Bad Boys II | |
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Directed by | Michael Bay |
Screenplay by | |
Story by |
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Based on | Characters by George Gallo |
Produced by | Jerry Bruckheimer |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Amir Mokri |
Edited by |
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Music by | Trevor Rabin |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 147 minutes [1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $130 million [2] |
Box office | $273.3 million [2] |
Bad Boys II is a 2003 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and sequel to the 1995 film Bad Boys , in addition to the second film in the Bad Boys film series. Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Theresa Randle and Joe Pantoliano reprise their roles from the previous film. New cast members include Jordi Mollà, Gabrielle Union and Peter Stormare. The film follows detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey investigating the flow of illegal drugs going into Miami.
Bad Boys II was released on July 18, 2003. It received generally negative reviews from critics, with the Rotten Tomatoes critics' consensus describing it as "two and a half hours of explosions and witless banter"; [3] however, it performed fairly well commercially, grossing $273 million worldwide, making the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2003. A third film, Bad Boys for Life , was released in January 2020, while the fourth film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die , is set to be released in June 2024.
Eight years after taking down Fouchet, [lower-alpha 2] Miami PD detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are investigating drug trafficking of ecstasy in Miami. They infiltrate a Klan meeting, only to discover that they are buyers, not distributors. After a radio malfunction leads to a delayed arrival of the Miami Police's Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT), Mike and Marcus end up in a shootout with the Klansmen, with Marcus accidentally sustaining a gunshot wound to the buttocks from Mike.
These antics make Marcus re-evaluate whether he should remain partners with Mike, who secretly dates Syd, Marcus' younger sister. Unbeknownst to both Marcus and Mike, Syd is working undercover for the DEA as a money launderer to a branch of the Russian mafia operating in Miami's drug trade who are distributors working with drug lord Hector Juan Carlos "Johnny" Tapia.
After laundering a large sum of money, Syd is intercepted by a Haitian Zoe Pound gang while she is transporting the money. Mike and Marcus, working on a tip from an informant, had been following the Haitians. This leads to an extensive gun battle and car chase through Miami and across the MacArthur Causeway, resulting in significant collateral damage. Mike and Marcus are reprimanded by Captain Howard, who is further miffed to find out the DEA is running an investigation in the city without consulting him first.
Mike and Marcus track down the Haitians, interrogate the leader, and learn from one of their video cameras that Tapia is using a local mortuary as a front for his operations. To gain more intel, the officers pose as pest exterminators responding to a rat infestation at Tapia's Miami residence. Meanwhile, Tapia begins a mixed business-personal relationship with Syd, wherein he intends for her to launder all the money for his operation.
Later, Mike and Marcus infiltrate Tapia's mortuary. Inside, they discover that Tapia is using cadavers and coffins to smuggle drugs and money in and out of the country. The evidence is sufficient for Captain Howard to authorize a raid on both Tapia's residence and the mortuary in collaboration with the DEA and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Nearly all of Tapia's drug supply and money are confiscated in the raid, though Tapia flees to Cuba with Syd as a hostage, whose cover was blown during the raid on Tapia's home, before he can be apprehended. Tapia is using her as a bargaining chip and he demands the return of his money in 48 hours. Mike and Marcus form a black-ops team with agents from the DEA, TNT, and Captain Howard's contacts from the CIA to rescue Syd.
The team is inserted by the Coast Guard a few miles off the coast of Cuba, where they rendezvous with fellow officer Vargas’s brother, Tito, who is head of the local Alpha 66 underground resistance there. He assists the teams with weapons, a tunnel network, and an accurate mapping of Tapia's new mansion. The team infiltrates Tapia's mansion, rescues Syd, and leaves a large explosive device that demolishes the mansion upon the team's exfiltration. Marcus, Mike, Syd, and Tito steal a yellow Hummer H2 as they escape from Cuban military forces. Tapia survives and pursues the group, ultimately ending up outside of Guantanamo Bay. Not recognized as U.S. citizens, the Navy personnel on the base shoot at both Mike and Marcus as well as Tapia's vehicles, prompting them to stop just as they enter a live minefield. Marcus kills Tapia while the latter holds Mike at gunpoint. Tapia's body falls backward onto a mine, which obliterates his corpse.
Mike, Marcus, and Syd celebrate at a barbecue in Marcus' backyard with his family; Marcus has decided to remain partners with Mike.
