Bad Boys II (2003) is an American action comedy directed by Michael Bay and the sequel to Bad Boys from 1995. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as Miami narcotics detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, this time investigating a major ecstasy-smuggling operation connected to Cuban drug lord Johnny Tapia. Gabrielle Union plays Syd, Marcus’ sister and an undercover DEA agent, while Jordi Mollà appears as Tapia. The film is built around Bay’s large-scale action style, with car chases, shoot-outs, explosions, fast editing and a deliberately excessive version of Miami crime cinema. Compared with the first film, Bad Boys II is bigger, louder and more chaotic, turning the partnership between Mike and Marcus into a full-scale action spectacle that moves from Miami streets and mansions to a militarised finale staged as Cuba.
Bad Boys II was filmed mainly in South Florida, with Miami and Miami Beach giving the film its core identity. The production used real Miami locations such as MacArthur Causeway, Dadeland Mall, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Ocean Drive, Cape Florida State Park, the Mandarin Oriental area and other city streets, bridges and waterfront spaces. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens stands in for Johnny Tapia’s mansion, using the historic estate’s European-style architecture and gardens as the drug lord’s luxurious home. The famous chase involving cars being thrown from a transport truck is tied to the MacArthur Causeway, while Dadeland Mall is connected to the Haitian Zoe Pounder chase scenes. The morgue material was filmed at McArthur Dairy on NE 2nd Avenue, and the mansion explosion near the end of the film was shot at the so-called Bird mansion in Delray Beach, north of Miami. The film also used Puerto Rico as a stand-in for Cuba, with Arecibo and Manatí among the places used for the final action material. This gives Bad Boys II a location identity built around Miami’s highways, beaches, mansions, shopping areas, bridges and waterfront, before shifting into a Caribbean setting created largely through Puerto Rican locations.
The Carlyle
The Carlyle has appeared in several productions, including Scarface (1983), Miami Vice, The Birdcage, Pronto, Random Hearts and Bad Boys II.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens has appeared in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Miami Rhapsody, Any Given Sunday, Bad Boys II, Iron Man 3 and Miami Vice.