---
title: "Bad Boys II"
year: 2003
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/bad-boys-ii"
fi1m_id: "bad-boys-ii"
imdb_id: "tt0172156"
tmdb_id: 8961
wikidata_id: "Q539269"
fi1m_score: 36
critics_score: 36
critics_reviews: 11
published: "2026-10-05T02:56:59.387879+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T02:56:59.689229+00:00"
region: "HU"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Bad Boys II (2003)

Directed by Michael Bay · 2h 26m · NMHH 18 · Action, Crime, Comedy

## Identity

Bad Boys II

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/bad-boys-ii
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** bad-boys-ii
- **IMDb ID:** tt0172156
- **TMDB ID:** 8961
- **Wikidata ID:** Q539269
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172156/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/8961, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q539269

**Fi1m score: 36** · Critics 36 from 11 reviews

*In a sentence:* Miami’s car insurers should have top billing

> Michael Bay’s sequel has a fine highway chase and far too little reason to run for 146 minutes. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence supply a few decent wisecracks, but the repetitive destruction makes this a wearying evening.

## Synopsis

In Miami, Detective Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) pursue a drug-crime investigation. A highway chase is among the confrontations facing the pair, who trade wisecracks between bursts of violence. Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is the police captain, while Syd (Gabrielle Union) and Hector Juan Carlos ‘Johnny’ Tapia (Jordi Mollà) also figure in the case. The detectives work together through a succession of chases and confrontations as their efforts to tackle the drug trade bring destruction onto Miami’s roads.

## Review

*Bad Boys II* is a poor buddy-cop sequel with enough skill in its action to make the rest more irritating. Michael Bay wants the pleasure of fast cars, violent collisions and two detectives who can talk over the commotion, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But at 146 minutes, the film keeps demanding fresh excitement from much the same combination of destruction and wisecracks. The detectives need time to become interesting company, and the script struggles to give them anything beyond another argument.

The first Miami highway chase shows what the director can do when movement is the main attraction. We were thrilled by it, because the stunts and the camera’s restless movement make the road itself feel unsafe. Cinematographer Amir Mokri gives the action considerable force, although the swirling camerawork becomes tiring when applied so persistently. The chase earns its length more convincingly than the film around it, and deserves credit even from viewers who have little patience for the rest.

Editors Tom Muldoon, Mark Goldblatt and Roger Barton cut rapidly, but the film still feels slow because its action scenes repeat their effects. There is little time to register a stunt before another demand is made on our attention. After a while, another chase means waiting for the film to return to its detectives, and another conversation means waiting for the action to resume. We were bored by that alternation, particularly once the destruction stopped making the thin story feel any more urgent.

Will Smith’s Detective Mike Lowrey and Martin Lawrence’s Detective Marcus Burnett have some decent wisecracks, and the performers understand how to put them across. Those exchanges are welcome because they briefly give us something to follow besides movement. The screenplay by Jerry Stahl and Ron Shelton does too little to make the pair interesting beyond their next remark, while the juvenile humour soon becomes wearing. In a buddy-cop comedy, the company should be a reason to stay between action scenes; here, the dialogue often makes the wait harder.

The noisy action gives Trevor Rabin’s music little room to change the mood. The score cannot make repeated destruction feel fresh, though that is a great deal to ask of a composer. Dominic Watkins’s production design fares similarly: the places matter chiefly as things that can be damaged. After the first highway chase, the film gives us few reasons to care where the detectives go next, provided there is something there to wreck.

The nastier humour is a further problem, particularly the homophobia and misogyny. Neither makes the detectives more interesting, and both make it harder to enjoy their company when the shooting stops. The film is also too pleased with its violence to give the damage much human weight. These choices make the weak dialogue harder to forgive, even allowing for the broad and abrasive comedy being attempted.

Measured against the buddy-cop film’s modest requirements, this is an exhausting way to spend time with two stars who can be amusing together. A shorter version might have preserved that pleasure, rather than repeatedly testing how long it can survive without better material. Even viewers who mainly want cars wrecked may find 146 minutes more than they bargained for.

*Fi1m score 36, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find Bad Boys II overlong, repetitive and exhausting, with action that overwhelms a thin cop-buddy story. The limited praise centres on the stunt work and visual invention: individual shots and chases impress even reviewers who dislike the film. Empire singles out the first Miami highway chase, while finding the surrounding material too weak to sustain it. Across the reviews, the recurring complaint is that the sheer quantity of destruction makes the spectacle less effective.

The differences concern how much pleasure survives the excess, and how objectionable the excess becomes. Total Film offers a comparatively forgiving assessment, enjoying the leads’ wisecracks despite the stale plotting. Others find the humour juvenile or the central partnership unpersuasive. The harshest objections go beyond pacing and noise: The Guardian condemns the film’s homophobia, xenophobia and misogyny, while Slant Magazine attacks its jingoism and disregard for human life.

## Straight answers

**Is Bad Boys II worth watching?**

*Bad Boys II* is difficult to recommend beyond its forceful highway chase and occasional decent wisecracks; we score it 36 out of 100. Viewers who mainly want destructive action may find something to enjoy, but the thin detective partnership, abrasive humour and repetitive set pieces make 146 minutes feel wearying.

**How long is Bad Boys II, and what is it rated?**

*Bad Boys II* runs 2h 26m and is rated 18 by the NMHH in Hungary. It is an action and crime film.

