(Review originally written at 11 September 2007)
Michael Bay is a much hated director but I don't think that this is right or really justified. Fact simply is that he has changed and upgraded the action genre over the past years. He gave action movies more style and certainly also made them more fun and entertaining to watch. It was never really a genre that was ever being taken serious as a genre that delivered real quality or any new stars. Now days the action genre is definitely taken more serious when comparing it to 15 years ago. If it weren't for him, we would probably now still be stuck with overblown and stupendous Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris type of action movies. The fact that studio's dare to spend lots of money on action movies now days shows how well the genre is doing, by both a wider and new range of public but also certainly the critics. As long as he doesn't attempt to make any "Pearl Harbor" type of movies again, I'm happy to continue watching his movies and will always be eagerly awaiting his next project.
"Bad Boys" is Michael Bay's first movie and its also one of his best. It's fast, stylish, action filled, great characters but above all it's fun!
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are a golden duo. It's no coincidence that the best moments of the movie features the both of them in those sequences. The two of them are the main reason why the movie is so much fun to watch. The dialog and chemistry between the two are great! This movie also marked the big breakthrough of both actors. Lawrence decided to keep continuing on the comedy-genre road, while Smith by now is fully taken serious as an Hollywood actor, that still is also a much demanded and popular one, who is also perfectly capable of playing serious roles and already is a two time Oscar-nominee.
The two of them will make you almost forget that the movie also has a truly splendid supporting cast, such as Téa Leoni and the always great Joe Pantoliano in a typical Joe Pantoliano-role. The movie its main villains is being played by Tchéky Karyo. I really like this guy and he serious needs to make some more Hollywood-type movies! His character is this movie is perhaps a bit underused and not featured enough but still Karyo adds a lot with his acting to the movie.
The movie is made with lots of style, that gives the movie a real fast and pleasant pace and also uplifts most of the action sequences. You know, this movie really didn't had the highest of budgets but they managed to do an extremely good job with the resources they had. Even though the movie isn't, it still looks and feels like an $100,000,000 production. There is never a slow or dull moment in the movie and it features lots of action, such as gun fights, big explosions and car chases.
You know it's one of those movies in which the story really isn't that important. They basically could had given these guys anything to do and the movie still would had remained just as much fun to watch. It's a movie that even makes you forget that there is a story! You just sit back and let this movie entertain you. It's a movie that never looses any of its power, not even now almost, 15 years later. I loved this movie in 1995 and I'm still loving it now.
The fact that this movie is great looking is also thanks to the editing by genre specialist Christian Wagner, the musical score by Mark Mancina, who was really great and hot in the '90's and the touch of producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who definitely helped to evolve the action genre.
Highly fun and entertaining! Definitely a recommendable movie!
8/10
Watch trailer
No comments: