It’s hard to believe it took 16 years for Bad Boys for Life to get made. Considering the fact fans have been waiting for a sequel for this long, expectations are high. Bad Boys for Life is directed by Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah who became known internationally after releasing Black, a film about warring youth gangs in Brussels. It will be interesting to see what they bring to a franchise that has had Michael Bay‘s fingerprints all over it.
Bad Boys for Life looks like one of those films about the dilemma of knowing when to quit. Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) are feeling the effects of their age. Marcus wants to quit while Mike thinks they have a few good years left. When a Romanian drug kingpin whose brother they’ve killed shows up, they’re forced to postpone their retirement from active duty. Bad Boys for Life doesn’t look particularly original but these sort of legacy sequels don’t have to be. They’re warm blankets for fans who just want to see their heroes do their thing, one last time.
Bad Boys for Life is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, and DJ Khaled. It will be released in the U.S. and in the U.K. on January 17th, 2020. For international release dates click here.
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