Bad Boys (Special Edition) (1995)

Variety
"...[Lawrence and Smith's] interplay is engaging, and their lively, raucous personalities keep the proceedings punchy..." 04/03/1995

Sight and Sound
"...Enjoyably and successfully all-encompassing..." 07/01/1995 p.40-1

Los Angeles Times
"...[Martin is] a potent comic force on the big screen..." 04/07/1995 p.F1

Total Film
"...[A] stylish, action-packed buddy movie..." 10/01/1999 p.106

Total Film
"...A slick, hyper, pyrotechnic-filled thriller with some snappy comedy interplay..." 04/01/2001 p.105

Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
"Bad Boys" tries with all the energy at its command to redeem an exhausted story with sheer technique. This movie is so good-looking it deserves a decent screenplay, instead of one more lope down memory lane. The movie gives us a Miami filled with midnight glitz, shot with the flair of a fashion photographer - backlit monochrome tilt shots and all. It has relentless editing, slick action sequences, and blows up stuff real good...But what is it about? Two cops. Buddies. Partners. Narcs...Whose evidence from a $100 million heroin bust is stolen. Who get in trouble with the chief, who yells at them. And with a chick from Internal Affairs, who takes them off the case. And who pick up a sexy, wise-cracking sidekick along the way. Oh, and one of the cops is a sexy bachelor and the other one is a family man. The plot is like a jigsaw puzzle with pieces supplied by "48 HRS," "Internal Affairs," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Lethal Weapon." The movie is a production of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, who actually made several of the movies they've ripped off, including "Beverly Hills Cop" parts one and two, so maybe they're recycling...The movie stars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, both comic actors, both talented, both allowed to talk way too much in the course of this film. The dialogue runs on endlessly; consider, for example, the basic scene where the commanding officer reads out the two cops. He goes on, and on, and on, screaming at them. Later he screams some more...There are also a lot of curious interludes in which Lawrence and Smith do verbal riffs, interrupting each other, stream of consciousness, finishing each other's sentences or not bothering to complete thoughts at all, to show a kind of easy familiarity, I guess. We are glad they know each other so well. We wish we knew them well enough to figure out what they think they're saying. - Roger Ebert
 
Washington Post 5 of 10
Bad Boys can be great fun when the bantering buddies are in hot pursuit of the bad guys. Lawrence and Smith click, so get ready for the next sequel. Hey, whatcha gonna do? - Rita Kempley
 
ReelViews 6 of 10
48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop, and Lethal Weapon were all, to some extent, reasonably entertaining action films. The unavoidable result of their success has been a long string of sequels and rip-offs. The latest is Bad Boys, an overlong sample of MTV-style direction that "borrows" heavily from these (and numerous other) flicks, and, in the process, elevates them to the comparable level of Citizen Kane...The action sequences -- and there are a lot of them -- are apparently designed to camouflage the lack of a credible story. I suppose someone guessed that if the audience was too busy following bullets, bodies, and explosions, they wouldn't have time to wonder about things like logic and coherence. Unfortunately, the movie contains occasional moments of inactivity and, during those, the first thing that comes to mind is: What's the point? After asking the question a few times, it becomes clear that not only are things moving fast, but they're completely out of control. Consider what happens to a downhill skier or race car in this situation, and you get an idea of what Bad Boys has to offer...Smith and Lawrence are likable, and they have a certain modest chemistry that surfaces during the so-called "humorous" banter, but everything about their characters is a regurgitation of previously recycled material. (Does that make it re-recycled?)...The most complimentary thing I can say about Bad Boys is that it has style and energy. The cinematography is frequently inventive, and Mark Mancini's Speed-like score is the perfect accompaniment for chases and fights. Unfortunately, there's only so far a movie can go on loud music, nicely-framed shots, testosterone, and adrenaline. Bad Boys takes the often-traveled road, and leads the audience to a dead end. - James Berardinelli