Frame by Frame – Bad Boys (1995)

Year – 1995
Decade – 1990s
Cinematographer – Howard Atherton (imdb link)
Director – Michael Bay
Aspect Ratio – 1.85
Distributor – Columbia
Genre – Action
Cameras – Panavision Panaflex
Lenses – Panavision Primo (spherical)
Format – 35mm Film
Categories – Color-Blue; High and Low Angles; Shafts of Light; Close-Ups; Firearms
(Click on any category to see similar frames from other films)

The Movie
A case of mistaken identity forces two Miami narcotics officers – bachelor Will Smith and family man Martin Lawrence – to switch places to protect a murder witness (Téa Leoni). The film transformed sitcom stars Smith and Lawrence into movie leading men and launched the career of 29-year-old music video director Michael Bay.
However, Bad Boys was almost a very, very different film. A Disney-produced version starring Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz – but still directed by Bay – was shut down just weeks before principal photography was set to begin in February of 1993.

Groups of Frames

Scene Breakdowns

*******SPOILER ALERT*******

The following breakdown reveals the ending of Bad Boys while taking a shot-by-shot look at the film’s final set piece.

(The crew) looked at me like some 28 or 29-year-old kid who didn’t know what he was doing. I did shoot this movie, I guess, in a non-traditional manner. A lot through the process I’d hear, “This isn’t going to cut, this isn’t going to cut.” Jerry Bruckheimer had a good idea of showing them scenes I started cutting, because you need to show them the movie does cut and how it’s working. When I did that, that’s when I really got the crew on my side. It’s frustrating when you’re a director and got all these people saying, “You can’t do that, you can’t do that.” There are no rules to film. That’s the first rule. You can break rules, and you can make rules.” – Michael Bay