Review of Bad Boys

Introduction

Having seen this film quite a few times since its release, I was keen to get it on DVD, and it was one of my first purchases. It`s a fast paced action/comedy/good guys vs. bad guys film, but there`s a reasonable storyline too. And there`s certainly plenty of action and one-liners to keep you entertained on this roller coaster ride.

The plot goes something like this. $100 million of seized heroin gets seized back from the Miami PD by some nasty drug dealer types. Detectives Lowrey (Will Smith) and Burnett (Martin Lawrence) have to get it back before their department gets shut down.

Their only lead will only talk to Lowrey, but Burnett (the family man) has to impersonate his absent (and cooler) partner, and keeps this up admirably.

Video

We are treated to a very good transfer (anamorphic 1.85:1) and the picture from the DVD is great - you can feel the warmth of the Miami skies and the glow of the neon at night.

It really looks good (and got my hopes up that all DVDs would be this good - something I soon discovered to be untrue!) The image is solid, really sharp and the transfer is spotless. Even the explosions and smoke look good.

Audio

The sound is top notch too, plenty of musical accompaniment during the film, gunshots flying around the room, explosions, and also a neat little effect in a scene with a dead body (I`m not saying any more, just listen out for it). It makes a good demo moment.

The soundtrack is loud and fast paced (like the film) and gives all of your speakers something to do. There are quite a few bassy tunes pumping during the film, and plenty more besides. Perhaps one tiny gripe is that you have to select 5.1 sound from the menu - it`s not the default. Not that much of a hardship though is it ?

Features

On to extras - only a few but at least they made some sort of effort. You get a short "making of" documentary, which doesn`t really tell you much, the US cinema trailer, filmographies of the main stars (static menus of information) and 2 music videos - Shy Guy by Diana King and So Many Ways by Warren G.

You also get a general "this is DVD - isn`t it great" trailer, which seems to me to be utterly pointless. Why are you telling me this ? I already know it, that`s why I bought a DVD player !

A new version of the film has recently been released in R1 which contains more extras, including a commentary, but the small number on offer here still compare well to some of the barren efforts that we get lumbered with here in Region 2!

Conclusion

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do ?

Go get this DVD, that`s what !

In summary I would say that this is a great film, with great visuals and good sound. Fans of Smith or Lawrence will definitely enjoy it !

To complement this, you even get the extras for good measure. So, if you haven`t seen this film before, and you like action films, then you probably should get this DVD out for a look. If you have seen it before, then you probably liked it, and you definitely should get this DVD into your collection ! And considering that it`s been turning up for 9.99 in various places recently - that`s a real bargain !

Real fans of the film will probably want to go for the Region 1 "Special Edition" version, with its commentaries, and improved extras.