But the wise-cracking, fast-talking energy that was once so buoyant grows increasingly strained as the story evolves and reaches its frenzied conclusion.īased on the kids’ graphic novel series by Aaron Blabey, “The Bad Guys” follows a group of fun-loving criminals who lean into their rap as the villains of the animal kingdom for thrills and profit. This opening scene of “The Bad Guys” is its strongest, and it offers great promise. But it’s a clever change to see such a story told in animated form with a star-studded voice cast including Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, and Awkwafina. This is a furry, scaly version of Quentin Tarantino or Elmore Leonard-or at least, that’s what it aspires to be. It's an extremely familiar set-up, a subgenre unto itself: hyper-verbal thieves charm us into coming along for the ride and rooting for them to pull off their biggest heist yet. Pierre Perifel, making his feature directing debut, lays all of this out in one long, single take, instantly drawing us in to these characters and this world. Then they get up, stroll casually across the street, and rob a bank. They push and pull, jostle and tug, all in good-natured fashion. diner, having the kind of conversation they’ve probably had countless times over their years of friendship. The laughs are easy and breezy at the beginning of “The Bad Guys,” and the animated comedy’s sun-baked vibe radiates Southern California cool.Ī wolf named Wolf and a snake named Snake enjoy snappy banter at a retro L.A.

The bad guys the book