Michael-Bay Movie Reviews

"We're your new neighbors."
"Don't be alarmed, we're negros!"

I got that quote from the IMDb entry for "Bad Boys." I read some others, and what struck me as funny is that out of all the quotes from the movie that those perusing IMDb have submitted, none have any lines about the plot. All the quotes available are jokes and punchlines that occur in the film between shoot-outs. Nothing else.

But I suppose that fits the film just right. It's not a film for those who have any interest in plot, character development, or comedy - things a film such as "Lethal Weapon" had. No, "Bad Boys" is content with being a bad movie. It's for those with low attention spans. It's for those who like non-stop violence and language. But then, anyone interested in "Bad Boys" by now must be warned that the action scenes provide hardly anything new - some shoot-ups, some shoot-outs, some shoot-downs, etc. I am content with recommending action movies (trust me). But sometimes I expect a bit more than just bad jokes and bad action scenes - if it's going to be an action movie, at least make the fight scenes offer something fresh.

There's a buddy side to the film that never provides the type of humor that it should. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, family man and playboy respectively. They're both undercover in Narcotics division, but yet they find time to stumble upon and into things that have nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Never mind this.

The film opens with an explosive prelude that signals we are in for a Bruckheimer production. It's loud, noisy, and the best part of the film. The rest is all downhill.

A stash of drugs has been stolen from a vault in some sort of super-top-secret Government facility thingy somewhere. This happens directly after the opening sequence and goes by pretty quick so that the audience can get back to the action. Marcus and Mike are called onto the scene by their Grouchy Boss (Joe Pantoliano), who likes to spew spit and bite their heads off for everything.

Pantoliano's character is the exclamation mark to the rest of the recycled characters and plots. Get this: two mismatched cop/partners who like to throw insults at each other ("Lethal Weapon") are called onto a case involving a foreign drug dealer ("Red Heat") who has left behind uncountable traces for the good guys to follow (though it sure does take them a while). Their boss delivers long, shouting speeches at them ("Last Action Hero" spoofed this finely), and they have to protect a sexy witness (Tea Leoni). Finally they go for a big shoot-'em-up at the end (this is in any action/cop-buddy movie available to the public).

"Bad Boys" is just one long shoot-'em-up flick, with a bunch of recycled action set pieces, recycled plot fragments, and when all that calms down, we are exposed to bad jokes and excessive, "pervasive strong language" as the MPAA called it. I enjoyed bits of this movie, I grinned a few times, but I laughed only once - at a joke that should have been more than a laugh. It should have had me bent over in hysterics.

Here it is, listen up: Marcus has to pose as Mike every time he is around the witness, Tea Leoni (long story). He takes her to the real Mike's apartment. She wonders why he has pictures of another black man all over the place - and keep in mind she thinks that Marcus is Mike. The pictures happen to be of Mike, since it is his apartment, so Marcus, posing as Mike, tells her it's his partner, and that they're close. The way this scene is delivered is more of a sit-com-type comedy moment - not surprising, since both lead actors got their starts on television sitcoms. But it could have been truly hilarious - it just made me laugh. I also wondered what the real Mike is doing with pictures all over his apartment of himself. And I'm not the only person to wonder this - Roger Ebert asked the same question.

I will not discredit Martin Lawrence and Will Smith - the two have chemistry. Unfortunately, they also need a good script that can provide their characters with good interaction and funny moments. There aren't many here. We are supposed to trust their life-long friendship yet they don't display any signs of connection like Gibson and Glover did in the "Lethal" movies. Their chemistry alone lifted the last two in the series from being just decent movies.

"Bad Boys" is a movie that has a few funny moments, but none of them are hysterical. We are basically treated to long action sequences that have been done for twenty years, excessive language to guarantee an R-rating and make the movie look tougher, and bad dialogue. The only thing this movie is missing is graphic sexuality - something I heard the new - and supposedly horrible - sequel sports plenty of.

Even the biggest of action buffs won't find anything here. I love the cop-buddy genre, but it's getting to be a real bore. Ever since "Lethal Weapon," "48 Hrs." and "Beverly Hills Cop" came out it's all been retreads of the same old material. Of course, if you like cop-buddy films very much, you may like this film. Especially if you haven't seen very many.

Hilariously enjoyable as any black comedy and full of fast paced action, "Bad Boys," as a 'slick flick,' stars Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey playing two cops who fall on to the trail of millions of dollars of Heroin stolen by a criminal mastermind named Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and try to recover it as well as rescue Julie Mott (Tea Leoni) who is also involved. Personal matters appear to Marcus Burnett who is obsessed with getting "quality time" with his wife Theresa (Theresa Randle) and almost loses his marriage when he is forced to switch names and use Mike Lowrey in front of Julie. The comedy works unmistakeably well, however, the only mistakes I find in here are the heavy profanity and the violence used. But I keep saying this to myself, how can you pardon the profanity if it works well with the script? Oh well. Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Columbia Pictures, 1995, Rated R for intense violent action and persuasive strong language.

The Set Up-Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) just confiscated one hundred million dollars worth of herion. However, soon after the bust, the drugs are stolen from police custody. Hot on the drug trail, the two men are forced to protect Julie (Tea Leoni), who witnesses a murder related to their investigation. Sound familar? The tried and true formula of the buddy cop film is nothing new. BAD BOYS covers evey cliche` and convention of the genre. Partners, one married, one not, car chases, big explosions a witness that needs protecting, a boss that no one respects (played here by Joe Pantiliano), and so on...Somehow it still works and is an enjoyable flick. The on-screen banter and relationship between Smith and Lawrence plays so well that I forgot that I had seen this movie a 1,000 times before. Director Michael Bay and Producers Simpson/Bruckheimer don't dissapoint. The team knows what they're doing. They take full advantage of their stars and know what works here. I found myself rooting for the good guys all the way, despite the formulaic plot.

The special edition DVD is worth it as well. There is a commentary track by Bay. It also has an isolated music track, the film has a killer soundrack, and I'm glad that it's highlighted here. The featurette "Damage Control" uses multiple angles to analyze the on set explosions. Rounding out the main bonus features is an all new documentary, "The Boom And The Bang Of Bad Boys", that includes interviews with the cast and crew. A feature that I would have loved to see on the disc were the bloopers or outtakes. Oh well, "Whatcha gonna do?" Enjoy.

"We're your new neighbors."
"Don't be alarmed, we're negros!"

I got that quote from the IMDb entry for "Bad Boys." I read some others, and what struck me as funny is that out of all the quotes from the movie that those perusing IMDb have submitted, none have any lines about the plot. All the quotes available are jokes and punchlines that occur in the film between shoot-outs. Nothing else.

But I suppose that fits the film just right. It's not a film for those who have any interest in plot, character development, or comedy - things a film such as "Lethal Weapon" had. No, "Bad Boys" is content with being a bad movie. It's for those with low attention spans. It's for those who like non-stop violence and language. But then, anyone interested in "Bad Boys" by now must be warned that the action scenes provide hardly anything new - some shoot-ups, some shoot-outs, some shoot-downs, etc. I am content with recommending action movies (trust me). But sometimes I expect a bit more than just bad jokes and bad action scenes - if it's going to be an action movie, at least make the fight scenes offer something fresh.

