They ride together. They are willing to die together. They are Bad Boys For Life and they are coming for you! If, that is, you are engaged in dangerous and serious criminal activity that merits — nay, demands — their immediate attention. Built on the foundation of a rock-steady relationship between two longtime friends, the high-powered action extravaganza is heading to theaters soon. Here's what you need to know before you go.
Who stars?
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will reprise their roles as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively, police detectives in Miami, Florida. They began their relationship as wary partners in Bad Boys and deepened their burgeoning, brotherly friendship in Bad Boys II.
What happened in the first two movies? Why were they so popular?
Directed by Michael Bay, the first movie focused on police partners Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence). They are narcotics officers with strikingly different personal styles: Mike is a fashionable and fancy-free single fellow, while Marcus is a more conservative family man. After a huge quantity of heroin is stolen from police headquarters, they are charged with recovering it from a French drug lord. To do so, they end up switching identities in order to persuade a reluctant witness (Téa Leoni) to help them. Mike and Marcus really do not get along, but the comic chemistry between Smith and Lawrence, coupled with Bay's sense of kinetic action, made the film into a big hit.
Arriving eight years later, the sequel finds Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) assigned to lead a task force to capture a Cuban drug lord and halt a war that has broken out in the drug underworld. The two cops continue to bicker constantly; the tension between them is heightened when it's revealed that Mike has been dating Marcus' sister (Gabrielle Union) on the sly. Meanwhile, Marcus wants to spend more time with his family. That's all put on the back burner by the case, in which the action becomes even more outlandish under the direction of Michael Bay.
What's the story this time? What makes it different?
Marcus is now ready to settle down and retire from the police force, so the still vital Mike is reluctantly teamed up with a new, younger team of officers to investigate a powerful drug dealer. Things do not go as planned, however, prompting Mike to implore Marcus to reconsider and return to his side for one last "suicide mission." Proving that they are truly "bad boys for life," the two longtime friends seek to bring down powerful foes in a hail of bullets amidst fiery explosions and multiple speeding vehicles.
The new film promises to distinguish itself with a deeper insight into the loyal friendship between Mike and Marcus. It's also clear that Will Smith and Martin Lawrence still have the same comic and combustible chemistry together. Make no mistake in expectations, though. While the third installment will be jam-packed with just as many self-aware jokes and wisecracks as before, we fully anticipate that the action will be ratcheted up further to thrilling new heights.
Who else is in the cast?
Joe Pantoliano returns from the first two films as supervising officer Captain Howard. Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nuñez, Kate Del Castillo and Nicky Jam also star.
Who directed?
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. They began in the Belgian film industry with the acclaimed, fierce action-crime movie Black in 2015 and, more recently, the European crime-thriller Gangsta. They've also directed two episodes of TV's Snowfall, a dramatic series about the early days of the cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles, created by John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood).
Watch the trailers below.
When can we see it?
Bad Boys for Life will open in theaters everywhere on January 17. Get tickets today!
