount Pictures
5/19 No Time to Die
While Daniel Craig’s Bond tenure has been marked by severe whiplash in terms of quality, there remains something incredibly exciting about the arrival of a new 007 movie. No Time to Die, Craig’s final outing as the super-spy, also boasts an intoxicating array of talent on and off screen, from Cary Fukunaga on directorial duties, to a script co-written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and cast newcomers including Ana de Armas, Rami Malek and Lashana Lynch. (Adam White)
Released 3 April
Universal Pictures
6/19 Antebellum
Little is known about the plot for Antebellum, the feature film debut of artists and music video directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. But the thriller's trailer is a visual feast, with Janelle Monáe appearing to be caught between the present day and the horrors of a 19th century plantation. From producer Jordan Peele, director of Get Out and Us, it also features Jena Malone, Gabourey Sidibe and Kiersey Clemons. (Adam White)
Released 24 April
Lionsgate Films
7/19 The Woman in the Window
An adaptation of the pulpy bestseller (which itself was engulfed in mystery when a New Yorker feature claimed its author, AJ Finn, had extensively lied about his personal life and history), The Woman in the Window puts Amy Adams centre stage for the first time since 2018’s Sharp Objects. She’s an agoraphobic psychologist convinced she has witnessed a murder across the street from her apartment. Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman and Brian Tyree Henry co-star. (Adam White)
Released 15 May
20th Century Fox
8/19 Candyman
Watchmen star Yahya Abdul-Mateen III continues his incredible ascent with the starring role in this remake. Produced by the ubiquitous Jordan Peele, the new Candyman revives the hook-handed killer originated in 1992’s genuinely terrifying Bernard Rose film, but with a black and female director and predominantly black cast – which ought to mean the frustratingly ambiguous racial themes of the original can finally be given their due. (Adam White)
Released 12 June
Universal Pictures
9/19 Wonder Woman 1984
The sequel to 2017’s mega successful Wonder Woman is a rare thing: a DC film worthy of excitement. The first outing saw Patty Jenkins become the highest-grossing woman director in cinema history, and she’s looking to beat her own record with a follow-up centred on the Amazon princess’s battle against a villain named Cheetah (Kristen Wiig in her superhero film debut). That Jenkins describes it as “a grand tentpole like they use to make in the 1980s” is reason alone to mark its release on your 2020 calendar. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 5 June
Warner Bros Pictures
10/19 Soul
Soul is a curious new Pixar film that appears to emulate the philosophical wonder of Inside Out with the lived-in cultural exploration of Coco. Jamie Foxx is a struggling musician who finally gets his big break, only to experience a freak accident that propels him into a mysterious netherworld in which souls are imbued with talents and passions, before being implanted in newborn babies. It looks gorgeous, is potentially insane, and is co-written by Tina Fey. (Adam White)
Released 17 July
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
11/19 Tenet
Hours after the first reviews of both Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Cats took over social media, Warner Bros dropped the trailer for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s top secret espionage thriller. It’s fair to say plenty of sunshine was stolen – and for good reason. Tenet marks Nolan’s return to the mind-melting thrills of Inception and, while the plot remains unknown, it seems to focus on a team of heroes who must rewind time to prevent the outbreak of war. Sign us up. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 17 July
Warner Bros Pictures
12/19 Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise is taking a (short) break from carrying out impossible missions in 2020. Instead, he’ll return to the cockpit for a sequel to the daddy of all Eighties films, Top Gun. There’ll surely be an element of “teach new dogs old tricks” in the Joseph Kosinski-directed film as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell mentors a new generation of US Navy fighter pilots. We’re hopeful the result will – wait for it – take our breath away. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 17 July
Paramount Pictures
13/19 Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
It’s not the Bridesmaids sequel everyone begged for nearly a decade ago, but Barb and Star is its spiritual follow-up at least. Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo, the women behind the 2011 smash, write and star in this new comedy, playing two best friends who venture out of their small Midwestern community for the very first time. They soon get mixed up in a villainous plot to kill an entire town, while Jamie Dornan and Damon Wayans Jr also star. (Adam White)
Released 24 July
Lionsgate
14/19 The Many Saints of Newark
Whether you like it or not, a film prequel based on The Sopranos is being released in 2020. The presence of David Chase, the HBO show’s creator, goes a long way to abate any concerns fans might have, and it’ll at least be a fine chance to explore the mobsters’s family history. The film is expected to focus on Dickie Moltisanti, the father of Christopher, whose memory loomed large over the series. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 5 September
HBO
15/19 Last Night in Soho
Edgar Wright is adding “psychological horror” to his filmmaking repertoire with Last Night in Soho, a neon-soaked thrill ride starring quite the ensemble (Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg). The intriguing plot focuses on a young girl for whom “time falls apart” after she’s somehow transported to the 1960s. It sounds like a cult hit in waiting. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 18 September
Getty Images
16/19 Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
The feel-good West End smash is transformed into a feel-good movie, with Richard E Grant, Sarah Lancashire and Sharon Horgan leading the story of a teenage boy who overcomes insecurity by embracing drag. Newcomer Max Harwood portrays the title character. (Adam White)
Released 21 October
20th Century Fox
17/19 The Eternals
Regardless of whether you’re a keen follower of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not, The Eternals should pique your interest. Sure, it may be spearheading a brand new phase of Marvel franchises – there really is no end to the studios’ box office stronghold – but it features what has to be one of the most eclectic casts ever seen in a superhero film: Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry and Salma Hayek. Colour us intrigued. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 6 November
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney
18/19 Dune
A remake of David Lynch’s Dune would ordinarily cause our eyeballs to rattle around our sockets, but not when Denis Villeneuve’s in the director’s chair. So committed to his vision is Warner Bros that they ignored the fact his breathtaking Blade Runner sequel flopped and handed him the keys to a fresh adaptation of Herbert Ross’ novel. He did direct Prisoners, Enemy and Arrival, after all. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya head up the cast. (Jacob Stolworthy)
Released 18 December
Getty Images
19/19 West Side Story
Long in the works, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story looks set to be a festive smash this time next year. Speculated to be closer in spirit to the original Stephen Sondheim musical than the iconic 1961 film, this new version casts Ansel Elgort as Tony and newcomer Rachel Zegler as Maria – the latter, incredibly, beat out more than 30,000 candidates for the role, after submitting an audition video via Twitter. (Adam White)
Released 18 December
20th Century Fox
The pair’s differences are tested when Isabel (Kate del Castillo), the widow of a Mexican drug lord Mike helped apprehend, sends her son (Jacob Scipio) to track the cop down and kill him. The two are forced to work with Ammo, a group of new recruits tactically cast to please younger audiences: there’s High School Musical’s Vanessa Hudgens for the millennials, Riverdale’s Charles Melton for Generation Z. For the most part, their tactics are non-lethal. Mike bristles at the idea. He can’t imagine doing anything other than charging in gun first. And it’s his way that eventually wins out, in a climactic rain of bullets. But Bad Boys for Life still allows for some self-reflection – they’re not Good Men, but they’re at least Slightly Better Dudes.
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