The worst thing about Bad Boys for Life is that it is not heralded with a chart-topping rap collab between Nelly, P. Diddy, and Murphy Lee. The era of the St. Lunatics is firmly behind us. The era for Bad Boys seemed to be as well. But 17 years after Bad Boys II, Bad Boys for Life returns to Miami, where the boys remain bad even though they are both at the age where, as someone awkwardly says in the film, they’re trying to be “good… men.” And you know what? It works.
Bad Boys for Life catches up with its heroes Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) at what should be the end of their careers. Burnett’s now a grandpa, and wants to retire. Lowrey, however, still wants to be a Bad Boy: taking down criminals, preferably like a badass, and never settling down romantically. But when someone tries to assassinate Lowrey, the two have no choice but to get back in the game and crack some skulls.
Unfortunately for them, they’ve got company. The charmingly named AMMO squad is Miami PD’s elite team that specializes in high-tech tactics for bringing down high-profile criminals. While clearly designed as a bid to build a Fast & Furious style “family” around Lowrey and Burnett (and bring in younger stars like Vanessa Hudgens and Riverdale’s Charles Melton), the conceit works. Headed up by Rita (Paola Núñez), AMMO is the primary way by which the film homes in on its obvious-but-effective conceit: Lowrey and Burnett are old. And they aren’t just old, they’re exhausting.