There's a buddy side to the film that never provides the type of humor that it should. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, family man and playboy respectively. They're both undercover in Narcotics division, but yet they find time to stumble upon and into things that have nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Never mind this.

The film opens with an explosive prelude that signals we are in for a Bruckheimer production. It's loud, noisy, and the best part of the film. The rest is all downhill.

A stash of drugs has been stolen from a vault in some sort of super-top-secret Government facility thingy somewhere. This happens directly after the opening sequence and goes by pretty quick so that the audience can get back to the action. Marcus and Mike are called onto the scene by their Grouchy Boss (Joe Pantoliano), who likes to spew spit and bite their heads off for everything.

Pantoliano's character is the exclamation mark to the rest of the recycled characters and plots. Get this: two mismatched cop/partners who like to throw insults at each other ("Lethal Weapon") are called onto a case involving a foreign drug dealer ("Red Heat") who has left behind uncountable traces for the good guys to follow (though it sure does take them a while). Their boss delivers long, shouting speeches at them ("Last Action Hero" spoofed this finely), and they have to protect a sexy witness (Tea Leoni). Finally they go for a big shoot-'em-up at the end (this is in any action/cop-buddy movie available to the public).

"Bad Boys" is just one long shoot-'em-up flick, with a bunch of recycled action set pieces, recycled plot fragments, and when all that calms down, we are exposed to bad jokes and excessive, "pervasive strong language" as the MPAA called it. I enjoyed bits of this movie, I grinned a few times, but I laughed only once - at a joke that should have been more than a laugh. It should have had me bent over in hysterics.

Here it is, listen up: Marcus has to pose as Mike every time he is around the witness, Tea Leoni (long story). He takes her to the real Mike's apartment. She wonders why he has pictures of another black man all over the place - and keep in mind she thinks that Marcus is Mike. The pictures happen to be of Mike, since it is his apartment, so Marcus, posing as Mike, tells her it's his partner, and that they're close. The way this scene is delivered is more of a sit-com-type comedy moment - not surprising, since both lead actors got their starts on television sitcoms. But it could have been truly hilarious - it just made me laugh. I also wondered what the real Mike is doing with pictures all over his apartment of himself. And I'm not the only person to wonder this - Roger Ebert asked the same question.

I will not discredit Martin Lawrence and Will Smith - the two have chemistry. Unfortunately, they also need a good script that can provide their characters with good interaction and funny moments. There aren't many here. We are supposed to trust their life-long friendship yet they don't display any signs of connection like Gibson and Glover did in the "Lethal" movies. Their chemistry alone lifted the last two in the series from being just decent movies.

"Bad Boys" is a movie that has a few funny moments, but none of them are hysterical. We are basically treated to long action sequences that have been done for twenty years, excessive language to guarantee an R-rating and make the movie look tougher, and bad dialogue. The only thing this movie is missing is graphic sexuality - something I heard the new - and supposedly horrible - sequel sports plenty of.

Even the biggest of action buffs won't find anything here. I love the cop-buddy genre, but it's getting to be a real bore. Ever since "Lethal Weapon," "48 Hrs." and "Beverly Hills Cop" came out it's all been retreads of the same old material. Of course, if you like cop-buddy films very much, you may like this film. Especially if you haven't seen very many.

Hilariously enjoyable as any black comedy and full of fast paced action, "Bad Boys," as a 'slick flick,' stars Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey playing two cops who fall on to the trail of millions of dollars of Heroin stolen by a criminal mastermind named Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and try to recover it as well as rescue Julie Mott (Tea Leoni) who is also involved. Personal matters appear to Marcus Burnett who is obsessed with getting "quality time" with his wife Theresa (Theresa Randle) and almost loses his marriage when he is forced to switch names and use Mike Lowrey in front of Julie. The comedy works unmistakeably well, however, the only mistakes I find in here are the heavy profanity and the violence used. But I keep saying this to myself, how can you pardon the profanity if it works well with the script? Oh well. Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Columbia Pictures, 1995, Rated R for intense violent action and persuasive strong language.

The Set Up-Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) just confiscated one hundred million dollars worth of herion. However, soon after the bust, the drugs are stolen from police custody. Hot on the drug trail, the two men are forced to protect Julie (Tea Leoni), who witnesses a murder related to their investigation. Sound familar? The tried and true formula of the buddy cop film is nothing new. BAD BOYS covers evey cliche` and convention of the genre. Partners, one married, one not, car chases, big explosions a witness that needs protecting, a boss that no one respects (played here by Joe Pantiliano), and so on...Somehow it still works and is an enjoyable flick. The on-screen banter and relationship between Smith and Lawrence plays so well that I forgot that I had seen this movie a 1,000 times before. Director Michael Bay and Producers Simpson/Bruckheimer don't dissapoint. The team knows what they're doing. They take full advantage of their stars and know what works here. I found myself rooting for the good guys all the way, despite the formulaic plot.

The special edition DVD is worth it as well. There is a commentary track by Bay. It also has an isolated music track, the film has a killer soundrack, and I'm glad that it's highlighted here. The featurette "Damage Control" uses multiple angles to analyze the on set explosions. Rounding out the main bonus features is an all new documentary, "The Boom And The Bang Of Bad Boys", that includes interviews with the cast and crew. A feature that I would have loved to see on the disc were the bloopers or outtakes. Oh well, "Whatcha gonna do?" Enjoy.

"We're your new neighbors."
"Don't be alarmed, we're negros!"

I got that quote from the IMDb entry for "Bad Boys." I read some others, and what struck me as funny is that out of all the quotes from the movie that those perusing IMDb have submitted, none have any lines about the plot. All the quotes available are jokes and punchlines that occur in the film between shoot-outs. Nothing else.

But I suppose that fits the film just right. It's not a film for those who have any interest in plot, character development, or comedy - things a film such as "Lethal Weapon" had. No, "Bad Boys" is content with being a bad movie. It's for those with low attention spans. It's for those who like non-stop violence and language. But then, anyone interested in "Bad Boys" by now must be warned that the action scenes provide hardly anything new - some shoot-ups, some shoot-outs, some shoot-downs, etc. I am content with recommending action movies (trust me). But sometimes I expect a bit more than just bad jokes and bad action scenes - if it's going to be an action movie, at least make the fight scenes offer something fresh.

There's a buddy side to the film that never provides the type of humor that it should. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, family man and playboy respectively. They're both undercover in Narcotics division, but yet they find time to stumble upon and into things that have nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Never mind this.

The film opens with an explosive prelude that signals we are in for a Bruckheimer production. It's loud, noisy, and the best part of the film. The rest is all downhill.

A stash of drugs has been stolen from a vault in some sort of super-top-secret Government facility thingy somewhere. This happens directly after the opening sequence and goes by pretty quick so that the audience can get back to the action. Marcus and Mike are called onto the scene by their Grouchy Boss (Joe Pantoliano), who likes to spew spit and bite their heads off for everything.

Pantoliano's character is the exclamation mark to the rest of the recycled characters and plots. Get this: two mismatched cop/partners who like to throw insults at each other ("Lethal Weapon") are called onto a case involving a foreign drug dealer ("Red Heat") who has left behind uncountable traces for the good guys to follow (though it sure does take them a while). Their boss delivers long, shouting speeches at them ("Last Action Hero" spoofed this finely), and they have to protect a sexy witness (Tea Leoni). Finally they go for a big shoot-'em-up at the end (this is in any action/cop-buddy movie available to the public).

