Bad Boys: Ride or Die takes the franchise in a variety of different directions, and part of the story copies a sequel to Harrison Ford’s The Fugitive. As the fourth entry in the Bad Boys series, the movie follows somewhat of the same formula that has made the films so successful. This includes leaning into the buddy-cop dynamic between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence that has helped define the Bad Boys movies. But, Bad Boys: Ride or Die‘s story does take the franchise down a fresh path by making Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett wanted men working with Mike’s son.

This portion of Bad Boys: Ride or Die revolves around Mike and Marcus being on the run with Armando Aretas (Jacob Scipio). Through a wild series of events, they become lost in the wilderness and must find their way back to Miami in an attempt to finally clear their names. Mike, Marcus, and Armando being pursued by federal agents before Bad Boys: Ride or Die‘s ending might be a new story for this particular franchise, but what happens to them that makes them wanted fugitives is very reminiscent of another popular sequel.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die’s Fugitive Story Is Similar To 1998’s U.S. Marshals

The Fugitive’s Sequel Is Copied

There are some notable similarities between Bad Boys: Ride or Die‘s story and what happens in U.S. Marshals. The 1998 movie was a sequel to Harrison Ford’s 1993 film The Fugitive, with the second installment once again following Tommy Lee Jones’s character and his team of U.S. Marshals. The plot revolves around them looking for a convicted criminal who escapes custody after an airplane crash and is tracked through the wilderness and city by the U.S. Marshals, even though the fugitive is innocent of the crimes he was accused of.

Whether intentional or accidental, Bad Boys: Ride or Die does the exact same story as U.S. Marshals. Mike and Marcus are declared fugitives by Captain Howard’s daughter, who is a U.S. Marshal. This comes after the plane carrying Mike, Marcus, and Armando is hijacked, leading to a crash landing and the Miami detectives being framed as part of a larger conspiracy. Mike and Marcus are innocent of the accused crimes, but they still go on the run to evade Judy’s team after their plane crash – just like what happens in U.S. Marshals.

Bad Boys Has A Major Connection To U.S. Marshals & The Fugitive

Joe Pantoliano Connects Them All

The similarity between Bad Boys: Ride or Die and U.S. Marshals only helps highlight how the two franchises are connected. In addition to both being action crime series, all the movies include Joe Pantoliano. The Fugitive originally had Pantoliano play Cosmo Renfro, one of the members of Tommy Lee Jones’s character’s U.S. Marshals team. It was only two years after playing Cosmo that the actor made his debut in the first Bad Boys as Captain Howard.

Joe Pantoliano went on to reprise his role as Cosmo in U.S. Marshals in 1998. He has since played Captain Howard three more times in each of the Bad Boys sequels, including Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Although the two characters are very different, the combined six appearances carve out a nice trend for Pantoliano playing members of law enforcement in financially successful franchises. So even if the mirrored fugitive storylines were not intended, the Joe Pantoliano link between U.S. Marshals and Bad Boys: Ride or Die makes it harder to ignore.