Bad Boys 2

The unholy alliance of Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer return with Messrs Lawrence and Smith for 'Bad Boys II'. Considering the original, one does not have to be in possession of profound powers of critical observation to come to an obvious conclusion - 'Bad Boys II' is pretty much more of the action-led same. Well, except that it has a much bigger budget ($130 million), allowing Bay to make a two-and-a-half-hour film in which barely a frame goes by without something large being blown up.

Playing up the buddy shtick to headache-inducing proportions are our two heroic but hip narc cops Mike Lowrey (Smith), and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence). The pair are still working the mean streets of Miami but they're faced with the case of their lives: a vicious Cuban drug lord Johnny Tapia (Molla) is intent on importing vast quantities of ecstasy into the city. No ordinary dealer (but a fiercely impressive Latino stereotype), Tapia's the sort of linen-suited, cigar chompin' individual who likes nowt better than slicing people up in his kitchen to make sure that his fellow villains - like Stomare - tow the pure nastiness line.

What to say about this? Truthfully, 'Bad Boys II' is little more than a big screen beating, viciously, gratuitously pummelling its audience downwards until they reach the level upon which Bay seems to spend most of his 'creative' existence. The material is as hackneyed as you'd expect for a film of this nature - explosions, fights, chases and wisecracks feature at the expense of everything else - but it's the sheer glorification of violence that makes 'Bad Boys II' so stomach-churning. Bay really seems to delight in the unbridled carnage which he so lovingly and witlessly films. And you really don't want to get me started on that Lawrence guy.