The wise-cracking duo are back to clear the name of their deceased boss, in this formulaic sequel that sizzles and creaks in all its 115 running time…..

By now, all Bad Boys fans know what to expect! A slow motion frame shot of Mike and Marcus rising to stare at their threat, one of the duo suffering a crisis of confidence, Marcus getting the words wrong once more as they sing their theme song and of course a huge gun-fight finale in which bullets hit everywhere and everything, bar the two cops, standing in the middle of the chaos.

This fourth outing thankfully continues in the vein of the previous film in which humour is just as important than the gun battles, the franchise really moving away from the excess over-kill of its first sequel which was nothing but a head-pounding two hour car chase and while the gags miss more than bring a huge chuckle, there are some delightful moments that will raise more than a smile, mostly being a “Justice for Reggie” sequence that will no doubt have fans whooping with delight.

Despite his death in the last outing, Joe Pantoliano’s Captain Howard is back, his name being dragged through the media and the force as a corrupt cop, much to the disgust of Mike and Marcus who are determined to clear his name. Mike (Will Smith) who we find is now surprisingly married – hey who cares about watching this sudden character development – is suffering panic attacks and yet for the first time since its original, its Marcus (Martin Lawrence) who is care-free and gun happy, a near death experience at Mike’s wedding – a surreal sequence that baffles- makes him unafraid and its great to see Lawrence having a blast, having questioned his life choices and then retiring in the previous outings.

The stakes don’t feel as high as it should, especially when the duo, along with the returning Armando (Jacob Scipio), a character redemption arc that you’d expect from the Fast and the Furious saga, end up on the run, with the bad guy reveal not really a shocker as you know who it is as soon as their face appears on screen. But as always, its the chemistry between the two stars that carry the storyline, both bouncing from each other’s quips and the genuine bond there is one of the main reasons why this franchise is still as popular nearly thirty years since they asked a shop-keeper to ” Put the gun down and get me a pack of tropical fruit Bubblicious…..”

Returning faces from the third, help the family kind of vibe here and as we get to the traditional scene of both singing “Bad Boys….Bad Boys….whatcha gonna do…..” as we reach the climatic stage, you get the feeling that they either trying to convince themselves or us the audience as to riff a line from the much superior Lethal Weapon franchise “that they are not quite getting too old for this shit“, when in reality they and us deep down know….they probably are….

Rating: ★★★☆☆