Bad Boys: Ride or Die

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a 2024 American buddy cop action comedy film starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The fourth installment of the Bad Boys series of buddy cop films, and the sequel to Bad Boys for Life (2020), it was directed by Adil & Bilall and written by Chris Bremner and Will Beall. Joe Pantoliano, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Jacob Scipio, John Salley, and DJ Khaled reprise their roles from previous installments. Tasha Smith joins the cast as Theresa Burnett replacing Theresa Randle, who played the character in the last three films. The story follows Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, who are attempting to clear the name of their late Captain, Conrad Howard, after he is falsely accused of conspiracy.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die premiered at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on May 22, 2024, and was released in the United States on June 7. The film grossed over $398 million worldwide against a production budget of $100 million, becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2024.
==Plot==
Four years after the death of Isabel Aretas, MPD Detective Mike Lowrey marries his physical therapist, Christine. During the reception, his partner, Detective Marcus Burnett, suffers a mild heart attack and goes into a coma, where he experiences a vision of the late Captain Conrad Howard telling him it is not his time.
When Marcus wakes up, he believes he cannot die. Soon after, a news report reveals that Captain Howard was tied to corruption with the drug cartels. With Captain Howard's legacy being posthumously tarnished, Mike and Marcus are determined to prove his innocence with the help of Captain Rita Secada and her new boyfriend, mayoral candidate Adam Lockwood. Mike and Marcus visit Mike's son, Armando Aretas, who is incarcerated for Howard's murder. Armando tells them that Howard was not corrupt, but knew who was, so the corrupted officials hired him and his mother to kill Howard because he was close to exposing the corruption and offers to help them identify the person responsible for Howard's murder.
When the conspirators try to access Captain Howard's computer, a fail-safe, pre-recorded video is sent to Mike and Marcus, warning them of corruption within federal and state law enforcement. Howard uses the phrase "Coke bottle" as a codephrase and it is revealed that he gave information to their former hacker colleague Fletcher. They go to Fletcher's club to retrieve the "files", which turns out to be a QR code hidden in wall art that unlocks a second video from Captain Howard. However, assassins hired by the conspirators tail them to the club and kill Fletcher.
Meanwhile, Armando is attacked by several of the conspirators disguised as prisoners, but he fends them off. Mike and Marcus arrange for Armando to be air-lifted to a more secure location in Miami. However, the conspirators sneak on board and kill the pilot and guards, causing the helicopter to crash. Mike, Marcus, and Armando survive but are branded as wanted fugitives by the conspirators. When the conspirators put out a bounty, the three are hunted by both law enforcement and opportunistic criminals. Conrad's daughter, U.S. Marshal Judy Howard, swears vengeance on Armando for killing her father.
With the assistance of AMMO (Advanced Miami Metro Operations) members Dorn and Kelly, Mike and Marcus uncover the video clues behind the murder and setup. Armando identifies the man who hired him to kill Captain Howard as James McGrath, a former Army Ranger turned DEA agent. While undercover, McGrath got captured by the cartel and was tortured until he gave up his associates and has been working with them ever since. McGrath orchestrates the kidnapping of Christine and Callie, Judy's daughter. He then sends his men to get Marcus' family, but his Marine son-in-law, Reggie, single-handedly kills them all. Rita, Dorn, and Kelly apprehend Lockwood after he is exposed to be working with McGrath.
Using Lockwood as bait, the team engages in a fierce gunfight with McGrath's men at a former alligator-themed amusement park to rescue Christine and Callie, where Lockwood is devoured by an alligator after he attempts to double-cross the team. Mike confronts McGrath, who holds both Christine and Marcus hostage at gunpoint. McGrath then presents Mike with an ultimatum: he must pick either Christine or Marcus to die. Mike, alluding to Marcus' newfound belief that he "cannot die", shoots Marcus in his bulletproof vest. The chaos allows Christine and Marcus to break free before Mike shoots McGrath dead. Amidst the chaos, Judy finds Armando and Callie. Judy prepares to kill Armando, but Callie tells her mother that he saved her life. Begrudgingly grateful for his heroic act, Judy shows mercy to Armando and allows him to escape. 