In August 1995, The Los Angeles Times reported that Producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson were planning to make a sequel to Bad Boys , with filming set to begin in 1996. [4] [5] [6]
Writer/Director Tom Dey had re-written a previous draft, and was set to make his directorial debut on the film. [7]
By 1997, plans were scrapped after Sony executives were dissatisfied with the script. [8] [9]
Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris turned down an offer to direct the film. [10]
Cormac and Marianne Wibberley were asked by an executive at Jerry Bruckheimer Films to come in with a idea for the sequel, the duo wrote a first draft, pitched it, and Bruckheimer liked it. [11] [12] [13]
In March 2002, it was reported that Ron Shelton was rewriting the script. [14] [15] [16]
Jerry Stahl was hired and did a rewrite on Shelton's script, initially brought on board for a week-long rewrite of the script, he wound up staying on for several weeks, Stahl would later claim that only snippets of his dialogue remain in the film. [14] [17]
John Lee Hancock was then hired by the studio and Bruckheimer to do a rewrite, Bay initially balked at Bruckheimer's choice of Hancock, skeptical that the writer was right for an action movie, as Bruckheimer recalled: "I reminded Michael that John was a director himself, so he knows a director’s problems and how to solve them". [18] Hancock was tasked with making the script less simplistic, in addition to adding subplots, and more conflict, giving each protagonist a secret. Hancock left after three weeks to start production on The Alamo . [14]
Judd Apatow was hired to do a rewrite on the script, [14] with assistance from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, according to Rogen, him and Goldberg were broke, so Apatow gave them a bit of money to help him on the script, they ended up contributing a few gags. [19]
After Apatow's rewrite, Brian Koppelman and David Levien were brought in towards the end of shooting to do punch up work on the characters, they worked on the script for a week. [14] [20]
Other writers, such as Ron Bass, [21] Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, Larry Ferguson, George Gallo, Tony Gilroy, Dan Gordon, Brian Helgeland, Gregory Allen Howard, Todd Robinson, and Marshall Todd were brought in at various points throughout the developmental process to either write their own draft, or rewrite the script. [22] [23] [24]
The final screenplay would be credited to Ron Shelton and Jerry Stahl, with story credit going to Shelton and the Wibberleys.
Principal photography took place between July and December 2002, mostly in Miami. [25] The eastbound lanes for MacArthur Causeway were shut down in early August 2002 to allow filming. [26] Filming also occupied one side of Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, while 2 Fast 2 Furious was shot on the other side around the same time. [27] [ better source needed ]
On Rotten Tomatoes, Bad Boys II holds an approval rating 23% based on 185 reviews, and a weighted average of 4.08/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Two and a half hours of explosions and witless banter." [28] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [29] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, same as the first film. [30]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one out of a possible four stars, especially offended by one scene involving a teenage boy and the use of the N-Word, saying, "The needless cruelty of this scene took me out of the movie and into the minds of its makers. What were they thinking? Have they so lost touch with human nature that they think audiences will like this scene?" [31] On an episode of At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper , film critic Richard Roeper named Bad Boys II the worst film of 2003.
James Berardinelli of ReelViews was even more negative about the film, rating it half a star out of four and stating: "Bad Boys II isn't just bad - it's a catastrophic violation of every aspect of cinema that I as a film critic hold dear." [32]
Among the more positive reviews was Seattle Post-Intelligencer critic Ellen A. Kim, who wrote that the film was "mindlessly fun... If you like this type of movie, that is." The film was also praised by a few critics and viewers for its deftly handled action sequences and visual effects. [33]
Bad Boys II was a financial success. For its opening weekend, the film generated $46.5 million, making it the fourth-highest opening weekend for an R-rated film, behind The Matrix Reloaded , Hannibal and 8 Mile . [34] It managed to beat out Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl to reach the number one spot. [35] Although Bad Boys II dropped into third place behind the latter film and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over with a 52.6% decline, it still made $22 million while keeping above Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life and Seabiscuit . [36] In the UK, it made $10 million, making it the country's second-highest-grossing film released in October 2003, behind Finding Nemo . [37] The film made $138 million North America and $135 million in other territories, totaling $273 million worldwide against a budget of $130 million, almost twice the gross of the original film. [2]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(February 2015) |
At the 2004 MTV Movie Awards, the film was nominated for "Best Action Sequence" for the inter-coastal freeway pursuit and "Best On-Screen Team", but lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and 50 First Dates , respectively.
