Jakarta. The “Bad Boys” buddy cop franchise is back with another sequel. 

Directed by Adil and Billal, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” takes the audience back to our beloved detective duo: Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence). This time, the duo is trying to investigate corruption within the Miami PD after their late captain and mentor Howard (Joe Pantoliano) got falsely accused of being a corrupt cop. The two best friends -- with the help of Mike’s son Armando (Jacob Scipio) -- then try to clear Howard’s name.

As expected out of a “Bad Boys” movie, the almost two-hour-long film comes packed with chaotic energy. Marcus always has the most unexpected thing to say, while Mike will always respond with sarcasm. Almost any bickering that these two have are set to make the audience laugh hard, or at least chuckle. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” also shows off some exciting camera work, particularly during Marcus’s near-death experience at the beginning of the movie.

While the duo did a good job, it was actually Reggie (Dennis Greene) --Marcus’s son-in-law-- that made a huge impression on the audience, at least for me, and based on the reactions at the movie screening that I recently attended in Jakarta. Reggie first appeared in “Bad Boys II” as a teenage boy who wanted to take Marcus’s daughter Megan out on a date. The scene of the Mike-Marcus duo trying to intimidate the poor boy was a famous one, not to mention that Smith once revealed that the two movie veterans were ad-libbing their lines and the Reggie actor was just a regular kid.

In “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”, Reggie is now in the Marine. The used-to-be-a-scaredy-cat Reggie also single-handedly defeats the bad guys who tries to attack Marcus’s family (the detective is not home at the time). As soon as Reggie knocks them all out, he salutes to the CCTV camera. When this played at the screening, the entire audience --including myself-- immediately clapped hard and cheered for Reggie. 

It appears that Adil & Billal are aware that Reggie will be a fan-favorite in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”.

The movie ends with Mike and Marcus barbecuing together. The duo now has a newfound respect for Reggie after he knocks out a group of men on his own. Mike-Marcus then let Reggie use the grill. As the film ends, Reggie smiles at the camera -- breaking the fourth wall as if he knows that he indeed has stolen the show.

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