Bad Boys for Life (2020)

Directed by: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah | 124 minutes | action, comedy | Actors: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nunez, Derrick Gilbert, Kate Del Castillo, Nicky Jam, Joe Pantoliano

The story behind the making of ‘Bad Boys For Life’ is more interesting than the film itself. The Belgian duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah canned this production. These two men say they were big fans of the previous two films about Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. When Hollywood bangers got wind of this duo canning “Black” and “Patser,” things moved quickly. El Arbi and Fallah were invited for an interview and eventually left with a big job. Two newcomers from Belgium were given a bag of money to direct a megalomaniac blockbuster. An almost unbelievable story. A story with a happy ending, because the duo has already been approached to take on part four of this series. A fourth part of ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ is also on their agenda.

“Bad Boys For Life” once again centers on cops Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence). The latter servant longs for his pension and family. Lowrey is far from thinking about quitting. The duo is forced to work together to stop a serial killer. The two receive help from a new generation of police officers. That clashes.

Fans of the two earlier films will also appreciate this third film. El Arbi and Fallah have taken a good look at the smooth and bombastic style of director Michael Bay who made the previous parts. The action is loud, over the top and grotesque. A glossy filter has been used so that everything – including the people – shines.

The lover of tasteful, layered cinema will probably call this film excessive and loud. There is nothing wrong with that. A greasy snack is always nice from time to time and ‘Bad Boys For Life’ is the cinematographic version of a frikandel. An old-fashioned tasty snack that is quite tasty to satisfy a fleeting appetite.