Bad Boys II was nominated at the 2nd Annual Visual Effects Society Awards (VES) for "Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture". [38]
At the 2003 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the film won the award for Worst Sequel. It was also nominated for Most Intrusive Musical Score, but lost to Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle . [39]
In retrospect there has been criticism of director Michael Bay for the then 15 year old Megan Fox in a scene at a strip club as a dancer, covered in water and portrayed suggestively, Megan Fox in an interview had criticised Michael Bay for this ““At 15! I was in 10th grade. That’s kind of a microcosm of how Bay’s mind works” in an interview, later on this caught some media attention and criticism [40]
Later on Fox commented on the situation “when it comes to my direct experiences with Michael, and Steven (Spielberg) for that matter, I was never assaulted or preyed upon in what I felt was a sexual manner. I’m thankful to all of you who are brave enough to speak out and I’m grateful to all of you who are taking it upon yourselves to support, uplift, and bring comfort to those who have been harmed by a violent and toxic societal paradigm.” [41]
A video game version of the film, known as Bad Boys: Miami Takedown in North America, was released in 2004 on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Windows. Originally planned for release in late 2003 (to tie in with the film's DVD release), the game was pushed back several months. The game failed to deliver any sort of sales or critical acclaim due to poor development; it was given low ratings from many game websites. [42]
In June 2008, Bay stated that he may direct Bad Boys III, but that the greatest obstacle to the potential sequel would be the cost, as he and Will Smith demand some of the highest salaries in the film industry. [43] By August 2009, Columbia Pictures had hired Peter Craig to write the script for Bad Boys III. [44] In February 2011, Martin Lawrence reiterated that the film was in development. [45] In June 2014, Bruckheimer announced that screenwriter David Guggenheim was working on the storyline for the sequel. [46] Two months later, Lawrence said a script had been written and parts had been cast. [47] By June 2015, director Joe Carnahan was in early talks to write and possibly direct the film. [48] Two months later, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that Bad Boys III would be released on February 17, 2017, and that additional sequel, Bad Boys IV, is scheduled for release on July 3, 2019. [49] On March 5, 2016, the film was pushed to June 2, 2017. [50] Producers planned to begin production in early 2017. [51] On August 11, 2016, the film was pushed back once again to January 12, 2018, to avoid box office competition with the upcoming DC Comics film Wonder Woman , and retitled Bad Boys for Life. [52] Lawrence revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that filming may start in March 2017. [53] On February 6, 2017, it was announced that the film's release date has been delayed for the third time, to November 9, 2018. [54] On March 7, 2017, Carnahan left the movie due to scheduling conflicts. [55] In August 2017, Sony removed the third film from their release schedule and later in the month Lawrence said the film would not be happening. [56]
In February 2018, it was reported that a sequel film was again being planned and will be directed by Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, after development on Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F stalled, with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith reprising their roles. [57] Joe Pantoliano also reprised his role as Captain Howard. [58] Filming began in January 2019. [59] [60]
In October 2017, a spin-off television series centered on Gabrielle Union's character, was announced to be in development by Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier. [61] Later that month NBC ordered the pilot episode of the series. [62] By March 2018, Jessica Alba was cast as the co-star with Gabrielle Union. [63] In addition to Union, John Salley will also reprise his role as Fletcher, a computer hacker who helps Mike and Marcus in the film series. [64] [65] The following month, the title of the series was revealed as LA's Finest, [66] with Jerry Bruckheimer serving as executive producer for the series. Later that month, NBC passed on the pilot, and the show was shopped around to other networks. [67] NBC's boss, Bob Greenblatt, said: “These are all tough calls. We did have an embarrassment of riches. And when we laid out the schedule and the calendar all season...it was a show that didn’t fit in the grand scheme of it.” [68]
That same month, it was revealed that Sony Pictures Television, was negotiating with Charter Communications about picking up the series. [69] By June 2018, Canada's Bell Media picked it up for 13 episodes. [70] Charter gave its series order on June 26, intent on making it Spectrum's first original series. [71]
Bad Boys II was released on VHS and DVD on December 9, 2003. [72] A Blu-ray release followed on November 10, 2015. [73] Bad Boys II was included in a two film collection that includes the first film which was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on September 4, 2018. [74]
Jerome Leon Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruckheimer moved into film production in the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, he partnered with fellow producer Don Simpson. Bruckheimer and Simpson's partnership continued until Simpson's death in 1996. Bruckheimer has produced films including Flashdance, The Rock, Crimson Tide, Con Air, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, and Kangaroo Jack, as well as the Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean, and National Treasure franchises.
