Deconstructing Some Horrible Hollywood Boys.
In Jerry Bruckheimer's new blockbuster "Bad Boys II," Will Smith and Martin Lawrence play two cops on the T.N.T. (Tactical Narcotics Team) of the Miami Police Department. The trailer jumps into a debriefing by Henry Rollins (frontman the 1980's punk band Black Flag), who informs the T.N.T. of their upcoming drug bust of an ecstasy operation Ku Klux Klan. Only in a typical high-action Hollywood film could a high-ranking police officer be played by a tattoo-covered punk rocker. This high action Hollywood film has not only amazing explosions and heavy gunfights but also many negative representations of both Blacks and Caucasians. Although the trailer most likely appeals to the majority of movie-goers in America, "Bad Boys II" would definitely be rejected by Porterites for many reasons of stereotypes, images, and other common traits of Hollywood films.
While watching the trailer to "Bad Boys II," one must consider the contexts in which the movie is presented. One can first consider the fact that the movie is a sequel. Those who have seen the original "Bad Boys" (me included), are more aware of the particular style of film and the dynamics of the characters. This can be a dividing factor for the audience to some extent because those who have seen the first movie know in advance that the movie is full of absurd special effects and other ridiculous portrayals of characters. However, the trailer more than adequately displays these qualities of the film that are very typical of big budget action movies. Second, there is the subject matter: .
narcotics officers fighting drug crimes in Miami, Florida. This part of the movie's context is hard to relate to because the cops appear to be part of the club-going model clique in Miami rather than members of the police force. For example, Martin Lawrence poses the question to Will Smith, "What are you, a cop or a model?" On the other hand, a conscious movie-watcher is aware that this is a Hollywood action movie, and therefore not everything is going to be realistic.
