🧠 Food for Thought - Pastiche: Bad Boys Ride or Die.
- John Maurice Otieno
- Aug 13, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 4
In his feature directorial debut, legendary filmmaker Michael Bay gave us Bad Boys, one of the best buddy cop action comedy films of all time! I grew up watching and re-watching the iconic flick and its sequel Bad Boys II severally, captivated by the undeniable chemistry between its leads, as well as the numerous humorous quotable lines.
So, when a follow-up, Bad Boys for Life, drops in theaters over a decade and a half later, you can't help but wonder. Has it been too long? With new directors attached, will it stay true to the original duology? The answer, though, is a resounding YES! Filmmaking duo Adil & Bilall do a remarkable job of paying homage to the Michael Bay films in the third entry, as well as its direct sequel, Bad Boys: Ride or Die. So much so that some scenes are exact replicas of their predecessors.
If you picked up on some Michael Bay-esque cinematography (commonly known as Bayhem) in the last two entries of the franchise, such as rapid spinning shots in some action scenes, then you picked up on pastiche. Both Bad Boys for Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die utilize this stylistic device ever-so-brilliantly, but we'll focus on the latter for the purposes of this discussion. As always, spoiler alert! And remember, details matter.
What is Pastiche?
According to Filmmakers Alliance, Pastiche, as a mode of expression, refers to the imitation or mimicking of another style, genre, or work, but done so in a celebratory or affectionate manner, rather than as parody. In the context of film and television, it is a cinematic device that directly mimics the cinematography or scene work (including camera angles, lighting and mise en scène) of another filmmaker through the direct imitation of iconic moments in a movie or TV show. Direct reboots of franchises can employ this technique, taking the biggest moments from the originals and repurposing them for a new generation.
Pastiche in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
So, how does the latest installment of Miami PD crime-fighting duo employ this storytelling device? Through very loud, blatant and explosive action scenes, as well as subtle character quirks that may not be as noticeable. Below are some of the ways I noticed the directing partnership of Adil & Bilall give nod to the Bad Boys films of the Bayhem era:
1. Opening Scene: Mike Loves Porsche.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die opens on Mike Lowrey flooring the gas on a black 992-Generation Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe, immediately throwing us back to the iconic opening scene of the original film, with Mike and Marcus in a black 964-Generation Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6.
Also, in the latest entry, Marcus threatens to throw up in the car, evoking memories of him spilling food all over Mike's leather seats in the original. Furthermore, later on in the film, Michael Bay cameos in the original Porsche, a double-layered nod to the original, as well as his cameo in Bad Boys II.
2. Convenience Store Troubles.
Marcus threatening to throw up in Mike's car forces him to stop at a convenience store for Marcus to grab Ginger ale. Like clockwork, trouble ensues when a perp pops up and threatens to rob the store, throwing us back to the original film in which a store owner pulls a gun on Mike and Marcus. Recall the legendary "Freeze, motherb*tches!" line.
3. Marcus and Skittles.
In the original convenience store scene, when Mike and Marcus turn the tables on the Middle-Eastern store owner, Mike remarks, "Now back up. Put the gun down. And get me a pack of tropical fruit Bubblicious." Marcus quickly adds, "And some Skittles." So when Marcus storms into the convenience store in Bad Boys: Ride or Die and immediately begins to pop some Skittles, you're forced to trace his love for the confectionery back to the original film. He also later on latches onto a stray black jellybean Skittle as chaos ensues around him.
4. Mike Marrying His Therapist.
"Whoosah! Officer Mike!" Remember in Bad Boys II when Marcus goes, "Mike, you go to therapy to get your issues worked out, not bang your therapist."? Guess we should've known back then that Mike had a thing for therapists and would likely end up marrying one someday, which he inevitably does in the latest film. Congratulations to the happy couple!
5. Mike and Marcus v Fletcher.
The thick-glass-wearing, vertically-gifted Fletcher was a much welcome sight in his return to the franchise, albeit briefly. The interactions between him and the narcotics crime-fighting partners were always hilarious, thanks in large part to how Michael Bay originally shot them in the first two films. Fletcher towered over Mike and Marcus, and Bay emphasized this via camera angles and levels. The irony that made these interactions all the more humorous is the fact that the high-angle POV tends to be of the dominant party, but that is subverted here with the low-angle POV of Mike and Marcus having all the power. Marcus, in particular, asserted his dominance by telling Fletcher he'd knock him "the F out!" Directors Adil & Bilall replicated this cinematography in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
6. Mike and Marcus v Reggie.
"Motherf*cker, you look thirty." Who could forget this iconic line? Similar to the interactions with Fletcher, Reggie towers over Mike and Marcus, and in Bad Boys II, Michael Bay employs the filmmaking techniques described above to emphasize this difference in stature, as well as subvert the power dynamics. Adil & Bilall follow suit in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, but they go one step further by helping Reggie assert dominance over Mike and Marcus, witnessed by a cathartic smile in the film's closing scene.
7. White Power Supremacists.
In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Mike and Marcus encounter a couple of Reba McEntire fans with a flag at their compound's entrance annotated: "2nd Amendment - America's Original Homeland Security". This and the blatant Confederate flag on the door of their trailer shove us back to the opening scene of Bad Boys II with the detectives busting a KKK clan operation. "White Power!" the clan chanted before Mike interjected with the iconic "Blue power, motherf*ckers! Miami PD!" Additionally, Marcus butchers the lyrics to the iconic Inner Circle's "Bad Boys" tune on both occasions.
8. Emptying a Clip into The Villain's Chest.
Mike seemingly empties his clip into McGrath's chest in the latest film, à la when Fouchet pointed a gun at Marcus in the original Bad Boys climactic scene. Before that, though, he shoots Marcus in the vest. A nod to when he shot Marcus in Bad Boys II. Recall Marcus hilariously exclaiming, "Motherf*cker shot me in the ass, man."
9. One in the Chamber for The Villain's Head.
After filling McGrath's chest with lead, Mike appears to have one left in the chamber for the antagonist's head. A clean shot, analogous to Marcus' perfect headshot that took out Johnny Tapia in Bad Boys II. "From now on, that's how you shoot!" Mike complimented Marcus.
10. Marcus Saving Mike from Oncoming Traffic.
This scene is so iconic in the way it pays tribute to its predecessor. In Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Marcus saves an anxiety-laden Mike from an oncoming vehicle just in the nick of time, while in the original, it was Mike who saved Marcus. "Don't ever say I wasn't there for you," Mike told Marcus in the first film. Also note the movies' antagonists' presence in the charging vehicles in both cases. Finally, both scenes end with a legendary Michael Bay 360 Hero Shot as we come to a cathartic full circle.
The Nutshell.
So, in a nutshell, pastiche is a very effective storytelling tool that filmmakers can use to draw inspiration from original works of art to deliver nostalgic flicks, cathartic sequels, spiritual sequels and even faithful reboots. It can also be effective in drawing in new generations of fans by retelling earlier narratives with newer, fresher takes. By respecting and nodding its predecessors, Bad Boys: Ride or Die delivers a fun-filled character-driven adventure that is emotionally-weighty and relevant for the fans of the franchise. In this way, the hit flick owes a slice of its success to the stylistic device.
How many of the instances of pastiche outlined above did you pick up on whilst consuming the film, and are there any you think failed to make the list? Food for thought 🧠
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