Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You? (Bad Boys (DVD))

Member Name: yackers1

Product:	Bad Boys (DVD)
Date:	14/02/09 (373 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An unmissable fast paced action packed film

Disadvantages: None for me

Written by Michael Barrie, Doug Richardson, George Gallo and Jim Mulholland, and directed by Michael Bay Bad Boys was released in June 1995.

****Story Line****

Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowry (Will Smith) are partners in the Miami Police Department. Whilst Lowry is the ultimate 'pimp' who enjoys the playboy lifestyle of fast cars and even faster women, Burnett is the 'traditional' family man with a wife and 3 kids living the quiet suburbs.

$100 million of heroin seized in the biggest drug bust of Burnett's and Lowry's career has been stolen from police head quarters and the pair have 72 hours to get it back or potentially lose their jobs as the internal affairs division threaten to close down their division.

Whilst Burnett and Lowry go on the trail of the prime suspect, Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) a French drug baron, they ask a local prostitute they know, Maxine (Karen Alexander), to keep an eye out for any clues that could help them retrieve the drugs.

Maxine, along with her friend Julie (Tea Leoni) end up going to the house of former cop Eddie Dominguez (Emmanuel Xuereb) where they make some interesting discoveries that ultimately leads to Maxine being murdered.

Julie manages to escape and calls the police. Although she has never met Lowry, or knows what he looks like, she will only deal with him as he knew Maxine and she trusted him. Unfortunately, Lowry is unavailable so Burnett impersonates him to gain her trust and ensure that she, as the key witness, is retained to give the evidence required to solve not only the drugs case but the new murder case as well.

Burnett uses Lowry's apartment as a safe house and moves Julie in. When Lowry returns he is surprised to find Julie and even more shocked that he now has to 'trade' lives with Burnett, but for the sake of their careers he agrees until everything is sorted out. With the death of Maxine the case has now got personal.

Fouchet is aware that Julie is the only witness and that he needs to ensure that she is not available to give evidence against him. Fouchet tracks Julie down and one of his henchmen manages to kidnap her.

Burnett and Lowry's workload has now doubled and the stakes are much higher. Will they manage to rescue Julie, bring Fouchet and his gang to justice, retrieve the drugs and keep their jobs?

****Other characters****

In addition to the characters above there are loads of other characters in this film. The main ones include:

i) Theresa Burnett (Theresa Randle) - Burnett's wife
ii) Megan Burnett (Tiffany Samuels) - Burnett's daughter
iii) Quincy Burnett (Scott Cumberbatch) - Burnett's son
iv) James Burnett (Cory Hodges) - Burnett's son
v) Detective Sanchez (Nestor Serrano) - Miami detective
vi) Detective Ruez (Julio Mechosa) - Miami detective
vii) Noah Trafficante (Marc Macaulay) - Gang member
viii) Kuni (Ralph Gonzalez) - Gang member
ix) Henchman (Martin McSorley) - Gang member
x) Henchman (Norman Maxwell) - Gang member

In addition to the above there are various other sundry characters including other gang members, other detectives etc. The cast list is huge.

The main characters clearly steal the lime light in this film, but then that is the case in most films so it's not really unexpected. That said the supporting actors do a great job but there are no real 'wow' moments with them.

****Opinion****

Whilst the main story line of this film could actually happen it has obviously been exaggerated in this film. This is to be expected of American films since they all blow everything out of proportion. Personally I don't think that this ruins the film in any way whatsoever since it all adds to more extreme stunts, more extreme shoot-outs and more extreme car chases. When watching films like this I am under no illusions taking everything I see with a pinch of salt and watching it for the entertainment value only.

The onscreen relationship between Burnett and Lowry is great and the partnership really works. I like the way that they have taken a person that is a 'player' and a person that is a 'family man' and chucked them together. Whilst Burnett whinges about being 'under the thumb' and wishes he had Lowry's life on the exterior, deep down he is more than content with what he has. Deep down Lowry is jealous of his partner and whilst he has the Porsche and the playboy lifestyle deep down he really wants stability and the family life that Burnett enjoys.

The acting in this film is superb. It really is Will Smith at his best. He has such a presence and this comes through in this film. In addition to this he has a slight comical edge that, again comes out during his performance in this film. Martin Lawrence is very good in this film but I think he plays second fiddle to Will Smith in all respects. It is a shame because Martin Lawrence is a great actor but then it takes an exceptional actor to out shine Will Smith.

I also think that Theresa Randle (Burnett's wife) does a great job as the wife that feels she is playing second fiddle to not only her husband's career but his partner as well. Her performances are very emotive, and whilst over the top in some places (but then that is the American way) they are very good and truly believable.

****Would I recommend it?****

This is a fast paced, fast action film with plenty of shoot-outs and car chases. In addition there is focus on family issues as well as the strong relationship between Burnett and Lowry, which is quite endearing. The storyline may be a bit far fetched but it is not so extreme it is ridiculous. Taking all this in to account, and the fact that it stars Will Smith (who is a fantastic actor) I would definitely recommend this film and think that it is a worthy part of any DVD collection.

****Other****

Run time - 118 mins
Certificate - 18
1 award and 3 nominations

Summary: Will Smith at his best