"Bad Boys" is just one long shoot-'em-up flick, with a bunch of recycled action set pieces, recycled plot fragments, and when all that calms down, we are exposed to bad jokes and excessive, "pervasive strong language" as the MPAA called it. I enjoyed bits of this movie, I grinned a few times, but I laughed only once - at a joke that should have been more than a laugh. It should have had me bent over in hysterics.

Here it is, listen up: Marcus has to pose as Mike every time he is around the witness, Tea Leoni (long story). He takes her to the real Mike's apartment. She wonders why he has pictures of another black man all over the place - and keep in mind she thinks that Marcus is Mike. The pictures happen to be of Mike, since it is his apartment, so Marcus, posing as Mike, tells her it's his partner, and that they're close. The way this scene is delivered is more of a sit-com-type comedy moment - not surprising, since both lead actors got their starts on television sitcoms. But it could have been truly hilarious - it just made me laugh. I also wondered what the real Mike is doing with pictures all over his apartment of himself. And I'm not the only person to wonder this - Roger Ebert asked the same question.

I will not discredit Martin Lawrence and Will Smith - the two have chemistry. Unfortunately, they also need a good script that can provide their characters with good interaction and funny moments. There aren't many here. We are supposed to trust their life-long friendship yet they don't display any signs of connection like Gibson and Glover did in the "Lethal" movies. Their chemistry alone lifted the last two in the series from being just decent movies.

"Bad Boys" is a movie that has a few funny moments, but none of them are hysterical. We are basically treated to long action sequences that have been done for twenty years, excessive language to guarantee an R-rating and make the movie look tougher, and bad dialogue. The only thing this movie is missing is graphic sexuality - something I heard the new - and supposedly horrible - sequel sports plenty of.

Even the biggest of action buffs won't find anything here. I love the cop-buddy genre, but it's getting to be a real bore. Ever since "Lethal Weapon," "48 Hrs." and "Beverly Hills Cop" came out it's all been retreads of the same old material. Of course, if you like cop-buddy films very much, you may like this film. Especially if you haven't seen very many.

Hilariously enjoyable as any black comedy and full of fast paced action, "Bad Boys," as a 'slick flick,' stars Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey playing two cops who fall on to the trail of millions of dollars of Heroin stolen by a criminal mastermind named Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and try to recover it as well as rescue Julie Mott (Tea Leoni) who is also involved. Personal matters appear to Marcus Burnett who is obsessed with getting "quality time" with his wife Theresa (Theresa Randle) and almost loses his marriage when he is forced to switch names and use Mike Lowrey in front of Julie. The comedy works unmistakeably well, however, the only mistakes I find in here are the heavy profanity and the violence used. But I keep saying this to myself, how can you pardon the profanity if it works well with the script? Oh well. Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Columbia Pictures, 1995, Rated R for intense violent action and persuasive strong language.

The Set Up-Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) just confiscated one hundred million dollars worth of herion. However, soon after the bust, the drugs are stolen from police custody. Hot on the drug trail, the two men are forced to protect Julie (Tea Leoni), who witnesses a murder related to their investigation. Sound familar? The tried and true formula of the buddy cop film is nothing new. BAD BOYS covers evey cliche` and convention of the genre. Partners, one married, one not, car chases, big explosions a witness that needs protecting, a boss that no one respects (played here by Joe Pantiliano), and so on...Somehow it still works and is an enjoyable flick. The on-screen banter and relationship between Smith and Lawrence plays so well that I forgot that I had seen this movie a 1,000 times before. Director Michael Bay and Producers Simpson/Bruckheimer don't dissapoint. The team knows what they're doing. They take full advantage of their stars and know what works here. I found myself rooting for the good guys all the way, despite the formulaic plot.

The special edition DVD is worth it as well. There is a commentary track by Bay. It also has an isolated music track, the film has a killer soundrack, and I'm glad that it's highlighted here. The featurette "Damage Control" uses multiple angles to analyze the on set explosions. Rounding out the main bonus features is an all new documentary, "The Boom And The Bang Of Bad Boys", that includes interviews with the cast and crew. A feature that I would have loved to see on the disc were the bloopers or outtakes. Oh well, "Whatcha gonna do?" Enjoy.

"We're your new neighbors."
"Don't be alarmed, we're negros!"

I got that quote from the IMDb entry for "Bad Boys." I read some others, and what struck me as funny is that out of all the quotes from the movie that those perusing IMDb have submitted, none have any lines about the plot. All the quotes available are jokes and punchlines that occur in the film between shoot-outs. Nothing else.

But I suppose that fits the film just right. It's not a film for those who have any interest in plot, character development, or comedy - things a film such as "Lethal Weapon" had. No, "Bad Boys" is content with being a bad movie. It's for those with low attention spans. It's for those who like non-stop violence and language. But then, anyone interested in "Bad Boys" by now must be warned that the action scenes provide hardly anything new - some shoot-ups, some shoot-outs, some shoot-downs, etc. I am content with recommending action movies (trust me). But sometimes I expect a bit more than just bad jokes and bad action scenes - if it's going to be an action movie, at least make the fight scenes offer something fresh.

There's a buddy side to the film that never provides the type of humor that it should. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, family man and playboy respectively. They're both undercover in Narcotics division, but yet they find time to stumble upon and into things that have nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Never mind this.

The film opens with an explosive prelude that signals we are in for a Bruckheimer production. It's loud, noisy, and the best part of the film. The rest is all downhill.

A stash of drugs has been stolen from a vault in some sort of super-top-secret Government facility thingy somewhere. This happens directly after the opening sequence and goes by pretty quick so that the audience can get back to the action. Marcus and Mike are called onto the scene by their Grouchy Boss (Joe Pantoliano), who likes to spew spit and bite their heads off for everything.

Pantoliano's character is the exclamation mark to the rest of the recycled characters and plots. Get this: two mismatched cop/partners who like to throw insults at each other ("Lethal Weapon") are called onto a case involving a foreign drug dealer ("Red Heat") who has left behind uncountable traces for the good guys to follow (though it sure does take them a while). Their boss delivers long, shouting speeches at them ("Last Action Hero" spoofed this finely), and they have to protect a sexy witness (Tea Leoni). Finally they go for a big shoot-'em-up at the end (this is in any action/cop-buddy movie available to the public).

"Bad Boys" is just one long shoot-'em-up flick, with a bunch of recycled action set pieces, recycled plot fragments, and when all that calms down, we are exposed to bad jokes and excessive, "pervasive strong language" as the MPAA called it. I enjoyed bits of this movie, I grinned a few times, but I laughed only once - at a joke that should have been more than a laugh. It should have had me bent over in hysterics.

Here it is, listen up: Marcus has to pose as Mike every time he is around the witness, Tea Leoni (long story). He takes her to the real Mike's apartment. She wonders why he has pictures of another black man all over the place - and keep in mind she thinks that Marcus is Mike. The pictures happen to be of Mike, since it is his apartment, so Marcus, posing as Mike, tells her it's his partner, and that they're close. The way this scene is delivered is more of a sit-com-type comedy moment - not surprising, since both lead actors got their starts on television sitcoms. But it could have been truly hilarious - it just made me laugh. I also wondered what the real Mike is doing with pictures all over his apartment of himself. And I'm not the only person to wonder this - Roger Ebert asked the same question.

