Bad Boys II

When the largest shipment of ecstasy is about to hit US, Miami police officers Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) are on the case. But when their tip off turns into a major car chase and the destruction of numerous cars and property, the two detectives are left without any leads or connections as to who is behind the shipment. Enter DEA agent Syd (Union), who is working an undercover case against Cuban drug lord Johnny Tapia (Molla) but Mike and Marcus have a little problem working with her as she is Marcus's sister and unknown to Marcus, Mike new girlfriend.

After eight years Will Smith teams up again with Martin Lawrence, director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer for another stylistic, high octane but brainless action fest.

The original Bad Boys wasn't a bad action flick. It launched the big screen careers of its two stars and director and also made a large amount of money, so a sequel was always in the offing. Why it took eight years to come we will never know but its here and it's bigger than ever.

Big stunts, bigger chases, bigger explosions and most importantly bigger egos for all of those concerned with the picture. Now Smith and Lawrence are much bigger names, Michael Bay has had a string of hits (even Pearl Harbor made money) and Jerry Bruckheimer can get anything made, so the whole movie is more of an extravagance than an entertainment spectacle. For a start the movie is 147 mins long of which ten minutes of that is given to the story as a way of interweaving the cavalcade of shootouts and car chases, each out more exaggerated than the last.

The performances are also over the top. Will Smith is fine as Mike Lowrey, easing back into the overly confident character as easily as he would put on one of the detectives extremely expensive suits. Martin Lawrence is plays his usual annoying, complaining character that he has played in every movie he has been in since the original and is even given top billing over the much bigger and more talented star that is Will Smith. Joe Pantoliano returns as Captain Howard, a stereotypical commanding officer that shouts most of his dialogue and the extremely beautiful Gabrielle Union does her best with her limited screen time. The biggest disappoint is the Jordi Molla as the villain Johnny Tapia. While Molla isn't a bad actor and gives his best, the role really needed to be filled by a big name actor but this would have distracted us from what is blatantly the Will and Martin show.

What the movie does well however, is the action. The car chases and shootouts are superb and make the movie more watchable than it should have been. The freeway chase is amazing and the finale is extremely action packed even though it was completely unnecessary.

Overly long with uninteresting characters and plot but enough action to make it enjoyable, Bad Boys II is a movie that will keep you entertained as long as you leave your brain at home.

DISK 1: Main Feature

PICTURE & SOUND
Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is of an extremely high standard, as you would expect from a modern movie. The picture is tremendously sharp and clear with the exuberant colours of Miami released beautifully. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is exhilarating, especially during the Macarthur Causeway chase scene with crescendo of sound coming from all directions as the Ferrari tears through the oncoming avalanche of falling cars. The shantytown chase is also a highlight in both vision and sound.

Trailers
Theatrical trailers for Bad Boys II, Hollywood Homicide, The Medallion, National Security, Returner, S.W.A.T. and Ride or Die

DISK 2: Bonus Features

Deleted Scenes (7.38 mins)
Seven deleted scenes from the movie for which you can actually why they were removed. The standout scene is the "Fake Funeral" which should have been included in the movie as it is extremely funny, but it does break up the flow and tension of the surrounding scenes.

Stunts Featurette (9.29 mins)
A behind-the-scenes look at the main stunt sequences in the movie. With interviews with director Michael Bay, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the stunt team themselves, the featurette shows you what went into trying to make the film look as real as possible and not relying too much on computer graphics. The causeway chase, the shantytown Hummer chase and the Mansion shootout are all featured.

Visual Effects Featurette (18.38 mins)
Director Michael Bay and visual effects supervisor Rob Legato talk you through the main scenes in which computer graphics techniques where used. Giving you an in depth look at how they added a CG Ferrari (not wanting to put a $250,000 supercar in any danger) into the frantic causeway chase, the featurette takes you from wire frame to full composite. Other scenes covered include the "Butt shot" where we follow the bullet as it travels through the scene and Martin Lawrence's butt and the nightclub sequence, which starts from a high helicopter shot and then travels through a building's ventilation system, then a nightclub and finally into a close up of some drugs.

Sequence Breakdown (4.54 mins Sequence Footage, 39.10 mins On the Set Footage, 519 Storyboards and 36 Script pages)
Six of the key sequences of the movie are broken down into four parts, on set footage, storyboards, the script and the scene itself. This allows you to see how the full sequence was put together from conception to actual visualisation on screen. For any budding filmmaker out there, this is a fascinating insight into the big budget Hollywood machine as scenes like Macarthur Causeway, Ice Fan Chase, Tapia's Mansion and the Shantytown are totally dismantled for you to take in every aspect.

Production Diaries (59.08 mins)
Nineteen mini-dairies that chart the movie from the genesis of the project to the final day of shooting. The dairies include interviews with director Michael Bay and a lot of his technical and behind-the-scenes crew as well as cast interviews with Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union, Jordi Molla, Peter Stormare and Joe Pantoliano. This is a fascinating insight into the production of the movie that shows you every aspect and detail of the film. Including split-screen presentations of behind-the-scenes images, raw daily footage and actual takes from the movie, the dairies show you precisely what goes into bringing a big budget, action extravaganza to the big screen. Technical details such as lens types, camera techniques and effects outlines are also included in text form revealing more aspects of the production.

OVERALL
The bonus features included in this 2-disc set are exceptional. The Production Diaries and the Sequence Breakdowns give you a fascinating insight into big budget movie production. Michael Bay and his crew are laid bare by sharing every detail of the film and what they went through to get it done. The behind-the-scenes footage is superb as it reveals the sheer scope of the action sequences, especially the extraordinary causeway chase. Even if you are not a fan of the movie, the DVD is a must for any budding filmmaker or anyone with the slightest interest in how these movies actually get made. The only real shame is that if only as much thought had have gone into the script as it did the production of the DVD.

DVD

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2003