In 1995, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence broke the bank with "Bad Boys". 25 years and two films later, the two Miami cops are now considering retirement. And what about style? From the streetwear look to the shiny purple suit, the two men are still hesitant to mourn their youthful wardrobe. But the vest continues to resist...
(Cover photo credit: Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in "Bad Boys", 1995 - IMAGO / AllStar)
THE PITCH: MIAMI COPS, THE RETURN (BUT IN STREETWEAR VERSION)
Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett work in the police. They live in Miami. The first is the seductive, adventurous type, with luxury clothes and cars - he drives a Porsche. The second is more modest. He is a family man, with a more orderly life.
The two are inseparable. They tirelessly hunt down crime in the city, bringing in their wake all sorts of fights, shootouts and explosions. A little peculiarity: their credo is contained in a song.
Cop duos in film or television are nothing new. Think, for example, of the Mel Gibson/Danny Glover duo in "Lethal Weapon." But "Bad Boys" is a special case.
In a way, it's even a surprise. And a first! Two black actors at the top of the bill, who are such a hit all over the world, the Hollywood studios didn't believe it for a second.
"Bad Boys" is Michael Bay's very first film. He is a director that some more or less affectionately nickname the artificer. In fact, he generally takes a malicious pleasure in destroying absolutely everything he can in his films - and it hurts the head, the eyes and the ears .
Frantic staging, garish colors, a riot of explosions and fireworks of all kinds. It's a style in itself . It finds its full measure in "BadBoys 2". It's an even more explosive and slightly unclassifiable sequel, which is globally unlike anything, in every sense of the word.
Unique in its genre, "Bad Boys 2" celebrates, among other things, the cult of the body, virile friendship, very heavy jokes and unbridled action . Some see it as the height of sexism, stupidity and bad taste, others as a twisted mirror of a certain part of our contemporary society.
17 years later, "Bad Boys for Life" reactivates the most famous Miami cop duo of recent years. Entrusted to two virtually unknown Belgian directors, this third installment contrasts with the excesses of the previous ones. Our two heroes have aged and are now asking themselves a lot of existential questions. Does wisdom come with age?
The cast includes Will Smith, Martin Lawrence and Joe Pantoliano, noted for his appearance in the series "The Sopranos". Many others complete the cast of the franchise, such as Tchéky Karyo, the dark villain of the first opus, dressed all in black .
WHAT TO SEE IN STYLE…
So what are Michael Bay's "Bad Boys" doing at BonneGueule? The question is legitimate given how far away this universe seems. Without even talking about cinema, the franchise evokes a world that is hardly compatible with gender equality, inclusiveness, responsible economics, ethics and ecology , elegant clothing or textile know-how .
But "Bad Boys" has its fans. Starting with Benoit, who sums it up in a way that is as laconic as it is extraordinary: "because it's a film that is both cult and very redneck , which suits my tastes well."
Is the "Bad Boys" saga really a story about rednecks? If we ignore the characters' dialogues and situations to focus solely on their wardrobe, we discover a whole other world of style. He is fond of streetwear, hip-hop inspirations and flashy fashion à la Versace . Note also that the history of this brand is much more complex than we imagine:
Every film has its costume designers. But what we can emphasize is that the characters' outfits are like Michael Bay's cinema: they sit on the rules of style and decorum .
While the first two maintain a certain clothing consistency, the third and latest film ventures here and there into a less openly streetwear register. As pointed out above, our two heroes have aged. With the arrival of white hair, their style evolves, sometimes even to the point of white pants and orange polo shirts . So, what can we remember from the history of the "Bad Boys" saga with clothing?
1. THE VEST, A STYLE MARKER IN THE WEST AS WELL AS IN THE EAST
If we had to remember just one item of clothing from the saga, it would probably be the tank top , or the vest as it is sometimes called .
It's simple: the tank top is THE basic in Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's wardrobe . It is synonymous with action. In "Bad Boys For Life", Martin Lawrence asks his partner if he really wants to keep the image of the gunslinger in a tank top . As we will see later, some of the characters aspire to another life, or even another style.
Whether it's white or black, you'll find the tank top at the base or conclusion of most of their outfits. Because it's not just underwear here: the tank top is a symbolic piece , often worn as is, like a t-shirt.