I will not discredit Martin Lawrence and Will Smith - the two have chemistry. Unfortunately, they also need a good script that can provide their characters with good interaction and funny moments. There aren't many here. We are supposed to trust their life-long friendship yet they don't display any signs of connection like Gibson and Glover did in the "Lethal" movies. Their chemistry alone lifted the last two in the series from being just decent movies.

"Bad Boys" is a movie that has a few funny moments, but none of them are hysterical. We are basically treated to long action sequences that have been done for twenty years, excessive language to guarantee an R-rating and make the movie look tougher, and bad dialogue. The only thing this movie is missing is graphic sexuality - something I heard the new - and supposedly horrible - sequel sports plenty of.

Even the biggest of action buffs won't find anything here. I love the cop-buddy genre, but it's getting to be a real bore. Ever since "Lethal Weapon," "48 Hrs." and "Beverly Hills Cop" came out it's all been retreads of the same old material. Of course, if you like cop-buddy films very much, you may like this film. Especially if you haven't seen very many.

Hilariously enjoyable as any black comedy and full of fast paced action, "Bad Boys," as a 'slick flick,' stars Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey playing two cops who fall on to the trail of millions of dollars of Heroin stolen by a criminal mastermind named Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and try to recover it as well as rescue Julie Mott (Tea Leoni) who is also involved. Personal matters appear to Marcus Burnett who is obsessed with getting "quality time" with his wife Theresa (Theresa Randle) and almost loses his marriage when he is forced to switch names and use Mike Lowrey in front of Julie. The comedy works unmistakeably well, however, the only mistakes I find in here are the heavy profanity and the violence used. But I keep saying this to myself, how can you pardon the profanity if it works well with the script? Oh well. Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Columbia Pictures, 1995, Rated R for intense violent action and persuasive strong language.

The Set Up-Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) just confiscated one hundred million dollars worth of herion. However, soon after the bust, the drugs are stolen from police custody. Hot on the drug trail, the two men are forced to protect Julie (Tea Leoni), who witnesses a murder related to their investigation. Sound familar? The tried and true formula of the buddy cop film is nothing new. BAD BOYS covers evey cliche` and convention of the genre. Partners, one married, one not, car chases, big explosions a witness that needs protecting, a boss that no one respects (played here by Joe Pantiliano), and so on...Somehow it still works and is an enjoyable flick. The on-screen banter and relationship between Smith and Lawrence plays so well that I forgot that I had seen this movie a 1,000 times before. Director Michael Bay and Producers Simpson/Bruckheimer don't dissapoint. The team knows what they're doing. They take full advantage of their stars and know what works here. I found myself rooting for the good guys all the way, despite the formulaic plot.

The special edition DVD is worth it as well. There is a commentary track by Bay. It also has an isolated music track, the film has a killer soundrack, and I'm glad that it's highlighted here. The featurette "Damage Control" uses multiple angles to analyze the on set explosions. Rounding out the main bonus features is an all new documentary, "The Boom And The Bang Of Bad Boys", that includes interviews with the cast and crew. A feature that I would have loved to see on the disc were the bloopers or outtakes. Oh well, "Whatcha gonna do?" Enjoy.

"We're your new neighbors."
"Don't be alarmed, we're negros!"

I got that quote from the IMDb entry for "Bad Boys." I read some others, and what struck me as funny is that out of all the quotes from the movie that those perusing IMDb have submitted, none have any lines about the plot. All the quotes available are jokes and punchlines that occur in the film between shoot-outs. Nothing else.

But I suppose that fits the film just right. It's not a film for those who have any interest in plot, character development, or comedy - things a film such as "Lethal Weapon" had. No, "Bad Boys" is content with being a bad movie. It's for those with low attention spans. It's for those who like non-stop violence and language. But then, anyone interested in "Bad Boys" by now must be warned that the action scenes provide hardly anything new - some shoot-ups, some shoot-outs, some shoot-downs, etc. I am content with recommending action movies (trust me). But sometimes I expect a bit more than just bad jokes and bad action scenes - if it's going to be an action movie, at least make the fight scenes offer something fresh.

There's a buddy side to the film that never provides the type of humor that it should. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, family man and playboy respectively. They're both undercover in Narcotics division, but yet they find time to stumble upon and into things that have nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Never mind this.

The film opens with an explosive prelude that signals we are in for a Bruckheimer production. It's loud, noisy, and the best part of the film. The rest is all downhill.

A stash of drugs has been stolen from a vault in some sort of super-top-secret Government facility thingy somewhere. This happens directly after the opening sequence and goes by pretty quick so that the audience can get back to the action. Marcus and Mike are called onto the scene by their Grouchy Boss (Joe Pantoliano), who likes to spew spit and bite their heads off for everything.

Pantoliano's character is the exclamation mark to the rest of the recycled characters and plots. Get this: two mismatched cop/partners who like to throw insults at each other ("Lethal Weapon") are called onto a case involving a foreign drug dealer ("Red Heat") who has left behind uncountable traces for the good guys to follow (though it sure does take them a while). Their boss delivers long, shouting speeches at them ("Last Action Hero" spoofed this finely), and they have to protect a sexy witness (Tea Leoni). Finally they go for a big shoot-'em-up at the end (this is in any action/cop-buddy movie available to the public).

"Bad Boys" is just one long shoot-'em-up flick, with a bunch of recycled action set pieces, recycled plot fragments, and when all that calms down, we are exposed to bad jokes and excessive, "pervasive strong language" as the MPAA called it. I enjoyed bits of this movie, I grinned a few times, but I laughed only once - at a joke that should have been more than a laugh. It should have had me bent over in hysterics.

Here it is, listen up: Marcus has to pose as Mike every time he is around the witness, Tea Leoni (long story). He takes her to the real Mike's apartment. She wonders why he has pictures of another black man all over the place - and keep in mind she thinks that Marcus is Mike. The pictures happen to be of Mike, since it is his apartment, so Marcus, posing as Mike, tells her it's his partner, and that they're close. The way this scene is delivered is more of a sit-com-type comedy moment - not surprising, since both lead actors got their starts on television sitcoms. But it could have been truly hilarious - it just made me laugh. I also wondered what the real Mike is doing with pictures all over his apartment of himself. And I'm not the only person to wonder this - Roger Ebert asked the same question.

I will not discredit Martin Lawrence and Will Smith - the two have chemistry. Unfortunately, they also need a good script that can provide their characters with good interaction and funny moments. There aren't many here. We are supposed to trust their life-long friendship yet they don't display any signs of connection like Gibson and Glover did in the "Lethal" movies. Their chemistry alone lifted the last two in the series from being just decent movies.

"Bad Boys" is a movie that has a few funny moments, but none of them are hysterical. We are basically treated to long action sequences that have been done for twenty years, excessive language to guarantee an R-rating and make the movie look tougher, and bad dialogue. The only thing this movie is missing is graphic sexuality - something I heard the new - and supposedly horrible - sequel sports plenty of.

