Bad Boys - Watch Order: Release Order
The Bad Boys franchise is a high-octane action-comedy series that has followed Miami narcotics detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) for nearly three decades. Known for its explosive action sequences, witty banter, and the evolving dynamic between its two leads, the series showcases their crime-fighting adventures against drug cartels and criminal organizations.
This Release Order watch list presents all four films in their natural progression, following Mike and Marcus as they age and their partnership deepens through various career challenges. Each film builds directly on the events and character development from previous entries, making this chronological viewing order the best way to experience their complete journey from the mid-90s through the 2020s.
Linear Timeline: Release Order = Story Order
Bad Boys
Marcus Burnett is a henpecked family man. Mike Lowrey is a footloose and fancy free ladies' man. Both Miami policemen, they have 72 hours to reclaim a consignment of drugs stolen from under their station's nose. To complicate matters, in order to get the assistance of the sole witness to a murder, they have to pretend to be each other.
Bad Boys II
Detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey of the Miami Narcotics Task Force are tasked with stopping the flow of the drug Ecstasy into Miami. They track the drugs to the whacked-out Cuban drug lord Johnny Tapia, who is also involved in a bloody war with Russian and Haitian mobsters. If that isn't bad enough, there's tension between the two detectives when Marcus discovers that playboy Mike is secretly romancing Marcus’ sister, Syd.
Bad Boys for Life
Marcus and Mike are forced to confront new threats, career changes, and midlife crises as they join the newly created elite team AMMO of the Miami police department to take down the ruthless Armando Armas, the vicious leader of a Miami drug cartel.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
After their late former Captain is framed, Lowrey and Burnett try to clear his name, only to end up on the run themselves.
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