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Bad Boys: Ride or Die poster
7.0
Columbia Pictures (Sony) Acclaimed

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Bad Boys · Bad Boys Collection

2024 115 min R
Critic7.0
Action Comedy Crime Thriller
Netflix Hulu Prime Video Apple TV
Trailer Where to Watch

Overview

When their late Captain Howard is framed for corruption and linked to drug cartels, Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett go rogue to clear his name — and end up fugitives hunted by the law and the cartel alike.
Story 6.2
Acting 7.5
Direction 7.5
Cinematography 7.8
Music 7.0
Pacing 7.5
Originality 6.0
Emotional Impact 6.5
Overall 7.0

Editorial Review

By FindEdition Cinema Desk

7.0 /10

Chemistry that still fires

Nearly 30 years in, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's bickering-brothers dynamic remains the franchise's superpower, with Lawrence stealing the film via Marcus's post-heart-attack 'invincibility' arc.

Style and spectacle

Adil & Bilall push the camera harder than ever — drone shots, first-person gunfights, and a chaotic finale at an abandoned Florida gator park keep the action fresh even when the plot is boilerplate.

Pros

  • Smith and Lawrence's undimmed chemistry
  • Inventive, hyper-kinetic action direction
  • Strong supporting turns from Scipio, Núñez and Dane
  • Crowd-pleasing humor and pace

Cons

  • Formulaic conspiracy plot
  • Villain is thinly written
  • Leans heavily on franchise nostalgia
Verdict A slick, self-aware fourth entry that keeps the franchise alive on the chemistry of its leads and the kinetic style of Adil & Bilall — familiar, but ferociously entertaining.

AI Review

The fourth Bad Boys film flips the script — Miami's loudest detectives become fugitives in a $405M-grossing action-comedy that reconfirmed Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as a bankable duo.

A slick, self-aware fourth entry that keeps the franchise alive on the chemistry of its leads and the kinetic style of Adil & Bilall — familiar, but ferociously entertaining.

Watch Bad Boys for Life (2020) first, then enjoy Ride or Die loud — it is built for a big screen and a bigger sound system.

Awards

NAACP Image Awards

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture · Won

NAACP Image Awards

Outstanding Motion Picture · Nominated

Astra Midseason Movie Awards

Best Stunts · Nominated

Hollywood Film Critics Society

Best Stunt Work · Nominated

Timeline

Release Date
Theatrical Date
Digital Date
Physical Date
Premiere
Status
Development

Announced by Sony in early 2023 with Chris Bremner and Will Beall writing and Adil & Bilall returning to direct after Bad Boys for Life.

Principal photography

Shot in 2023 in Miami and Atlanta; production paused during the SAG-AFTRA strike and resumed to finish ahead of the summer 2024 release.

Release

Premiered in early June 2024 and opened theatrically on June 7, 2024, taking about $104.6 million worldwide in its opening weekend, then moved to Netflix and later Hulu under Sony's streaming deals.

NAACP Image Awards

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Won

NAACP Image Awards

Outstanding Motion Picture Nominated

Astra Midseason Movie Awards

Best Stunts Nominated

Hollywood Film Critics Society

Best Stunt Work Nominated

Production

Development

Announced by Sony in early 2023 with Chris Bremner and Will Beall writing and Adil & Bilall returning to direct after Bad Boys for Life.

Principal photography

Shot in 2023 in Miami and Atlanta; production paused during the SAG-AFTRA strike and resumed to finish ahead of the summer 2024 release.

Release

Premiered in early June 2024 and opened theatrically on June 7, 2024, taking about $104.6 million worldwide in its opening weekend, then moved to Netflix and later Hulu under Sony's streaming deals.

Streaming

Netflix Hulu Prime Video Apple TV

Cast

Will Smith Detective Mike Lowrey
Martin Lawrence Detective Marcus Burnett
Vanessa Hudgens Kelly
Alexander Ludwig Dorn
Paola Núñez Captain Rita Secada
Eric Dane James McGrath
Jacob Scipio Armando Aretas
Ioan Gruffudd Lockwood
Rhea Seehorn U.S. Marshal Judy Howard
Tasha Smith Theresa Burnett
Joe Pantoliano Captain Conrad Howard
Dennis Greene Reggie
Tiffany Haddish Tabitha
DJ Khaled Manny the Butcher

Characters

Detective Mike Lowrey Will Smith
Detective Marcus Burnett Martin Lawrence
Kelly Vanessa Hudgens
Dorn Alexander Ludwig
Captain Rita Secada Paola Núñez
James McGrath Eric Dane
Armando Aretas Jacob Scipio
Lockwood Ioan Gruffudd
U.S. Marshal Judy Howard Rhea Seehorn
Theresa Burnett Tasha Smith
Captain Conrad Howard Joe Pantoliano
Reggie Dennis Greene
Tabitha Tiffany Haddish
Manny the Butcher DJ Khaled

Crew

Adil El Arbi Director
Bilall Fallah Director
Chris Bremner Writer
Will Beall Writer
Jerry Bruckheimer Producer
Will Smith Producer
Chad Oman Producer
Doug Belgrad Producer
Lorne Balfe Composer
Robrecht Heyvaert Cinematographer
Dan Lebental Editor

Videos

Official Trailer

Soundtrack

  1. Original Score — Lorne Balfe
  2. TONIGHT (Bad Boys: Ride or Die) — Black Eyed Peas, El Alfa & Becky G
  3. Bad Boys — Inner Circle
  4. Shake Ya Tailfeather — Nelly, P. Diddy & Murphy Lee

Trivia

  • It was Will Smith's first major theatrical release after the 2022 Academy Awards controversy, and its success was widely framed as his box office comeback.
  • Directors Adil & Bilall returned after Bad Boys for Life (2020), making it their second film in the franchise.
  • The film's viral marketing included Will Smith and Martin Lawrence surprising fans at cinema screenings on opening weekend.
  • First-person camera shots strapped to the actors during action scenes became one of the film's signature stylistic flourishes.
  • The film opened to roughly $104.6 million worldwide, the biggest global opening for a comedy-driven film in 2024 at that point.

Quotes

"Bad boys for life."

"We ride together, we die together."

Goofs

  • Damage to Mike's Porsche changes between shots during the chase sequences.
  • Character positions inside the crashed helicopter shift between camera angles.

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Collections

Part of Bad Boys Collection

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Universe

Bad Boys

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Franchise

Bad Boys

Fourth film in the franchise (1995–2024), with a fifth installment in development at Sony.

Browse franchise →

Recommendations & Alternatives

A similarly themed alternative is The Lion King.

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AI Recommendation Insight

The fourth Bad Boys film flips the script — Miami's loudest detectives become fugitives in a $405M-grossing action-comedy that reconfirmed Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as a bankable duo. Similar picks: Shared Cast, Highly Rated Action

Bad Boys: Ride or Die