BAD BOYS
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1995 Michael John Legeros
(Columbia) Directed by Michael Bay Written by Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland, Doug Richardson Cast Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Tea Leoni, Tchkeky Karyo, Joe Pantoliano MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for violence and language) Running Time 118 minutes Reviewed at General Cinemas at Pleasant Valley, Raleigh (8APR95)
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"It's a cop thing."
- Lawrence to Leoni
In the exaggerated universe of big-budget action, comic timing is everything. Well-timed jokes between "buddy cops," for example, provide the buffer against a subject matter that's, frankly, quite brutal.
Good comic chemistry also overrides structural flaws. Formula not working? Who cares? If the audience laughs, it's a hit. The best entries in the "buddy cop" genre have practiced this by teaming actors who can be tough *and* funny. Nolte and Murphy in 48 HRS. Gibson and Glover in LETHAL WEAPON. Even Schwarzenegger and Belushi in the underappreciated RED HEAT (1988).
In BAD BOYS, comic Martin Lawrence and rapper Will Smith team-up to act tough. They play wise-cracking Miami narcotic cops who have 72 hours to catch the creeps that burgled their headquarters. The high-tech robbers stole a stash of heroin--from the boy's recent "career bust"- and the force has three days to save face before the feds move in.
The formula isn't tweaked *too* far: Lawrence is the hard-working family man, while Smith is the single, rich kid with the $100K Porsche. The two are best-buddies, though, and their rapport is *easily* the best thing about this film. Just watch them breeze through a sitcom subplot that has each one impersonating the other.
BAD BOYS marks the return of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer (BEVERLY HILLS COP). To direct their super-slick product, they hired newcomer Michael Bay. He's from the world of music-video and it shows. BAD BOYS has more style than READY TO WEAR, but there's no punch to the plot. The director overpowers the narrative with so much splash and flash that nothing has any impact. How can you feel a rush from so much slow-motion?
The story doesn't make much sense, either. Though vaguely believable at first, BAD BOYS spirals toward absurdity until it reaches a kitchen-sink finale that only a fan of John Woo could love. When everyone converges on a airplane hanger--hey, it was shown in the previews!--it's every stunt double for themselves.
BOTTOM LINE: Funny, but too slick to be terribly rousing. Next up:
Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson in DIE HARD WITH A
VENGEANCE.
Grade: B-
-- Michael J. Legeros Raleigh, North Carolina
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