Hall of Fame: Mike Lowrey & Marcus Burnett
“Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do…”
Although Inner Circle’s Top 40 hit would become synonymous with the Bad Boys franchise, today is not the day to think about what detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are gonna do, but rather what they have done. Over the course of 25 years and three blockbuster films, they have brought down drug kingpins, tangled with Jamaican junkies, took on the KKK, and battled ghosts of their past aided by razor sharp wit and a healthy does of excessive force. Although they had moments where they questioned themselves, Miami’s most well known cops since the heyday of Crockett and Tubbs always persevered, and it is my great honor to induct these Bad Boys For Life into the Bulletproof Action Hall of Fame!
Ever since their debut in 1995’s Bad Boys, the characters of Lowrey and Burnett have become two of the most beloved law enforcers in action film history. The duo of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence truly elevated the buddy cop genre with their portrayals of the well dressed adrenaline junkie (Lowrey) and his well-meaning, often overwhelmed partner (Burnett). It’s a testament to their charisma and the chemistry between the two actors that the Bad Boys series is so entrenched in popular culture. Somehow I don’t think we’d be having this discussion if Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz (the two actors who were originally envisioned in the roles of Lowrey and Burnett) got the job instead of Smith and Lawrence.
One could argue that the longevity of the Bad Boys franchise is a bigger accomplishment than their respective sitcom success with Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin. While those shows will go down in history as two of the most popular sitcoms of all time, the success of each ensuing installment in the Bad Boys series despite the long stretches of downtime between them is a testament to its staying power and popularity. Moviegoers that loved Bad Boys were always ready for another adventure, and although it took 8 years to get the first sequel and a whopping 17 years in between Bad Boys II and Bad Boys For Life, the box office receipts show that the audience for Miami’s two most popular cops was still there. In fact, the best part about Bad Boys For Life was how it put the pieces in place for the series to keep going. With a severe lack of good news in 2020, the fact that the year started off with a new Bad Boys movie and the potential for more to happen is music to my ears. If it’s one thing we could all use more of, it’s Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett shooting up the city in pursuit of a criminal element.
They’re reckless and hilarious, and after today, they can be called Hall of Famers. If you appreciate the humor and excess of the Bad Boys franchise… if you’ve ever found yourself humming the theme to get yourself pumped… or if you’ve mastered how to evade dead bodies being thrown from a moving vehicle, join me in raising a glass (contents are up to you!) to toast Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. Today, our beloved Bad Boys are now Bulletproof… For Life!
