Jul 25, 2003 02:31 AM
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(Updated Jul 25, 2003 07:41 PM)
What do you get if you put the suave yet hilariously comical Will Smith alongside one of America's favorite comedians Martin Lawrence? Knots in your stomach thats for sure. What Bad Boys did was get these 2 to play the much cliched role of two police officers - both fundamentally different from each other yet in a lot of ways strikingly similar. The two with their witticisms and quick comebacks keep the audience in splits the whole time. And around the comical repertoire the two share - is a whole world of drugs, smuggling and murders that these comedian crime busters need to solve. Bad Boys(part one) was a very funny movie despite it's serious enough theme - but I thought the action was just a little subdued. In Bad Boys 2 director Michael Bay and high profile producer Jerry Bruckheimer give Hollywood a little lesson on how to make a true action blockbuster. With all the elements of a top notch action flick with side splitting comical breaks not to mention all the mindblowing stunts and edge-of-the-seat moments, Bad Boys 2 has all the makings of the top grosser this summer.
As with most conventional Hollywood shoot 'em ups, this movie starts off with the bad guy doing bad things. This time it's a Cuban drug smuggler called Johnny Tapia (played by Jordi Molla). And what better setting than Vice city itself? (one of the reasons why I love this movie is cause it was filmed in Miami, one of my favorite club hangouts) Yep with the amazing Miami skyline and nightlife adding the pizzazz to an already steamy storyline, this movie packs a punch from the get go.
Our 2 boys Mike (played by Will Smith) and Marcus (played by Martin Lawrence) are now detectives in a special Narcotics division in the Miami PD. Our villain is an underworld bigwig looking to make a drug and crime ridden empire in Miami by smuggling the popular party drug Ecstasy in to Miami nightclubs, getting his payoffs and smuggling them back to Cuba in ... coffins.. ahem. And of course it's upto two maverick detectives in the entire Miami PD to stop this huge drug ring. But that's not all! There's also Marcus's sister Syd(played by Gabrielle Union) who's working as an undercover detective trying to uncover the misdeeds of these sleazy folks. Her strategy though is to get close to the enemy. To add to an already convoluted cast of characters are a bunch of Haitian guys who are also in on the whole deal and a Russian club magnate in Miami with whom the Cuban drug lord is doing business. The movie is interspersed with comedy sequences and some sizzling action. Some of the action sequences border on unbelievable but are very intense and due to some nice pixel fudging by the special effects team, they appear fairly realistic(especially the part where the leader of the Haitian gang goes berserk in the streets of Miami with a huge trailer carrying cars - and unchains the cars one by one right in the middle of a freeway - causing complete havoc).
Well the story (the 20 second version) is that our boys get wind of this drug ring and go after it not realizing they are playing with fire! Not only is their adversary an underworld don of sorts but he's also a slippery character who just won a 9 million dollar lawsuit against the Miami PD for being ''falsely accused'' of dealing in drugs! So without much support from their compadres at the PD, the two mavericks go sniffing around trying to bust the ring. But there's a couple of twists to add to the plate. Twist number one is Mike and Syd are seeing each other behind Marcus's back. Twist number two is Marcus who is tired of playing second fiddle to his suave playboy partner wants out. Despite these odds the crime busters go on, cracking each piece of the case. Syd, in doing her detective work has her cover blown and is carted away to Cuba with the bad guy where he's the kingpin in control of the entire Cuban army and such. A few outlandish scenes here but if you're an action fanatic with a penchant for snazzy cars and gravity/death defying car chases, trust me, such aberrations will probably not even occur to you. With all the dimensions in this movie, you can be sure of being entertained.
From a storyline standpoint I would probably give this movie only 3 stars because the story was just a rehash of an overplayed theme. As far as the cinematography and stunt work are concerned, I would definitely give this movie 5 stars - because there's some pretty slick camera work going on. The soundtrack is a must-have for hip-hop and reggae lovers - featuring Dr Dre, Beyonce Knowles, Nelly, Will Smith himself... and a bunch of others. As far as acting goes, it's 5 stars all the way to Will Smith and Martin Lawrence who never fail to deliver when it comes to the hoo-has. They are top notch comedians and pretty good actors and when you have some high profile producers and directors backing them up, we're talking serious moolah here. The sets are elaborate and the action is bound to keep your eyes riveted on the screen. So if you haven't seen it already and you can digest 2 and a half hours of pure mayhem, I'd say go get tickets - cause in my opinion this one's a big contender for the limelight this summer.