Even the biggest of action buffs won't find anything here. I love the cop-buddy genre, but it's getting to be a real bore. Ever since "Lethal Weapon," "48 Hrs." and "Beverly Hills Cop" came out it's all been retreads of the same old material. Of course, if you like cop-buddy films very much, you may like this film. Especially if you haven't seen very many.

Hilariously enjoyable as any black comedy and full of fast paced action, "Bad Boys," as a 'slick flick,' stars Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey playing two cops who fall on to the trail of millions of dollars of Heroin stolen by a criminal mastermind named Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and try to recover it as well as rescue Julie Mott (Tea Leoni) who is also involved. Personal matters appear to Marcus Burnett who is obsessed with getting "quality time" with his wife Theresa (Theresa Randle) and almost loses his marriage when he is forced to switch names and use Mike Lowrey in front of Julie. The comedy works unmistakeably well, however, the only mistakes I find in here are the heavy profanity and the violence used. But I keep saying this to myself, how can you pardon the profanity if it works well with the script? Oh well. Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Columbia Pictures, 1995, Rated R for intense violent action and persuasive strong language.

The Set Up-Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) just confiscated one hundred million dollars worth of herion. However, soon after the bust, the drugs are stolen from police custody. Hot on the drug trail, the two men are forced to protect Julie (Tea Leoni), who witnesses a murder related to their investigation. Sound familar? The tried and true formula of the buddy cop film is nothing new. BAD BOYS covers evey cliche` and convention of the genre. Partners, one married, one not, car chases, big explosions a witness that needs protecting, a boss that no one respects (played here by Joe Pantiliano), and so on...Somehow it still works and is an enjoyable flick. The on-screen banter and relationship between Smith and Lawrence plays so well that I forgot that I had seen this movie a 1,000 times before. Director Michael Bay and Producers Simpson/Bruckheimer don't dissapoint. The team knows what they're doing. They take full advantage of their stars and know what works here. I found myself rooting for the good guys all the way, despite the formulaic plot.

The special edition DVD is worth it as well. There is a commentary track by Bay. It also has an isolated music track, the film has a killer soundrack, and I'm glad that it's highlighted here. The featurette "Damage Control" uses multiple angles to analyze the on set explosions. Rounding out the main bonus features is an all new documentary, "The Boom And The Bang Of Bad Boys", that includes interviews with the cast and crew. A feature that I would have loved to see on the disc were the bloopers or outtakes. Oh well, "Whatcha gonna do?" Enjoy.

"We're your new neighbors."
"Don't be alarmed, we're negros!"

I got that quote from the IMDb entry for "Bad Boys." I read some others, and what struck me as funny is that out of all the quotes from the movie that those perusing IMDb have submitted, none have any lines about the plot. All the quotes available are jokes and punchlines that occur in the film between shoot-outs. Nothing else.

But I suppose that fits the film just right. It's not a film for those who have any interest in plot, character development, or comedy - things a film such as "Lethal Weapon" had. No, "Bad Boys" is content with being a bad movie. It's for those with low attention spans. It's for those who like non-stop violence and language. But then, anyone interested in "Bad Boys" by now must be warned that the action scenes provide hardly anything new - some shoot-ups, some shoot-outs, some shoot-downs, etc. I am content with recommending action movies (trust me). But sometimes I expect a bit more than just bad jokes and bad action scenes - if it's going to be an action movie, at least make the fight scenes offer something fresh.

There's a buddy side to the film that never provides the type of humor that it should. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, family man and playboy respectively. They're both undercover in Narcotics division, but yet they find time to stumble upon and into things that have nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Never mind this.

The film opens with an explosive prelude that signals we are in for a Bruckheimer production. It's loud, noisy, and the best part of the film. The rest is all downhill.

A stash of drugs has been stolen from a vault in some sort of super-top-secret Government facility thingy somewhere. This happens directly after the opening sequence and goes by pretty quick so that the audience can get back to the action. Marcus and Mike are called onto the scene by their Grouchy Boss (Joe Pantoliano), who likes to spew spit and bite their heads off for everything.

Pantoliano's character is the exclamation mark to the rest of the recycled characters and plots. Get this: two mismatched cop/partners who like to throw insults at each other ("Lethal Weapon") are called onto a case involving a foreign drug dealer ("Red Heat") who has left behind uncountable traces for the good guys to follow (though it sure does take them a while). Their boss delivers long, shouting speeches at them ("Last Action Hero" spoofed this finely), and they have to protect a sexy witness (Tea Leoni). Finally they go for a big shoot-'em-up at the end (this is in any action/cop-buddy movie available to the public).

"Bad Boys" is just one long shoot-'em-up flick, with a bunch of recycled action set pieces, recycled plot fragments, and when all that calms down, we are exposed to bad jokes and excessive, "pervasive strong language" as the MPAA called it. I enjoyed bits of this movie, I grinned a few times, but I laughed only once - at a joke that should have been more than a laugh. It should have had me bent over in hysterics.

Here it is, listen up: Marcus has to pose as Mike every time he is around the witness, Tea Leoni (long story). He takes her to the real Mike's apartment. She wonders why he has pictures of another black man all over the place - and keep in mind she thinks that Marcus is Mike. The pictures happen to be of Mike, since it is his apartment, so Marcus, posing as Mike, tells her it's his partner, and that they're close. The way this scene is delivered is more of a sit-com-type comedy moment - not surprising, since both lead actors got their starts on television sitcoms. But it could have been truly hilarious - it just made me laugh. I also wondered what the real Mike is doing with pictures all over his apartment of himself. And I'm not the only person to wonder this - Roger Ebert asked the same question.

I will not discredit Martin Lawrence and Will Smith - the two have chemistry. Unfortunately, they also need a good script that can provide their characters with good interaction and funny moments. There aren't many here. We are supposed to trust their life-long friendship yet they don't display any signs of connection like Gibson and Glover did in the "Lethal" movies. Their chemistry alone lifted the last two in the series from being just decent movies.

"Bad Boys" is a movie that has a few funny moments, but none of them are hysterical. We are basically treated to long action sequences that have been done for twenty years, excessive language to guarantee an R-rating and make the movie look tougher, and bad dialogue. The only thing this movie is missing is graphic sexuality - something I heard the new - and supposedly horrible - sequel sports plenty of.

Even the biggest of action buffs won't find anything here. I love the cop-buddy genre, but it's getting to be a real bore. Ever since "Lethal Weapon," "48 Hrs." and "Beverly Hills Cop" came out it's all been retreads of the same old material. Of course, if you like cop-buddy films very much, you may like this film. Especially if you haven't seen very many.

Hilariously enjoyable as any black comedy and full of fast paced action, "Bad Boys," as a 'slick flick,' stars Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey playing two cops who fall on to the trail of millions of dollars of Heroin stolen by a criminal mastermind named Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and try to recover it as well as rescue Julie Mott (Tea Leoni) who is also involved. Personal matters appear to Marcus Burnett who is obsessed with getting "quality time" with his wife Theresa (Theresa Randle) and almost loses his marriage when he is forced to switch names and use Mike Lowrey in front of Julie. The comedy works unmistakeably well, however, the only mistakes I find in here are the heavy profanity and the violence used. But I keep saying this to myself, how can you pardon the profanity if it works well with the script? Oh well. Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Columbia Pictures, 1995, Rated R for intense violent action and persuasive strong language.

