Bad Boys

Directed by: Michael Bay

Written by: Michael Barrie

Jim Mulholland

Doug Richardson

Starring: Martin Lawrence\

Will Smith

Tea Leoni

Runtime: 119 minutes

Release date: April 7, 1995

Reviewer: Joshua Raynor

It's been over 20 years since Bad Boys was released in theaters, and after watching it again, it has definitely held up through the test of time.  It's a classic story, told in a classic way that can be done in any generation.  Whether it's Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop in the 80's, Bad Boys in the 90's, Rush Hour in the 2000's, or 2 Guns, which came out in 2013, the buddy-cop action genre doesn't get old.

These types of action films are where we see Michael Bay at his finest.  Films like this, Bad Boys 2, and The Rock are some of my favorite films that he's directed.  These are the types of movies I'd like to see him go back to, instead of these horrible Transformers films.  Part of me wishes he was directing the upcoming Bad Boys 3, which is in development, but I'd even be okay with something similar to The Rock or Pain And Gain.

In the early stages of development, the producers (Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer) had actually in visioned Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz in these roles.  The film was even originally written for them and titled Bulletproof Hearts.  Now that would have been a VERY different movie, and honestly, I don't think it would have been nearly as successful.  Smith and Lawrence really made this film what it is and with Carvey and Lovitz, I think it would've been way too jokey. They brought a certain gravitas to their roles. Lawrence, I think, managed to be the naggy best friend without being overly annoying whilst Smith portrays the more serious, straight faced cop with losing any wit or charm. The fact that they manage to bring a great screen presence, especially since the both of them are just budding television star, seemed unreal to me.

The script was one of the problems Bay originally had with the film.  So, to remedy this, he had many of his actors (especially the main stars, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence) improvise their lines.  The best one was during the scene where Mike, Marcus, and Julie are in the convenience store and the clerk pulls out a gun and yells "Freeze, Mother Bitches!".  That line plus the lines "No, you freeze, bitch! Now back up, put the gun down, and get me a pack of Tropical Fruit Bubbalicious." and "And some Skittles." we're all improvised. This immediately give the film a more natural, flowing feel to it. Which I think is instrumental in the film’s sense of relatability. The characters felt real, they feel frustration and sheer exhaustion, especially at the film’s climax.

This film was important because it introduced my generation to a great genre of film.  After seeing this for the first time, I went out and watched Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop, and I love both those movies.  So, thank you Mr. Bay, for bringing into this world a great film like Bad Boys.  Now, hopefully he'll get back to those roots some day.