Bad Boys II (2003)

"Every camera angle is flashy, every cut explosive, every joke a screamer.  Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
"...Year's most action-packed and high-flying flick.  Shawn Edwards, FOX TV
"...has an ingenious amount of anything-goes that's amusing and frequently exciting.  Kim Morgan, Portland Oregonian
"...[2003]'s most action-packed and high-flying flick.  Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV
"Beyond turbocharged. It whooshes along at warp speed.  Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
"...a confident mega-production that feels it doesn't need to lean on its visual frills if it has Smith and Lawrence -- it's a natural-born buddy flick.  Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Editor's Note Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) return as partners on the Miami Tactical Narcotics Team in director Michael Bay's (PEARL HARBOR, ARMAGEDDON) sequel to the 1995 blockbuster BAD BOYS. Car chases and shoot outs are daily occurrences as the two try to track down a big time Ecstasy dealer. The trail leads to Johnny Tapia (Jordi Mollá) a Cuban immigrant who runs the biggest drug cartel on the East Coast. The stakes are raised when Marcus discovers that his sister, Syd (Gabrielle Union), an agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency, is working undercover trying to bust Tapia as well. And to further complicate matters, Syd and Mike have become involved romantically and are keeping it a secret from Marcus. Jam-packed with massive explosions, wild chase scenes, and flying bullets, this wild ride is filled with action and violence. Smith is charming as the quick-tempered, fast-talking Mike, and Lawrence is his ideal counterpart as the stressed-out Marcus, who resorts to therapy tricks to keep calm. Joe Pantoliano reprises his role as Captain Howard, who is continually traumatized by the trail of wrecked cars and damage his boys leave behind after a chase.

	Gabrielle Union
	Joe Pantoliano
	Jordi Molla
	Martin Lawrence
	Peter Stormare
	Theresa Randle
	Will Smith
	Amir Mokri - Cinematographer
	Dominic Watkins - Production Designer
	Jerry Bruckheimer - Producer
	Jerry Stahl - Screenplay
	Michael Bay - Director
	Roger Barton, et al. - Editor
	Ron Shelton - Screenplay

Los Angeles Times
"...Along with Woo, Bay has done more to change the look, the pace, the vibe and even the way space is organized within the frame than anyone else working in the genre..." 07/18/2003 p.C17

Entertainment Weekly
"...The smartest thing about the movie is that it allows the two to act as if they've truly had it with each other's foibles....Smith and Lawrence give good razz..." 07/25/2003 p.49-50

Total Film
"...There are some breath-snatching stunts on show here..." 11/01/2003 p.100

Sight and Sound
"...Bay makes the most of his Miami locales, the opulent visuals recalling Michael Mann's television series MIAMI VICE..." 11/01/2003 p.32

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 2 of 10
There is a charisma mismatch where the two lead actors are concerned. Despite being let down by the

Chicago Sun-Times 3 of 10
There was once a time when a hero would sacrifice his own life rather than injure innocent bystander - Roger Ebert

ReelViews 5 of 10
The only thing as bad as bad comedy is bad action. Bad Boys II has plenty of both. In fact, those two things are all it has, unless you count the small helping of bad drama. When it comes to this movie, the word "bad" initially seems highly appropriate. But Bad Boys II isn't just bad - it's a catastrophic violation of every aspect of cinema that I as a film critic hold dear. It seems to have been constructed with terms like "unwatchable" and "godawful" as its slogans. There are motion picture failures every year - the resumes of Hollywood players are littered with them. But, when something this big - a would-be blockbuster with recognizable names in the cast and crew - collapses in such a spectacular fashion, it's worth taking note. Think of how many starving children could have been fed with the money that was poured into Michael Bay's latest sinkhole...The action sequences are worse than routine - they're boring. They all follow much the same pattern: explosions, gunfire, someone rolling on the ground in slow motion, the camera circling the action two or three times, rapid-fire cuts so fast that you don't know what the hell is happening, more explosions, more fast cuts, more slow motion, and so on - until you want to scream out "MAKE IT STOP!!!"...Bad Boys II represents a new low for director Bay, who, at least to this point, could be counted on to make semi-competent popcorn movies...This film, however, needs more than salt and butter to make it palatable. Bad Boys II represents another reason to avoid multiplexes this summer, and a further argument against the serialization of movies that do not have franchise potential. Exhibits for the prosecution... 2 Fast 2 Furious, Dumb and Dumberer, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Legally Blonde 2, Bad Boys II. Sometimes, it's damn depressing to be a movie critic. - James Berardinelli

Variety 5 of 10
As overblown as it is overlong, "Bad Boys II" is an enervating case of more is less. A simple cop buddy movie, really no different narratively than an old "Miami Vice" episode, extended to unconscionable length in order to accommodate redundant action scenes, endless banter between stars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith and several potential endings, this elephantine production suffers from serious overkill on the parts of both producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay...The looming question on a picture like this is why its makers felt obliged to make a 2 1/2-hour movie when they could have saved tens of millions of dollars by not shooting perhaps 45 minutes of unnecessary footage and in the bargain delivered a tighter, tauter, more satisfying film. Such is the logic of would-be blockbusters in Hollywood today...As it is, Bay directs like a driver who tries to move on city streets the way he does on a freeway, without recognizing the value of different speed limits and jamming pedal to the metal until he simply runs out of gas. Many of the stunts and shots are spectacular, to be sure, but the preponderance of them dilutes their impact...It's easy to see how the citizens of Miami were so famously inconvenienced by this production, as certain streets obviously had to be tied up for days on end by the massive chases and crashes staged on them. Technically, pic is all-stops-out and padded to the max; end credits reveal a staff of 10 for Lawrence and nine for Smith...Auds who know what they want from the two stars and like it in extended doses will get their money's worth, while others will be happy for another eight-year break between series installments. Union is spirited as usual, while Spanish thesp Molla rolls into one performance every cliche of a Latin drug lord seen onscreen over the past 25 years. - Todd McCarthy