Whatcha gonna do? (Bad Boys (DVD))

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Bad Boys (DVD)
Date:	28/08/08 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great buddy action film

Disadvantages: Nothing special

The fast talking pair of comedy actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence combined in 1995 with director Michael Bay to provide us with a fast paced cop buddy action film encompassing a powerful soundtrack and some quirky one-liners. The film is kept solid by some frenetic car chases scenes and a decent plot.

The Plot

Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett are partners on the force. Mike is the smooth-talking womaniser, while Marcus is the frantic family man who talks the hind legs of the donkey! The pair of them are set to investigate the theft of millions of dollars of heroin from inside the police station. When Mike's sometime girlfriend is murdered in front of her friend Julie, the pair must protect Julie from the drugs barons and murderers responsible. However, due to a mistaken case of identity, Julie thinks Marcus is Mike, and Marcus isn't about to change her mind. The trio must stay safe and solve the case.

The Cast and Performances

Will Smith is right at home here, with lots of room for ego to move around in and make Lowry his own. His acting here is reminiscent of his performances in Fresh Prince, with some classic one-liners and a bold front being the mainstay of his character. Martin Lawrence is perhaps the better actor as Marcus. The character is a cop with a family, and when he is given the chance to pretend to be Mike, a bit of a playboy, he jumps at it and it is a testament to his skills as an actor that Marcus fails miserably at being cool.

Tea Leoni plays Julie, and does the role justice. Tcheky Karyo is good as a villain, and the remainder of the cast perform well.

My Opinion

This 1995 film is full of high octane stereotypical chases and drugs plotlines. The cops buddy up and save each other countless number of times with some comedy one-liners that will make you chuckle. I felt that director Michael Bay had found a niche here suiting his style which he transferred over to his subsequent films, including Pearl Harbor and Transformers. The key element here is the blockbuster feel toi the film. Bay gives us immense special effects and soundtracking in order to give us the impression that this is a very big deal indeed.

In fact, there is nothing special about the film, and that is what makes it so good. The film has a basic plot that has been explored before, with a pair of cops potecting a witness to a crime, and little elements are injected here and there to provide a bit more interest and ultimately som comedy. The roles of Smith and Lawrence were so successful that a sequel was made a few years later. This was not as successful but still did well.

Summary: Comedy and action packed into one