Upamanyu Biswas
In ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die,’ directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah take us back into the world of detectives Michael “Mike” Lowrey and Marcus Miles Burnett within the Miami Police Department. As the fourth installment in the ‘Bad Boys’ franchise, the film returns to its roots of high-octane action when the two lead cops get embroiled in a messy affair, forcing them to investigate a conspiracy brewing close to home. After their late Captain Conrad Howard is found holding connections to the Romanian Mafia, the titular bad boys must ensure they don’t become targets themselves as they try to root out the corruption in the Police Department.
The sardonic pair of Mike and Marcus romp through the action-adventure narrative, establishing a familiar dynamic viewers have come to expect. With an exciting central storyline involving fugitives and working outside the law, the film diversifies its color palette by introducing striking car chase sequences and gunfights in Miami, Florida’s tropical and smoky halo. Evoking the city through its visuals, the production team brought the action-enthused livery of a conspiracy thriller shaded in palm trees, beaches, and a buddy cop relationship at its center by grounding it in the reality of its setting.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die Filming Locations
‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, and two Florida state cities: Miami and Fort Lauderdale. While Miami forms the basis of the narrative, the production crew used the three cities to sequence most of the film. Principal photography began on April 3, 2023, and was wrapped on March 4, 2024. However, production was delayed just after a few months of commencement, particularly in July, due to the onset of SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes in 2023, which revolved around labor struggles, better pay, and fairer contracts that lasted for about 148 days.
In a joint interview with fellow director Bilall Fallah, director Adil El Arbi told Exclaim! Magazine that it was a difficult period in their filming process. “It’s been a roller coaster of emotions,” he said, “that’s for sure, but I think that we’re better filmmakers and better directors because of that.” Nevertheless, the filmmakers and crew managed to pull their wits together and resumed soon after the strike. The rest of the shoot was completed without any further disruptions.
Atlanta, Georgia
Filming for the Adil and Bilall directorial took place in Atlanta, Georgia. The capital city of Georgia has found itself host to many productions over the years, and such was the case with ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die.’ The city has a dynamic environment suited for any major production due to its diverse collection of neighborhoods, urban sprawls, metropolitan areas, and high-rise buildings. The scene where Marcus dons a hospital gown and is embraced by Mike was shot on a building’s balcony in the city. Another scene involving an impromptu gunfight as Mike and Marcus exit a building was shot in an empty car park.
A few scenes of the buddy cop movie were seemingly shot in studio set environments, specifically, several action sequences involving guns. Atlanta is home to many advanced production complexes that offer first-rate services to assist in film or television production. Studios like Trilith Studios, previously known as Pinewood Atlanta Studios, at 460 Sandy Creek Road in Fayetteville, Georgia, which is very close to Atlanta’s International Airport, are well-equipped to handle fast-paced and visceral action scenes. They have hosted a series of Marvel films in the past, notably ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’
Miami, Florida
To keep the film firmly rooted in its reality, Miami, Florida, was integral as a shooting location for ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die.’ The crew returned back to the coastal city after their previous foray in ‘Bad Boys for Life.’ The Florida capital is the home of the two protagonists, Mike and Marcus, and as such, the glamorous metropolis with its golden beaches, sparkling blue waters, and tropical vibe forms the backbone of the narrative setting. Shooting locations were mostly concentrated in downtown Miami, a high-end shopping area full of malls and stores. The city has also been a famous spot for the production of past films. The Magic City has so many exquisite scenic views of the ocean, washing up against skyscrapers crowding the skyline, that it is understandably an alluring filming spot.
On their social media profiles, actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence shared behind-the-scenes posts of their time in the city. They can be seen shooting on the streets of Miami in broad daylight. Sections of the road were closed down for the filming. One such location was Brickell Avenue, which is a road passing by the Miami River and north of Brickell Avenue Bridge. The crew and actors engaged in a gunfight and car chase sequence on the north-south road that is part of the U.S. Route 1. Both stars also interacted with fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of the ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ production in full swing in their city.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, which is just 30 miles north of Miami, also hosted the production team for ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die.’ The city, which sits alongside the Atlantic Ocean, was the staging spot for the scene where the titular bad boys drive a black Porsche down a tree-lined waterfront. For this scene, Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, which is a road running parallel to Fort Lauderdale Beach, was used. Given the proximity of the coastal city to Miami, where the primary filming was done, the production crew would have found its accessibility to beach views and coastal plantations a seamless fit with the Miami setting they were aiming for.
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