Bad Boys II

It's just a sequel. Bay wants to be even more spectacular, but he's basically just repeating himself. There are even more slow-motion shots, and even more technique, and it almost forgets about the main thing - camaraderie. But the lead duo thankfully saves the day and still has some bright and funny moments to win you over. (04/28/2017)

I'm not a racist, but the Hollywood nigga-macho archetype is really getting on my nerves. And when the two come together, they get an arsenal of stupid catchphrases, designer clothes, and a flimsy story about drug dealers... Well, what's going to come of it? An incredibly simple film with great action sequences. I would like to narrow the film down to them, avoid unnecessary interludes and "humorous" speeches by both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Two stars for Michael Bay's traditionally great direction, a thoroughbred edit and a colorful camera. Which, unfortunately, doesn't mean you can watch Bad Boys II with your brain online. (11/05/2005)

Bay is perfectly in tune with the xenophobic mood of America in recent years. Bad Boys II is an adrenaline rush that gives me the willies. And what about Martin Lawrence?......."No worries. You and I are just cocky badass cops and the rest of you are =CENSORED= that we can mash to a pulp, trash whatever we can get our hands on and don't give a shit about the law. All foreigners are scum, we don't give a fuck about the corpses in the morgue, it's not our bodies, is it? Running over dead bodies from the morgue, that's fun, nigga, ain't it? And the Cubans? They're subhumans, such human trash, I'd be happy to bulldoze over their shacks, I don't give a shit that there might be some people there, they're such commie scum."..... "And don't you think, Martin, that a little self-reflection might do some good?"...... "What the =CENSORED= are you talking about? A lot of people liked it, even KevSpa was thrilled! If you ain’t up for it, why do you watch action movies?”... “You’re wrong, Martin. I love action movies. I just don't like your tough-boy pose, and you in particular piss me off, I'd say you missed your calling."...... "FUCK YOU, MAN!!!!"...... "Oh, and one more thing. In an action flick, I need to relate to the protagonist at least a bit. That ain’t happening with you two. In fact, I really wish someone would kick your asses. Especially Bay’s."......."=CENSORED=. =CENSORED="..."Come on, Martin, don’t be mad."...... (02/17/2004)

Bad Boys II? - well now, what do we have here? Old friends in visually perfectly rendered action, a lot of excellent, good and awkward jokes, some family hijinks, an unnecessarily overlong runtime (would have been great if they cut 25 minutes), a delicious highway chase, a passage set in a morgue that made me laugh to tears, a perfect ending in Cuba ("Plan C" is a ride so unreal that it's almost impossible)... Peter Stormare appears in a supporting role (Bay, why on earth didn't you give him more space?), Jordi Molla, the villain, may not be Karya from the first film, but he is charismatic and swinish to the point of being over-the-top. And then there are thousands of other decidedly unnecessary things that make Bad Boys II feel like it’s full of useless stuffing. Bottom line - three stars is just right. There will only ever be one original Bad Boys. And the absence of music (the main theme) from the first film was also disappointing. (07/19/2010)

With the second Bad Boys, Michael Bay returned to where he belongs. After all, action-packed, wisecracking relax movies are what he does best. And when he returned, he took two Miami cops from the narcotics unit, Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence). Too bad that the screenplay gets lost in a sea of flawless action, interspersed with wisecracks from Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, but nothing’s ever perfect. Bay makes up for this with crazy scenes in the morgue or bodies falling out of cars (I hope you won’t think I’m crazy when I admit that I almost died laughing in the movie theater). I think I wouldn’t mind if we were treated to a part three that’s at least similarly good. (11/24/2006)