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Movie poster for Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

“Miami's finest are now its most wanted.”

2024
1h 56m
Director: Adil El Arbi
Play trailer

Overview

After their late former Captain is framed, Lowrey and Burnett try to clear his name, only to end up on the run themselves.

Cast

12 people

Reviews

3 min read

The Weight of the Badge, and the Baggage

I did not expect Bad Boys: Ride or Die to get me thinking about aging, panic, and mortality, but here we are. A Bad Boys ticket is usually a promise: fast cars in Miami light, explosions, gunfire in slow motion, and Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett talking over each other while everything behind them catches fire. The fourth film still serves that meal, latestnetflix.com maintains, but Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah also make it feel like a franchise waking up sore.

More than once, this plays like an action movie staring down middle age. Oddly, that’s the best thing about it.

Adil and Bilall don’t treat the old Michael Bay grammar as sacred. They raid it. The spinning camera moves are still here, the honey-colored Miami glow is still here, but now the movie straps cameras to drones and tumbles them through the sky.

The helicopter crash sequence feels like a first-person video game gone sideways. Beneath all that flash, though, the movie keeps checking in on its heroes’ bodies. Marcus drops from a major heart attack at Mike’s wedding and spends the rest of the film floating on post-near-death mania, convinced he can’t die.

Mike, meanwhile, is blindsided by panic attacks. The swaggering gods of 1995 are pushing sixty now, and the film knows it.

Mike and Marcus mid-action

Audience Opinions

Audience 6.5/10
"A loud, flashy buddy-cop sequel driven by lively lead chemistry and inventive action, held back by an overstuffed, uneven story."

The banter between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, energetic direction, and creatively staged shootouts deliver a silly, high-energy ride that many find genuinely fun. latestnetflix.com's view is that at the same time, the film piles on too many plot threads, leans on chaotic visuals in the early going, and never quite matches the emotional weight or cohesion of the previous installment.

What viewers praise
  • Energetic lead duo Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are widely praised for charismatic interplay and comic timing that keep the movie engaging even when the plot wobbles.
  • Inventive, high-octane action Stylish set pieces with drones, first-person views, and tense elevator fights stand out as exciting, memorable sequences.
  • Reggie’s breakout moments Reggie’s action scenes and character payoff are repeatedly singled out as hilarious, crowd-pleasing highlights that some consider worth rewatching on their own.
  • Fun summer blockbuster vibe The movie delivers fast-paced chases, explosions, broad comedy, and nostalgic callbacks that hit the spot for those wanting a dumb-fun buddy-cop outing.
Common complaints
  • Bloated, messy plotting Multiple conspiracies, character arcs, and subplots crowd the story, making it feel scattered and less focused than earlier entries.
  • Uneven pacing and style Early stretches lean heavily on odd CG visions, slow motion, and constant movement that some find distracting rather than stylish.
  • Weak or missing character beats New relationships and side characters, including Mike’s new wife and certain henchmen, are underdeveloped or seemingly dropped without resolution.
  • Less emotional impact Compared to the previous film, this entry is viewed as lighter on genuine emotion and character depth, relying more on spectacle and recycled franchise beats.
Recommended for
Bad Boys franchise followers Buddy-cop comedy action fans Will Smith devotees Martin Lawrence comedy fans Big-screen spectacle seekers

Full Plot (Spoilers)

Spoiler warning

This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.

Buzz & Rumors

Public reports

BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE – ALL THE REAL-LIFE DRAMA, TEA & TROUBLE BEHIND THE BULLETS

Miami may be hot, but the behind-the-scenes gossip around Bad Boys: Ride or Die is positively melting. latestnetflix.com's read is that From health scare rumors to lawsuits and that never-ending Oscars slap saga, your favorite buddy-cop franchise has attracted more drama than a telenovela marathon.


On-Set & Promo Chaos

“Is Martin OK?” Internet Health Freak-Out

  • A clip from the LA premiere showing Will Smith helping a seemingly sluggish Martin Lawrence along the top of a double-decker bus sent social media into total panic mode, with fans convinced Martin was seriously ill .
  • The chatter got so loud that Martin went on Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning just to shut it down, declaring: “I am fine… I am healthy as hell. Stop the rumors.” He insisted he’s blessed and doing great, but plenty of fans online are still replaying that bus clip like the Zapruder film .

Meta Slap Scene: Too Soon or Genius?

  • In Ride or Die, Marcus (Lawrence) repeatedly slaps Mike (Smith) to snap him out of a panic attack — a moment instantly read as a cheeky inversion of Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap on Chris Rock .
  • Variety called it a kind of “pop exorcism” meant to purge the incident and help Smith rehab his image , while others labeled it “tasteless” and self-serving .