**Where can I watch Bad Boys II in Hungary?**

*Bad Boys II* is streaming on Netflix in Hungary. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Bad Boys II, and is it suitable for children?**

*Bad Boys II* carries a UK 15 certificate and is unsuitable for children, with shooting, violent collisions and sustained destruction. We find its enthusiasm for violence wearing rather than exciting for much of the running time; the homophobic and misogynistic humour is a further consideration for parents judging its suitability for older teenagers.

**How does Bad Boys II compare to Hot Fuzz?**

*Bad Boys II* is the poorer choice beside [*Hot Fuzz*](https://film.one/film/hot-fuzz), which we recommend for its sharper comedy and a police partnership worth following between the shoot-outs. Both overextend their action, but Simon Pegg and Nick Frost provide more appealing company; the chief attraction of *Bad Boys II* is its forceful highway chase.

**What should I watch after Bad Boys II?**

After *Bad Boys II*, try [*Hot Fuzz*](https://film.one/film/hot-fuzz) (2007, Fi1m 84): Explosive police action with a partnership worth following between the shoot-outs. Then [*The Last Boy Scout*](https://film.one/film/the-last-boy-scout) (1991, Fi1m 73): Abrasive banter and bruising action, held together by a more economical script.

### Reviews we read (11)

- **Screen Daily**, John Hazelton (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but its critical assessment is hidden behind the access prompt. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the available text. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/bad-boys-2/4014175.article)
- **The New York Times**, Elvis Mitchell (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No praise or complaint from the review is available to report. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/18/movies/film-review-hot-cars-burning-rubber-and-guys-good-and-bad.html)
- **Total Film**, Total Film (3/5): The review finds the sequel overlong, overblown and underwritten, but still entertaining enough to qualify as big, dumb fun. It praises the leads’ wisecracks while faulting the repetitive action and stale plot. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/bad-boys-ii-review/)
- **Radio Times**, Jason Caro (2/5): Caro finds the sequel overlong and overindulgent, despite its energetic action spectacle. He singles out Bay’s swirling camerawork and rapid editing as nearly nauseating, alongside juvenile, thin dialogue. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-xhy97y/bad-boys-ii/)
- **Time Out**, DA (40/100, inferred): The review presents the sequel as a brash ode to excess, with an impliedly critical view of its unrestrained style. It singles out the violence, bloodshed, car chases and destruction as unmediated. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/bad-boys-ii-2)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (1.5/4): Ebert’s verdict is negative, faulting the film as excessively long and over-the-top. He particularly objects to its relentless violence and noisy action spectacle. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bad-boys-ii-2003)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (30/100, inferred): Thomas finds the sequel overlong, repetitive and often irritating, despite moments of visual invention. He singles out Bay’s camera work and the first Miami highway chase as impressive, but says they cannot compensate for the weak material. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/bad-boys-2-review/)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (20/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the film overlong and exhausting, arguing that its excess undermines the simple cop-buddy story. He praises some spectacular stunts and shots but says their abundance dilutes their impact. [Read](https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/bad-boys-ii-1200540562/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (10/100, inferred): Gonzalez condemns the film as vile and jingoistic, arguing that its treatment of race and the drug war is reductive. He singles out its gleeful, elaborate violence and disregard for human life as especially repellent. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/bad-boys-ii/)
- **The Guardian**, Philip French (10/100, inferred): French condemns the film as overlong and morally ugly. He particularly objects to its homophobia, xenophobia, misogyny and violent climax. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Observer_review/0,,1056034,00.html)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (15/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel a joyless, overlong mess in which action overwhelms the story and the humor falls flat. The stunts and destruction are singled out as drowning the plot, while the Smith-Lawrence double act fails to recapture its earlier chemistry. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/bad-boys-ii-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Michael Bay
- **Director:** Michael Bay
- **Screenplay:** Ron Shelton, Jerry Stahl
- **Story:** Marianne Wibberley, Cormac Wibberley, Ron Shelton
- **Cinematography:** Amir Mokri
- **Editor:** Roger Barton, Tom Muldoon, Mark Goldblatt
- **Music:** Trevor Rabin
- **Production design:** Dominic Watkins
- **Costume design:** Carol Ramsey, Deborah Lynn Scott
- **Producer:** Jerry Bruckheimer
- **Cast:** Martin Lawrence as Detective Marcus Burnett; Will Smith as Detective Mike Lowrey; Jordi Mollà as Hector Juan Carlos 'Johnny' Tapia; Gabrielle Union as Syd; Peter Stormare as Alexei; Theresa Randle as Theresa; Joe Pantoliano as Captain Howard; Michael Shannon as Floyd Poteet
- **Runtime:** 2h 26m
- **Certificate (NMHH):** 18
- **Release (Hungary):** 9 October 2003
- **Genres:** Action, Crime, Comedy
- **Budget:** $130 million
- **Box office:** $273 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6vcdR30W1A

## Where to watch in Hungary

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, IN, IS, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Police Story* (1985): Vehicle stunts and police chaos, with physical comedy that earns its bruises.
- *Hot Fuzz* (2007), Fi1m 84: Explosive police action with a partnership worth following between the shoot-outs. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hot-fuzz.md)
- *The Nice Guys* (2016): Two mismatched investigators whose arguments are as carefully built as the action.
- *Taxi* (1998): For more reckless driving, with a lighter touch and a shorter journey.
- *The Last Boy Scout* (1991), Fi1m 73: Abrasive banter and bruising action, held together by a more economical script. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-last-boy-scout.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/bad-boys-ii