The Set Up-Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) just confiscated one hundred million dollars worth of herion. However, soon after the bust, the drugs are stolen from police custody. Hot on the drug trail, the two men are forced to protect Julie (Tea Leoni), who witnesses a murder related to their investigation. Sound familar? The tried and true formula of the buddy cop film is nothing new. BAD BOYS covers evey cliche` and convention of the genre. Partners, one married, one not, car chases, big explosions a witness that needs protecting, a boss that no one respects (played here by Joe Pantiliano), and so on...Somehow it still works and is an enjoyable flick. The on-screen banter and relationship between Smith and Lawrence plays so well that I forgot that I had seen this movie a 1,000 times before. Director Michael Bay and Producers Simpson/Bruckheimer don't dissapoint. The team knows what they're doing. They take full advantage of their stars and know what works here. I found myself rooting for the good guys all the way, despite the formulaic plot.

The special edition DVD is worth it as well. There is a commentary track by Bay. It also has an isolated music track, the film has a killer soundrack, and I'm glad that it's highlighted here. The featurette "Damage Control" uses multiple angles to analyze the on set explosions. Rounding out the main bonus features is an all new documentary, "The Boom And The Bang Of Bad Boys", that includes interviews with the cast and crew. A feature that I would have loved to see on the disc were the bloopers or outtakes. Oh well, "Whatcha gonna do?" Enjoy.

"We're your new neighbors."
"Don't be alarmed, we're negros!"

I got that quote from the IMDb entry for "Bad Boys." I read some others, and what struck me as funny is that out of all the quotes from the movie that those perusing IMDb have submitted, none have any lines about the plot. All the quotes available are jokes and punchlines that occur in the film between shoot-outs. Nothing else.

But I suppose that fits the film just right. It's not a film for those who have any interest in plot, character development, or comedy - things a film such as "Lethal Weapon" had. No, "Bad Boys" is content with being a bad movie. It's for those with low attention spans. It's for those who like non-stop violence and language. But then, anyone interested in "Bad Boys" by now must be warned that the action scenes provide hardly anything new - some shoot-ups, some shoot-outs, some shoot-downs, etc. I am content with recommending action movies (trust me). But sometimes I expect a bit more than just bad jokes and bad action scenes - if it's going to be an action movie, at least make the fight scenes offer something fresh.

There's a buddy side to the film that never provides the type of humor that it should. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, family man and playboy respectively. They're both undercover in Narcotics division, but yet they find time to stumble upon and into things that have nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Never mind this.

The film opens with an explosive prelude that signals we are in for a Bruckheimer production. It's loud, noisy, and the best part of the film. The rest is all downhill.

A stash of drugs has been stolen from a vault in some sort of super-top-secret Government facility thingy somewhere. This happens directly after the opening sequence and goes by pretty quick so that the audience can get back to the action. Marcus and Mike are called onto the scene by their Grouchy Boss (Joe Pantoliano), who likes to spew spit and bite their heads off for everything.

Pantoliano's character is the exclamation mark to the rest of the recycled characters and plots. Get this: two mismatched cop/partners who like to throw insults at each other ("Lethal Weapon") are called onto a case involving a foreign drug dealer ("Red Heat") who has left behind uncountable traces for the good guys to follow (though it sure does take them a while). Their boss delivers long, shouting speeches at them ("Last Action Hero" spoofed this finely), and they have to protect a sexy witness (Tea Leoni). Finally they go for a big shoot-'em-up at the end (this is in any action/cop-buddy movie available to the public).

"Bad Boys" is just one long shoot-'em-up flick, with a bunch of recycled action set pieces, recycled plot fragments, and when all that calms down, we are exposed to bad jokes and excessive, "pervasive strong language" as the MPAA called it. I enjoyed bits of this movie, I grinned a few times, but I laughed only once - at a joke that should have been more than a laugh. It should have had me bent over in hysterics.

Here it is, listen up: Marcus has to pose as Mike every time he is around the witness, Tea Leoni (long story). He takes her to the real Mike's apartment. She wonders why he has pictures of another black man all over the place - and keep in mind she thinks that Marcus is Mike. The pictures happen to be of Mike, since it is his apartment, so Marcus, posing as Mike, tells her it's his partner, and that they're close. The way this scene is delivered is more of a sit-com-type comedy moment - not surprising, since both lead actors got their starts on television sitcoms. But it could have been truly hilarious - it just made me laugh. I also wondered what the real Mike is doing with pictures all over his apartment of himself. And I'm not the only person to wonder this - Roger Ebert asked the same question.

I will not discredit Martin Lawrence and Will Smith - the two have chemistry. Unfortunately, they also need a good script that can provide their characters with good interaction and funny moments. There aren't many here. We are supposed to trust their life-long friendship yet they don't display any signs of connection like Gibson and Glover did in the "Lethal" movies. Their chemistry alone lifted the last two in the series from being just decent movies.

"Bad Boys" is a movie that has a few funny moments, but none of them are hysterical. We are basically treated to long action sequences that have been done for twenty years, excessive language to guarantee an R-rating and make the movie look tougher, and bad dialogue. The only thing this movie is missing is graphic sexuality - something I heard the new - and supposedly horrible - sequel sports plenty of.

Even the biggest of action buffs won't find anything here. I love the cop-buddy genre, but it's getting to be a real bore. Ever since "Lethal Weapon," "48 Hrs." and "Beverly Hills Cop" came out it's all been retreads of the same old material. Of course, if you like cop-buddy films very much, you may like this film. Especially if you haven't seen very many.

Hilariously enjoyable as any black comedy and full of fast paced action, "Bad Boys," as a 'slick flick,' stars Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey playing two cops who fall on to the trail of millions of dollars of Heroin stolen by a criminal mastermind named Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and try to recover it as well as rescue Julie Mott (Tea Leoni) who is also involved. Personal matters appear to Marcus Burnett who is obsessed with getting "quality time" with his wife Theresa (Theresa Randle) and almost loses his marriage when he is forced to switch names and use Mike Lowrey in front of Julie. The comedy works unmistakeably well, however, the only mistakes I find in here are the heavy profanity and the violence used. But I keep saying this to myself, how can you pardon the profanity if it works well with the script? Oh well. Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Columbia Pictures, 1995, Rated R for intense violent action and persuasive strong language.

The Set Up-Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) just confiscated one hundred million dollars worth of herion. However, soon after the bust, the drugs are stolen from police custody. Hot on the drug trail, the two men are forced to protect Julie (Tea Leoni), who witnesses a murder related to their investigation. Sound familar? The tried and true formula of the buddy cop film is nothing new. BAD BOYS covers evey cliche` and convention of the genre. Partners, one married, one not, car chases, big explosions a witness that needs protecting, a boss that no one respects (played here by Joe Pantiliano), and so on...Somehow it still works and is an enjoyable flick. The on-screen banter and relationship between Smith and Lawrence plays so well that I forgot that I had seen this movie a 1,000 times before. Director Michael Bay and Producers Simpson/Bruckheimer don't dissapoint. The team knows what they're doing. They take full advantage of their stars and know what works here. I found myself rooting for the good guys all the way, despite the formulaic plot.

