I'm by no means a Bad Boys superfan (does such a thing exist, and would any such devoted fans from the 1995 original still exist?), and I didn't even see the last instalment in this series.

that means even though it's a fairly self contained story it's the latest chapter in a saga, so without knowing or remembering who all the supporting characters are, a lot of it's going to be lost on you. I didn't even remember Joe Pantoliano was in the series, mush less as the police chief Howard.

But he's apparently disappeared and been killed, because he's sent Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence) a video message that there's corruption in the department connected to drug cartels and they've silenced him to cover it up.

The trail then leads the guys through the story to the next clue from the video, to Mike's incarcerated gangster son (didn't remember him) to Marcus' family (didn't remember them) to Captain Howard's daughter Judy, now an FBI agent played by Rhea Seehorn (didn't remember her).

And of course, the path through those clues to reach the truth involves plenty of gunfire, chases along Miami freeways in hotted up cars, a fight in – and the subsequent crash of – a helicopter and a disused alligator aquarium-turned-warzone.

Supporting characters drift into and out of the story, and while they're effective foil for Mike and Marcus to fight, shoot and smart-mouth their way out of trouble, I feel like it might have been a bit more engaging if you knew (and thus cared) who they were.

But caring about characters was never the intent of the Bad Boys brand name, and co-director Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah know just as much as franchise shepherd Michael Bay used to that's not what you're there for. Bay shows up in a cameo as a guy whose Sunday drive is interrupted by a chase scene, and so does – weirdly – Khaby Lame, the guy famous for shrugging on social media.

The movie knows you're actually there for action, hot cars, explosions, gunfights and a frenetic sense of movement, and it delivers it in multitudes, Mike and Marcus seeing more action in a matter of days than most cops do throughout an entire career.

What you also might be going for is the signature old-married-couple bickering and banter between Smith and Lawrence, but if so you're going to be disappointed. Smith is as motormouthed, sharp and comedy-aware as he's ever been but Lawrence's dryer, slightly shlubbier delivery style has become so obtuse it's an embarrassing, not-at-all funny parody of itself.