The following contains major spoilers for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, now playing in theaters.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die brings Martin Lawrence’s Marcus and Will Smith’s Mike back for another round as the Miami Police Department’s finest cops. In this case, they’re without their iconic leader, Captain Howard, as he was killed in Bad Boys For Life. This leaves his main guys scrambling to clear his name.
Marcus and Mike won’t believe Howard was working for the cartel. This leads to them trying to solve the case and garnering a few allies along the way. In the process, Bad Boys 4 features a few surprising cameos, revealing that not all these individuals have good intentions.
7Jay Shetty Is Mike’s Wedding Officiator
Popular vlogger and self-help guru, Jay Shetty, is seen in the opening sequence. There, Mike is getting married to Christine. It’s a surprise as Mike, even in his late 40s, never seemed like he’d settle down. He had always hyped up the single life. It did annoy Marcus, as Mike once dated his sister.
As of Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Mike’s bachelor life is over. Shetty is overseeing the nuptials in a very quick sequence. It’s quite romantic as Mike and Christine read their vows. It affirms that Mike is indeed a changed man who has something more to fight for: love. Shetty’s cameo is ironic because he officiated Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s wedding in real life. Luckily, Mike and Christine don’t have any divorce drama or potential reasons to separate by the time Bad Boys: Ride or Die ends.
6Michael Bay Appears As the Porsche Driver
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After getting a heart attack in the first act, Marcus survives and is convinced he is immortal. He saw visions of all their past gunfights and car chases and interprets all this as him having a higher calling and a holy shield of invincibility. He tests it by wandering out into traffic. He isn’t even looking at the busy Miami streets. Mike tries to rescue him but is almost hit by a Porsche driver. This is none other than director, Michael Bay, who helmed the first two Bad Boys movies. Modern fans would associate Bay mostly with the Transformers movies or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action reboot from the 2010s. But Bad Boys is where Bay really got renowned.
Bay passed the franchise to directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. There is a bit of serendipity at play, as Bay did cameo in the third film as an emcee when Marcus’ daughter gets married. The annoyed Bay driving this black Porsche has extra meaning, as it nods to Mike and his car in the original, too. The latter scene also seems to call back the fact Bay was in talks to do the third film around 2008, but a financial agreement couldn’t be reached. It therefore warms fans’ hearts to see at least some relationship is still there.
5Khaby Lame Has a Head-Scratcher Moment
Khaby Lame is a Senegalese-Italian media personality known for his iconic shrug. He took TikTok by storm years ago, shrugging and pointing out simple things that humanity makes complicated, from cooking to washing. His unique style earned him millions of social media followers across several digital platforms. He leveraged that to become a brand ambassador and influencer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Lame is spotted in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment when Marcus goes through traffic. He’s seen shrugging right after the Bay cameo, surely wondering if Marcus and Mike are out of their minds in the movie for risking their lives on the road. It proves how high Lame’s stock is. It’s a nice reward as well, after he did promo videos with Lawrence and Smith that garnered this movie millions of views. That’s a lot of attention, affirming Lame remains the most top-tier influencer around.
4John Salley’s Fletcher Meets a Grim Fate
Bad Boys: Ride or Die Sets New Franchise Record at Rotten Tomatoes
Bad Boys: Ride or Die sets an impressive record for the franchise at Rotten Tomatoes.
NBA legend John Salley won two championship rings in the 1980s with Detroit Pistons, one with the Chicago Bulls in 1996 and one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. In addition, Salley appeared in the first Bad Boys movie in 1995 as the glasses-wearing, geeky computer hacker, Fletcher. Salley played for the Miami Heat at that time and his character got out of prison by partnering with Miami PD. He lent assistance to Mike and Marcus. He also appeared in the second film in 2003 after he retired from the game, but not the third.
The fourth Bad Boys movie brings the character back, with Fletcher running his own business. He also has a side project: he is guarding digital data that Howard leaves behind to point to the true villains of the story. Mike and Marcus visit him at a nightclub, but he’s sadly killed by Eric Dane’s McGrath. It’s a shocking end to a beloved character, but it does prop up McGrath as a nasty villain who defected from the DEA to work with the cartel.
3DJ Khaled Returns as a Bitter Informant
DJ Khaled made a cameo in the third Bad Boys movie as Manny the Butcher. He was a criminal informant that Mike used to track weapons and drug deals. Granted, Mike did have to abuse him to get him to comply. Unfortunately, Manny isn’t an ally anymore, as McGrath’s team has placed a $5 million bounty on Mike and Marcus.
Manny shows up with a crew of gangsters to get the prize. He throws a lot of shade on Mike, clearly wanting revenge for when Mike roughed him up. Manny dies in the skirmish, however, when Mike’s son, Armando (Jacob Scipio) rams a vehicle into him. It’s dark karma, but as Mike often warned Manny, those who lived by the sword would usually die by it. That said, DJ Khaled does fit the franchise’s humor and unpredictable nature.
2Joyner Lucas Enters the Fray as a Thug
DJ Khaled isn’t the only musical personality hunting the guys. Rapper, Joyner Lucas, is another thug who comes for the bounty. Lucas has worked with other rappers such as 21 Savage and Kendrick Lamar, so he is quite popular. Interestingly, this isn’t Lucas’ first foray into acting.
Lucas also appeared in 2023’s The Family Plan. However, Bad Boys: Ride or Die doesn’t give him a glory moment. Mike and Marcus evade all the goons who come to collect their heads. This leaves the heroes thinking maybe they need to clean up the Miami streets a bit more due to all these untrustworthy, unsavory figures lurking for a payday.
1Tiffany Haddish Unleashes Hell as Tabitha
When Mike and Marcus seek clues, they end up visiting Tiffany Haddish’s Tabitha at a nightclub. She seems like she’s an ally, albeit a quaint one. She does alienate the men by making very lewd comments. These statements weird Mike out, especially after he enjoys the married life. Unfortunately, Tabitha betrays the heroes in a scene that has the energy of Lando Calrissian backstabbing Han Solo’s crew from Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back.
Tabitha proves to be a lot more scandalous and profane, and even makes crass comments towards the younger Armando. For fans who have watched Haddish’s movies, this is her cutting loose. She can be known for pushing the envelope at times, and there are no lines Tabitha won’t cross. She has no morals and ethics when it comes to getting her “man” and making cash along the way. The banter with Mike and dynamic with Armando might not be for everyone, but for those who love crude and crass comedy, Haddish delivers emphatically.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is now playing in theaters.
Source: CBR