The function of the vest is both practical and aesthetic. In fact, we don't hesitate to show our muscles in "Bad Boys". This underwear is also very popular in urban cultures and American hip-hop. However, it is a codified universe that is quite widely integrated and disseminated by the characters of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
On the other side of the world, for example in Wong Kar-Wai's films, the tank top sometimes has a completely different function . It is less there to emphasize the architecture of the body than to awaken a discreet sensuality. In fact, the tank top is often an integral part of a slightly more sober and elaborate style in Asian cinema . If the question of the tank top ever arises for you, here are some tips:
2. ANOTHER VISION OF ELEGANCE
Everyone considers the elegance of clothing according to their history and culture. If you look a little closer, Will Smith's character is certainly the most attentive to style in the saga . In "Bad Boys 2", for example, you will see that his partner asks him if he is a cop or a model. And Will Smith answers "What are you talking about? I put on something simple, I like to dress up" .
It's his elegance, which we will share or not depending on our affinities. He wears the suit in a streetwear way, loose, with a t-shirt or shirt, embellished with very visible accessories - watches, rings, chains, stylish Sama glasses.
Of course, his vision of style is relatively different from the one you regularly come across in our columns. Are you a fan of hip-hop? The outfits presented here are more gangsta bling bling than the conscious minimalism of an Orelsan .
Do you love suits? Will Smith's outfits are rather oversized, shiny, with coarse belts and sometimes questionable colors that will drive our Breno suits crazy. On the other hand, the street and military outfits with baggy pants and quilted vests have something intriguing. In short, it's another world of fashion, with its own codes and legends .
In the end, traditions don't matter: clothing here is entirely at the service of the body in action. It is designed to perform during stunts and show that our two heroes are men of the field.
© IMAGO / AllStar
Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in “Bad Boys”, 1995.
By the way, we rediscover, if necessary, that Michael Jordan was not only a high-level athlete but also a fashion influencer. However, in "Bad Boys" you will come across all sorts of brands that are very far from our usual standards in terms of ethics and quality : Nike , Adidas , Reebok , Champion or Versace, precisely.
So what is Will Smith's elegance really all about? Is it just about looks, style and clothes? Would you dress like Will Smith and Martin Lawrence tomorrow? To go further, a little thought here:
3. STYLE, A STORY OF LEARNING AND PASSING TIME
In 2020, the third installment "Bad Boys For Life" reveals some cracks in the stylistic assurance: the two Miami cops are now prey to doubt . They wonder about their future. They also notice the marks of time on their bodies and their performances. The midlife crisis?
They run slower. They have gained weight, lost hair or dyed their goatees. Their outfits are also different, sometimes even less streetwear-like. What happened to our two cops in Miami?
17 years have passed. Believe it or not: time has clearly allowed them to open their clothing style to other worlds - denim, workwear, varsity jackets , etc. This is THE positive point that everyone forgets, even them.
If the third "Bad Boys" has the most diverse wardrobe, it is also the one that shows that we never stop learning. We can even improve our style with time . Will the "Bad Boys 4" announced by the producers go further in this direction? Nothing is less certain.
At the end of "Bad Boys For Life", Will Smith and Martin Lawrence seem ready to leave their gloves in the closet. The next generation is on the way. But will they abandon the vest? The question remains.
If some of you are wondering what to do after quarantine, here are some ideas in this article if needed:
…TO CREATE INSPIRING OUTFITS
In terms of style and inspiration, the "Bad Boys" saga inevitably questions the place of clothing in the contemporary American action film . Is it doomed to be more and more functional, technical, even technological as we can see in superheroes ?
Fans of the eighties careers of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Chuck Norris know this: even when they were on the verge of being a dud, their productions never lacked humor and sartorial charm. In fact, there are still plenty of great finds to be found there today.
Look for example at this little association above, very simple but very nice, between a long-sleeved henley and a chambray shirt. It's vintage Chuck Norris 1988, and it's from the movie "Heroes" by William Tannen.
As for the hip-hop and streetwear register, I invite you to immerse yourself in the fascinating wardrobe of David Simon's series "The Wire" - the management of volumes, in particular. Or, to stay in the cinema, to take a look at the classic "Boyz n The Hood" by John Singleton in 1991:
You might find some inspiration there that might interest you, especially in Ice Cube's photograph above. And you, who would be your most stylish "bad boys" in cinema?
