Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey of the Miami Narcotics Task Force are tasked with stopping the flow of the drug Ecstasy into Miami. They track the drugs to the whacked-out Cuban drug lord Johnny Tapia, who is also involved in a bloody war with Russian and Haitian mobsters. If that isn't bad enough, there's tension between the two detectives when Marcus discovers that playboy Mike is secretly romancing Marcus’ sister, Syd.
Bad Boys II is a bloated but entertaining sequel that doubles down on everything from the original — bigger explosions, longer runtime, louder humor — without adding much that's genuinely new. The plot is a thin scaffolding for set pieces, and the storyline involving Marcus's sister feels contrived. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have undeniable chemistry and carry the film, earning a decent acting score. Michael Bay's kinetic visual style is flashy and competent, though more maximalist than artful. Novelty suffers as this is largely a by-the-numbers escalation of the original formula. The Cuba climax is over-the-top even by Bay standards, feeling narratively unearned.