| Quote: Originally Posted by dh1989 Plot: "Narcotics cops Mike Lowrey (Will Smith), a stylish and single "player," and Marcus Bennett (Martin Lawrence), a family man dealing with serious anger and frustration issues, head up a task force investigating the flow of ecstasy into Miami, FL. Their search leads to a dangerous kingpin, whose plan to control the city's drug traffic has touched off a bloody underground war. Meanwhile, things get sexy between Mike and Syd (Gabrielle Union), Marcus' younger sister." Over the last 10 years or so, the name 'Jerry Bruckheimer' has become a staple of the summer movie season. Usually, if you see his name attached to the piece of entertainment you chose to see on a summer afternoon, you'll be treated to giant explosions, larger-than-life heroes, despicable villians, and a mess of bullets flying through the air. Arguably Bruckheimer's most well-known films are the ones he's done with filmmaker Michael Bay, such as Pearl Harbor or Armageddon. That team has also created a large argument between movie fans the world over. Some are all for the Bruckheimer/Bay formula of bombs, boobs, and bullets, while others cringe at their cartoonish, over-the-top nature. Where do I fall? In the former category. I think both are extremely talented at blowing shit up, shooting shit up, and tearing shit up, and, when it comes to a summer popcorn flick, what more do you want? Martin Lawrence and Will Smith star as Marcus and Mike, respectively. It is next to impossible, in terms of this film, to discuss these two apart from each other, because the film all falls on their chemistry. If they can't play off each other, and create sparks, the film will be a serious non-success, but, thankfully, this is definitely NOT the case. They are a wild success when put together. Smith's 'too-cool-for school' attitude, mixed with Lawrence's down-to-earth, angry attitude makes for some serious fun. This team works, and is one of the better 'buddy cop' pairings in the last 20 years. Gabrielle Union joins the cast as Syd, Marcus (Lawrence)'s younger sister. Union, I must say, does an impressive job, in both aspects of the film. Her dry wit and talent with one-liners works wonders in the comedic sequences, but she looks pretty damn cool with a gun too. Union is not the 'love interest' or the cookie-cutter 'bad-ass chick,' but a nice blend of both. Jordi Mollà is performing on another cosmic level as the main villian, over-the-top drug dealer, Johnny Tapia. Whilst many other actors would've been quite bland in this rather uninspired villian role, Mollà adds a layers of insanity and cruelty that make this villian oh-so memorable. Joe Pantoliano shines as Captain Howard, the man who has to deal with the unrivaled destruction and death Marcus and Mike sometimes cause while in pursuit of a suspect. 'Joey Pants' is never remarkable, but he takes the material, and peforms his heart out, managing to steal all but 1 of his scenes. Which one? Well, let's just say Marcus digests something small, in pill-form, with a naked woman on it, from Cuba, and pays a visit to Howard's house. Crazy antics ensue. Michael Bay is the ACTION DIRECTOR GOD of our time, IMO, and it shows here. He pours on gigantic doses of style, with everything from filters to the 'Bullet-Time' technique being used. Bay crafts a film that is always urgent. We all know sooner or later all hell is going to break loose, and Bay is obviously having fun making you guess when, and making you shriek with delight when it happens. He throws cars, cadavers, etc. He uses land-mines. He has rodent intercourse. It's all in here, and it all serves a purpose: Make the best damn action/comedy possible. Overall, I can't write much more. This is a great summer film. It's funny, action-packed, stylish, interesting, and just plain pleasing. It won't sweep the Oscars, of course, but it will put a smile on your face for 150 minutes, and kick your ass all over the theatre. 7/10 You never cease to surprise me. You were saying for quite awhile the movie looked dull and lifeless, and that the first movie was mediocre. I can't comment on the first movie, but then you go ahead and really enjoy Bad Boys 2. This is the second time something like this has happened in the last week, so this is a good sign |