The special edition DVD is worth it as well. There is a commentary track by Bay. It also has an isolated music track, the film has a killer soundrack, and I'm glad that it's highlighted here. The featurette "Damage Control" uses multiple angles to analyze the on set explosions. Rounding out the main bonus features is an all new documentary, "The Boom And The Bang Of Bad Boys", that includes interviews with the cast and crew. A feature that I would have loved to see on the disc were the bloopers or outtakes. Oh well, "Whatcha gonna do?" Enjoy.

"We're your new neighbors."
"Don't be alarmed, we're negros!"

I got that quote from the IMDb entry for "Bad Boys." I read some others, and what struck me as funny is that out of all the quotes from the movie that those perusing IMDb have submitted, none have any lines about the plot. All the quotes available are jokes and punchlines that occur in the film between shoot-outs. Nothing else.

But I suppose that fits the film just right. It's not a film for those who have any interest in plot, character development, or comedy - things a film such as "Lethal Weapon" had. No, "Bad Boys" is content with being a bad movie. It's for those with low attention spans. It's for those who like non-stop violence and language. But then, anyone interested in "Bad Boys" by now must be warned that the action scenes provide hardly anything new - some shoot-ups, some shoot-outs, some shoot-downs, etc. I am content with recommending action movies (trust me). But sometimes I expect a bit more than just bad jokes and bad action scenes - if it's going to be an action movie, at least make the fight scenes offer something fresh.

There's a buddy side to the film that never provides the type of humor that it should. Martin Lawrence and Will Smith play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, family man and playboy respectively. They're both undercover in Narcotics division, but yet they find time to stumble upon and into things that have nothing to do with drugs whatsoever. Never mind this.

The film opens with an explosive prelude that signals we are in for a Bruckheimer production. It's loud, noisy, and the best part of the film. The rest is all downhill.

A stash of drugs has been stolen from a vault in some sort of super-top-secret Government facility thingy somewhere. This happens directly after the opening sequence and goes by pretty quick so that the audience can get back to the action. Marcus and Mike are called onto the scene by their Grouchy Boss (Joe Pantoliano), who likes to spew spit and bite their heads off for everything.

Pantoliano's character is the exclamation mark to the rest of the recycled characters and plots. Get this: two mismatched cop/partners who like to throw insults at each other ("Lethal Weapon") are called onto a case involving a foreign drug dealer ("Red Heat") who has left behind uncountable traces for the good guys to follow (though it sure does take them a while). Their boss delivers long, shouting speeches at them ("Last Action Hero" spoofed this finely), and they have to protect a sexy witness (Tea Leoni). Finally they go for a big shoot-'em-up at the end (this is in any action/cop-buddy movie available to the public).

"Bad Boys" is just one long shoot-'em-up flick, with a bunch of recycled action set pieces, recycled plot fragments, and when all that calms down, we are exposed to bad jokes and excessive, "pervasive strong language" as the MPAA called it. I enjoyed bits of this movie, I grinned a few times, but I laughed only once - at a joke that should have been more than a laugh. It should have had me bent over in hysterics.

Here it is, listen up: Marcus has to pose as Mike every time he is around the witness, Tea Leoni (long story). He takes her to the real Mike's apartment. She wonders why he has pictures of another black man all over the place - and keep in mind she thinks that Marcus is Mike. The pictures happen to be of Mike, since it is his apartment, so Marcus, posing as Mike, tells her it's his partner, and that they're close. The way this scene is delivered is more of a sit-com-type comedy moment - not surprising, since both lead actors got their starts on television sitcoms. But it could have been truly hilarious - it just made me laugh. I also wondered what the real Mike is doing with pictures all over his apartment of himself. And I'm not the only person to wonder this - Roger Ebert asked the same question.

I will not discredit Martin Lawrence and Will Smith - the two have chemistry. Unfortunately, they also need a good script that can provide their characters with good interaction and funny moments. There aren't many here. We are supposed to trust their life-long friendship yet they don't display any signs of connection like Gibson and Glover did in the "Lethal" movies. Their chemistry alone lifted the last two in the series from being just decent movies.

"Bad Boys" is a movie that has a few funny moments, but none of them are hysterical. We are basically treated to long action sequences that have been done for twenty years, excessive language to guarantee an R-rating and make the movie look tougher, and bad dialogue. The only thing this movie is missing is graphic sexuality - something I heard the new - and supposedly horrible - sequel sports plenty of.

Even the biggest of action buffs won't find anything here. I love the cop-buddy genre, but it's getting to be a real bore. Ever since "Lethal Weapon," "48 Hrs." and "Beverly Hills Cop" came out it's all been retreads of the same old material. Of course, if you like cop-buddy films very much, you may like this film. Especially if you haven't seen very many.

Hilariously enjoyable as any black comedy and full of fast paced action, "Bad Boys," as a 'slick flick,' stars Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett and Will Smith as Mike Lowrey playing two cops who fall on to the trail of millions of dollars of Heroin stolen by a criminal mastermind named Fouchet (Tcheky Karyo) and try to recover it as well as rescue Julie Mott (Tea Leoni) who is also involved. Personal matters appear to Marcus Burnett who is obsessed with getting "quality time" with his wife Theresa (Theresa Randle) and almost loses his marriage when he is forced to switch names and use Mike Lowrey in front of Julie. The comedy works unmistakeably well, however, the only mistakes I find in here are the heavy profanity and the violence used. But I keep saying this to myself, how can you pardon the profanity if it works well with the script? Oh well. Don Simpson-Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Columbia Pictures, 1995, Rated R for intense violent action and persuasive strong language.

The Set Up-Miami Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) just confiscated one hundred million dollars worth of herion. However, soon after the bust, the drugs are stolen from police custody. Hot on the drug trail, the two men are forced to protect Julie (Tea Leoni), who witnesses a murder related to their investigation. Sound familar? The tried and true formula of the buddy cop film is nothing new. BAD BOYS covers evey cliche` and convention of the genre. Partners, one married, one not, car chases, big explosions a witness that needs protecting, a boss that no one respects (played here by Joe Pantiliano), and so on...Somehow it still works and is an enjoyable flick. The on-screen banter and relationship between Smith and Lawrence plays so well that I forgot that I had seen this movie a 1,000 times before. Director Michael Bay and Producers Simpson/Bruckheimer don't dissapoint. The team knows what they're doing. They take full advantage of their stars and know what works here. I found myself rooting for the good guys all the way, despite the formulaic plot.

The special edition DVD is worth it as well. There is a commentary track by Bay. It also has an isolated music track, the film has a killer soundrack, and I'm glad that it's highlighted here. The featurette "Damage Control" uses multiple angles to analyze the on set explosions. Rounding out the main bonus features is an all new documentary, "The Boom And The Bang Of Bad Boys", that includes interviews with the cast and crew. A feature that I would have loved to see on the disc were the bloopers or outtakes. Oh well, "Whatcha gonna do?" Enjoy.