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special effects, including frequent depictions of explosions. The films he has produced and directed, which include Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001) and the Transformers film series (2007–present), have grossed over US$7.8 billion worldwide, making him one of the most commercially successful directors in history.
Bad Boys is a 1995 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Michael Bay in his feature directorial debut, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith as two Miami narcotics detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but was commercially successful and spawned three sequels: Bad Boys II (2003), Bad Boys for Life (2020) and the upcoming Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024).
Bad Boys: Miami Takedown, also known as Bad Boys II in Europe, is a video game released in 2004 based on the action-comedy film Bad Boys II. It was released in early 2004 after the film's DVD and VHS release in 2003.
Doug Belgrad is an American film and television producer. He was previously an executive at Sony Pictures for nearly 27 years before founding 2.0 Entertainment, a film and television production and co-financing company based at Sony. He is known for supervising films such as Men in Black and Bad Boys for Sony Pictures.
Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias, and Lost. After moving into screenwriting in film, he wrote Cloverfield (2008), World War Z (2013), and The Martian (2015), the latter earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2011, he made his directorial debut with The Cabin in the Woods.
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Pirates of the Caribbean is an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film series produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name. The film series serves as a major component of the titular media franchise. Based on a fictionalized version of the Golden Age of Piracy, the films' plots are set primarily in the Caribbean.
Bad Boys II: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Michael Bay's 2003 action-comedy film Bad Boys II. It was released on July 15, 2003 through Bad Boy Records and Universal Records. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 324,000 units in the first week, becoming one of few soundtracks to reach the position. On August 21, 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the album platinum with over one million units shipped.
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American director and producer Michael Bay started his career directing music videos and commercials. This included a commercial for the American Red Cross in 1992 which received a Clio Award, and music videos for Donny Osmond, Styx and Meat Loaf. Jerry Bruckheimer recognizing his achievements on commercials offered the chance to direct one of his productions as Bay's feature film debut. Bay did so with Bruckheimer's action comedy Bad Boys starring Will Smith, and Martin Lawrence. In the same year he also received a Directors Guild of America Award for his work on commercials. Bay followed this with action film The Rock starring Sean Connery, and Nicolas Cage. The film was a commercial success grossing over $335 million at the worldwide box office. In 1998, he directed, and produced the science fiction disaster film Armageddon which was the highest-grossing film of the year, and Bay received the Saturn Award for Best Director. After the success of Armageddon he also became the youngest director to gross $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Bad Boys is a series of American buddy cop action comedy films starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as two detectives in the Miami Police Department, Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. The series was created by George Gallo. Joe Pantoliano and Theresa Randle also appear in all three films. Michael Bay directed the first two films and Adil & Bilall took over directorial duties for the third. Gabrielle Union, who starred in the second installment, later starred alongside Jessica Alba in a spin-off television series, L.A.'s Finest.
David Guggenheim is an American screenwriter, producer, and novelist. He is best known for writing the 2012 films Safe House and Stolen, as well as creating and writing for the 2016 television series Designated Survivor. In 2013, the film rights to a suspense novel published by Little, Brown and Company that Guggenheim co-wrote with Nicholas Mennuti entitled Weaponized, were purchased by Bluegrass Films and Guggenheim was attached as screenwriter. He also worked on an earlier draft of Bad Boys for Life, and the screenplays for Uncharted and the upcoming film Narco Sub.
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Bad Boys for Life is a 2020 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adil & Bilall. It is the sequel to Bad Boys II (2003) and the third installment in the Bad Boys franchise. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Theresa Randle and Joe Pantoliano reprise their roles in the film and are joined by Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Charles Melton, Kate del Castillo and Nicky Jam. The film was produced by Smith, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Doug Belgrad, with a screenplay written by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan. In Bad Boys for Life, Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett investigate a string of murders tied to Lowrey's troubled past.
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Bad Boys: Ride or Die is an upcoming American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adil & Bilall and written by Chris Bremner and Will Beall. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Westbrook Studios and 2.0 Entertainment, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the sequel to Bad Boys for Life (2020) and the fourth installment in the Bad Boys franchise. Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Jacob Scipio, Joe Pantoliano and DJ Khaled reprise their roles from the previous film, with Tasha Smith taking over the role of Theresa Burnett from Theresa Randle, who previously played the character in the last three films. New cast members include Eric Dane, Ioan Gruffudd, Melanie Liburd and Tiffany Haddish.