PLOT Two Miami cops find themselves framed for murder. CAST Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Joe Pantoliano RATED R (strong violence and language) LENGTH 1:55 WHERE Area theaters BOTTOM LINE A lackluster entry in a franchise that’s been uneven at best. Shortly after surviving a heart attack at the start of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” Miami cop Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) feels so invincible that he scampers into speeding traffic.
While his longtime partner Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) looks on in horror, Burnett does a little dance and — remarkably — makes it across the highway unharmed. It’s proof, Burnett says: “I can’t die!” Neither can this franchise, apparently. A blatant knockoff of “Lethal Weapon,” with Smith as the sexy rogue and Lawrence as the cautious family man, “Bad Boys” (the first film bowed in 1995) has eked by on the two stars’ charm, lots of pyrotechnics and little else.
A crummy 2003 sequel stalled the series; a not-half-bad follow-up gave it new life in 2020. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” puts it back on the gurney. This is a hollow-feeling entry with a thin premise, wooden characters and little if any chemistry in the Smith-Lawrence combo.
The plot is driven by James McGrath, a smirking, steely villain played by Eric Dane (livening up an otherwise colorless role). Thanks to some newfangled hacking and old-fashioned killing, McGrath manages to frame the late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) as a dirty cop, but the loyal Lowrey and Burnet.