Ride Along 2

Lame sequel to the 2014 ‘hit’ with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart reprising their roles as a pair of mismatched cops on the tail of a Miami drug lord.

Shoutin' and shootin': an ill-matched Kevin Hart and Ice Cube

Eager rookie cop Ben Barber’s (Kevin Hart) wedding to the sister of Detective James Payton (Ice Cube) is imminent but Ben wants one last chance to prove to his future brother-in-law that he has all it takes to be a good cop and soon manages to join his unwilling partner for a secret assignment in Miami in order to track down a group of drug dealers...

Tim Story’s direction takes the lead from Ben’s video game obsession with car chases and explosions. Every shot seems to last less than a second, while the endlessly moving camera attempts to give energy to the action but instead becomes deeply irritating. The routine chemistry between the leads continues apace while the supporting cast – particularly the women – are reduced to stereotypes, along with Benjamin Pratt’s villainous drug lord. This new adventure is as lame and unfunny as the original, apart from a rare funny moment at the climactic sequence which is too brief and comes far too late to save the day.

GEORGE SAVVIDES

Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Ken Jeong, Benjamin Bratt, Olivia Munn, Bruce McGill, Tika Sumpter, Tyrese Gibson.

Dir Tim Story, Pro Will Packer, Ice Cube, Matt Alvarez and Larry Brezner, Screenplay Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, Ph Mitchell Amundsen, Pro Des Chris Cornwell, Ed Peter S. Elliot, Music Christopher Lennertz, Costumes Olivia Miles.

Will Packer Productions/Cube Vision-Universal Pictures.
101 mins. USA. 2016. Rel: 22 January 2016. Cert. 12A.