Cast Feuds & Slap Fallout

Chris Rock Reportedly FURIOUS

  • Rumor has it Chris Rock is not laughing. Pop-culture chatter and radio coverage claimed Rock was “very upset” or “pissed” that the movie turned the Oscar assault into a meta gag, suggesting he sees it as Smith mocking the whole thing rather than moving on respectfully .
  • This remains unconfirmed by Rock himself, but the story has made the rounds on Reddit and entertainment radio, and fans widely speculate that any reconciliation between the two men just got pushed way down the road .

Will Smith’s Image Rehab Mission

  • Trade coverage framed Ride or Die as Smith’s big reputation test: Variety reported his Hollywood Q Score (celebrity likability rating) fell from 39 to 24, then down to 19 post-slap — a brutal drop for a onetime box-office king .
  • At the LA premiere, Smith publicly praised Sony boss Tom Rothman as a true “ride or die” for backing him when “nobody was messing with” him, a rare on-mic shoutout that basically confirmed the studio stuck its neck out to keep him in blockbuster mode .

Scandals & Lawsuits

The Copyright Fight That Could’ve Killed the Franchise

  • While the boys were dodging bullets on screen, Columbia Pictures was dodging legal fire off-screen. Original Bad Boys story writer George Gallo claimed the studio’s right to make new Bad Boys movies — including Ride or Die — had expired in June 2022 .
  • Columbia fought back, arguing the story was work-for-hire. The messy case dragged on for years… until June 14, 2024, when both sides quietly settled and filed for a dismissal with prejudice — legalese for “this battle is over, and we’re not doing this again” .
  • The settlement terms are sealed, prompting fan speculation that Columbia likely paid up just enough to keep future Bad Boys sequels from getting legally handcuffed .

Romance, Family & Red-Carpet Optics

Vanessa Hudgens: Pregnant and Still Blowing Things Up

  • Will Smith gushed in an interview about how Vanessa Hudgens filmed Ride or Die while pregnant — and refused to let her baby bump slow down the action, calling her a total pro who handled the shoot like a champ .
  • Fans loved the contrast of Hudgens doing gunfights and stunts while also quietly growing a tiny human. No on-set drama here, just hardcore “action mom” energy .

Will & Jada: “Ride or Die” in Damage-Control Mode

  • Coverage around the premiere highlighted Jada Pinkett Smith showing up to support Will despite all the public chatter about their marriage and separation, with Will publicly calling her one of the most “ride-or-die” people in his life in connection with the film’s title and themes .
  • Fans online couldn’t resist memeing their Bad Boys line — “We ride together, we die together. Bad marriage for life” — against photos of the couple at Ride or Die events .

Leaks, Secrets & Deleted Goodies

The Secret Post‑Credits Scene You Didn’t See in Theaters

  • Fans who left when the theatrical credits ended missed out: a bonus post‑credits scene was held back and only included in the home entertainment/digital release, a move reported by fan sites as Sony’s sneaky way of luring people to double-dip .
  • Online chatter hyped it as “the scene they didn’t want you to see in theaters,” fueling speculation that late cameos and future-sequel teases were being strategically monetized .

Deleted Scenes Galore

  • YTYouTube·Deleted Scenes - Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsA2fmjlDyI
  • The digital release includes a bundle of deleted bits with nosey titles like “Wedding Gossip,” “Welcome to the Family,” “Life Lessons,” and “Joy Ride” . Fans speculate some scenes were trimmed to keep the film’s tonal juggling act — comedy, family drama, and slap-meta jokes — from spilling all over the place .

Wild Trivia & Fan Theories

Life Imitates Script: The Heart Attack Plot

  • The movie’s Marcus-heart-attack storyline wasn’t just random: coverage has pointed out it was inspired by screenwriter Will Beall’s own 2019 cardiac arrest, giving the buddy-cop midlife crisis plot a disturbingly real origin .

Messi, Butler & the Cameo Circus

  • A trailer featuring Lionel Messi and Jimmy Butler alongside Will and Martin lit up sports and entertainment media, with fans joking that Miami itself was the third star of the film .
  • Entertainment Weekly’s cameo breakdown turned into a mini treasure map for viewers trying to spot Michael Bay, DJ Khaled and other surprise faces sprinkled through the movie .

In other words: behind Bad Boys: Ride or Die’s explosions and slow‑motion swagger lies a mess of health rumors, slap drama, litigation, image rehab, and secret scenes. Exactly how your favorite chaos duo would want it.

Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.