A key film in launching the "Death Wish" era,"Straw Dogs" nonetheless deals with its subject in a much more thoughtful manner than subsequent formula pics of the genre. Dustin Hoffman is in top form as the nebbishy urban American who moves to the native countryside of his English-born wife,shagadelic 70's sex kitten Susan George. Sam Peckinpah quickly precedes to take this "Green Acres" scenario and turn it into "Village of the Damned". This sleepy little hamlet claims an inordinate number of inbred thugs as residents, including several who appear to share a seedy history with Hoffman's bride. The resulting intimidations and confrontations escalate to the inevitable, much-discussed "Taxi Driver"-ish baptism of blood finale. Curiously, the popularity of 1999's "Fight Club" makes "Straw Dogs" suddenly seem less dated, as it is a similar attempt to deconstuct the eternally conflicted definitions of "masculinity". Look for an early, memorable performance by David Warner as a "Mice And Men" Lenny-type character. An unsettling but worthwhile film.

Dustin Hoffman is a living legend. You can read any of the other excellent reviews here to get a good idea of what the movie is about, so instead I'm going to give you 'the truth as I see it' about why you should see this movie.
Obviously, Dustin Hoffman plays the role of David wonderfully. Susan George does a good job, although it would have been nice for this intended town hottie to have a pretty smile along with her pretty physique. But I guess that's the catch 22 in selecting a British cast, especially from that day and age.
The controversial rape scene in this movie, is almost paralyzingly disturbing. (Yes, paralyzingly...I don't care if it's not a word.) It's disgusting really. It was also very confusing for me, because of the fact that she was saying no, but the viewer actually does get the impression that she doesn't mean no. She kisses her 'rapist' and pulls him closer, and she invites him in in the first place, and then tells him not to leave. A very awkward occurrence. When the second guy rapes her, we understand clearly that she does not want him, but still she seems to have some strange bond with the first guy (apparently and ex-boyfriend or something) as they have a sort of strangely mutually understanding chemistry throughout the movie. This was one of the most disturbing scenes in any movie I've seen recently. It doesn't help that all the while we get up close facial expressions from her, showing a sense of horror and disgust, but at the same time thrilling satisfaction.
Basically, she gives in very easily when there is any sense of punishment as a consequence of resistance. She is trapped in a kind of school-girl mentality, playing childish pranks and teasing the men by showing her breasts and underwear to them. I'm guessing this is related to the way she was treated when she was that age. David, on the other hand, is a controlled, maturing man, trying to focus on his work. He doesn't give in so easily, and although some have said that he plays the role of mouse time and time again until he finally emerges as a 'real man' in the end of the movie, I personally feel that he is not the timid guy everyone thinks him to be, but rather that circumstance does not allow him to show his manliness (for example, when his wife brings in the bowl of milk with the beers). He is more confused than anything because he doesn't believe there is any real reason to confront the hooligans, until the execution of Kitty.
Anyway, like a lot of other people I was very confused by the ending. The implications of David defending his house, his wife, his honor, and his sense of manhood by protecting a man that actually was guilty of murder (albeit accidental), raise a whole other topic of discussion.
The violence, with the exception of the rape scene, is pretty tame according to today's standards, but the psychological horror is in full throttle here. This is a thinker's horror/suspense (not horror in the conventional sense of the word) movie.
The laughter of the crazy hooligan was really annoying to me. I'm sure many people will disagree with my views on the movie, but I think it's important to look at the movie for what it IS, as well as what it means.
I'm definitely glad to have seen this movie, and would highly recommend it, but I don't believe I'll be adding it to my collection. I might see it again one day, but movies this disturbing and confusing aren't usually on my list of favorite flicks to cuddle up to late at night.

People seem to love or hate this movie. I love it. Dustin Hoffman plays professor on "sabbatical" to write a book on astronomy and computers. There is some allusion to his having been driven to his sabbatical (or from his job) because of his refusal to take a stand over some undefined issue at his place of employment. In any case, he retreats to a farmhouse in rural England with his pretty wife, played by Susan George.

When some of the local underemployed thugs start bullying him--(The script and Peckinpah's direction of the actors hits bull's-eye here; having lived in England, I saw the same sort of behavior--punks all over, I guess, have mannerisms of bullying peculiar to their culture.)

The violent climax to this film is--you hate to say it--beautiful. It certainly isn't gorey by today's standards. This, perhaps, is what makes people so uncomfortable about this movie--their own reaction to the violence. Hoffman conveys wonderfully both the fear and the satisfaction his character is experiencing.

At one level, this film exists as a simple tale of revenge. At another level, the movie affirm's Peckinpah's vision of violence as a rite of manhood. Whether this rite is a regrettable one . . . well, that remains arguable, and this ambiguity is part of what makes this such a watchable, and re-watchable, movie.

For some reason, the music (boy singing) or the colors or the horror or the humor, this movie has stuck in my mind for years until I finally had to buy my own copy. It is not for the gentle hearted, as the images are often repulsive while still being artistic. The customer who said "if you like good food you will like this movie" was cruel, and I hope nobody takes him seriously. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes to be disturbed and repulsed while watching beautiful art on a grand scale of opulence.

Disposing of theories about the film's political and philosophical commmentary and allusions/alliterations to art - things I admit are generally over my head -, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover is one of the most gorgeous films you will ever see. Every cell of this film is perfectly framed, every camera movement deliberate but completely unobtrusive, and every nuance of color and costume bred to heaven. The movie, you might say, is like a two hour long painting... even the positioning of the characters and the various savageries seem derive from some artistic mash like baroque mannerism.

When not being enthralled by the visuals (which alone make this movie worthy of five stars), the content of the movie is still pretty stellar. Although it dragged at times, has some bits that are stomach churning, and is burdened with Gambon's bellicose Speaker (whose voice I garuntee you will be sick of within ten minutes), the story manages to be tense and astute enough to maintain interest. The characters behavior, along with the absurd turns of plot after the first hour, make this movie often humorous (although in a fairly acidic way).

If, as many people seem convinced of, this film is founded upon allusions to political and cultural artifacts, contemporary and not, they probably further enchances this movie's triumphs. So, watch The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover if you havn't a weak stomach... and make sure you do so at a theatre or on dvd. It might not make a great purchase though... as the only reason I can invent for multiple viewings is to steep myself in the music and visuals.

This is an excellent film to watch as a group if you're in a cooking club, perhaps a neighborhood ladies' or small church organization that enjoys great food, great food ideas and plenty of jovial comraderie. This documentary examines life behind the scenes in a typical upscale restaurant, in the fashion of an extended Food Channel show, with a variety of glimpses at the preparation and clean-up process for numerous dishes and entres. The film showcases excellent discussions around the use of gas, the over-use of mushrooms, the effects of smoking upon taste, finger and utensile etiquette, novelty foods (e.g. prairie oysters), the employment of refrigerated vehicles for food transport, how to deal in a genteel fashion with accidental regurgitation at the table, and standards for culinary discourse along with behaviorial propriety in a formal dining setting. As with all effective documentaries, this one occasionally departs from the primary subject by offering delightful peeks at the fascinating lives of the principals -- the singing kitchen boy, the nightly patron who reads during every meal, some quick mischief in the restroom, and several side-splitting instances of good old rollicking frivolity in the parking lot out back. Elderly ladies will find this film particularly appealing, as will anyone who really appreciates watching an exemplary old married couple enjoying a good meal together. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may diet!