Afterwards, they and Howard are cleared of all charges and the corruption is exposed, Mike and Marcus celebrate by cooking food on a public grill with Reggie.
==Cast==
*Will Smith as Detective Lieutenant Michael Eugene "Mike" Lowrey
*Martin Lawrence as Detective Lieutenant Marcus Miles Burnett
*Vanessa Hudgens as Kelly, weapons expert of AMMO
*Alexander Ludwig as Dorn, tech expert of AMMO
*Paola Núñez as Captain Rita Secada, head of Miami Police unit AMMO and Mike's ex-girlfriend.
*Eric Dane as the villain, Banker
*Ioan Gruffudd
*Jacob Scipio as Armando Aretas, Mike's son
*Melanie Liburd
*Tasha Smith as Theresa Burnett, Marcus's wife. Smith replaces Theresa Randle, who portrayed the character in previous films.
*Tiffany Haddish
*Joe Pantoliano as Captain Conrad Howard
*John Salley as Fletcher
*DJ Khaled as Manny the Butcher
*Rhea Seehorn as US Marshall Agent, hunting down Mike and Marcus
*Joyner Lucas as a gang leader
*Quinn Hemphill
==Production==
===Development===
Following the opening weekend box-office success of Bad Boys for Life, Sony announced plans for a fourth installment, with Chris Bremner returning to write the script.
In April 2022, it was reported that development for the fourth film was being put on hold in light of the incident with Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony. However, the following month Sony head chairman Tom Rothman confirmed the fourth film was still in development, despite the previous report.'Bad Boys 4' Still in Development Despite 'Unfortunate' Will Smith Slap, Says Sony Chairman In February 2023, Smith announced that he and Lawrence would reprise their roles for the film, which was in pre-production, with Adil & Bilall returning to direct.Bad Boys Will Smith and Martin Lawrence make big announcement! That same month, it was reported by musician/disc jockey Questlove that Smith had to drop out of a planned surprise appearance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards because pre-production for the fourth Bad Boys film had started earlier that week. In March 2023, it was revealed that Vanessa Hudgens would reprise her role as Kelly from Bad Boys for Life. In April 2023, it was announced that Eric Dane had been cast, reportedly as the villain, and that Paola Núñez and Alexander Ludwig would also reprise their roles from Bad Boys for Life. The same month, Ioan Gruffudd joined the cast. In May 2023, it was announced that Rhea Seehorn had joined the cast. The film was originally under the working title as Bad Boys: Ride or Die by co-director Adil El Arbi. 
===Filming===
Principal photography began on April 3, 2023, in Atlanta, Georgia and Miami, Florida. On May 22, 2023, TMZ released behind the scenes clips of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence filming scenes of the movie in Atlanta. Filming was suspended in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. In March 2024, it was revealed that Jacob Scipio would reprise his role as Armando Aretas from the previous film. Filming wrapped on March 4.
==Video==
===Trailer===
BAD BOYS- RIDE OR DIE – Official Trailer (HD)
BAD BOYS- RIDE OR DIE – Final Trailer (HD)
 
Category:Films
Category:2024 films
Category:African-American films
Category:African-American action films
Category:African-American comedy films
Category:American action comedy films
Category:American buddy comedy films
Category:American buddy cop films
Category:American films about revenge
Category:American police detective films
Category:American sequel films
Category:Bad Boys (franchise)
Category:Columbia Pictures films
Category:Fictional portrayals of the Miami-Dade Police Department
Category:Films affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
Category:Films directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
Category:Films produced by Doug Belgrad
Category:Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer
Category:Films produced by Will Smith
Category:Films set in Miami
Category:Films shot in Atlanta
Category:Films shot in Miami
Category:Films with screenplays by Chris Bremner
Category:Hood films
Category:Rated R
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