Review by John Delia, Sr.
Totally hilarious The Hitman’s Bodyguard turns into a wild ride early on in this action comedy “odd couple†movie. The script may give you a bit of déjà vu, but it’s well worth the laughs and thrills. Certainly a nice cap to a “dinner and a movieâ€, as Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are a hoot together.
Triple A private protection agent Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) finds himself out of a job and on the edge of losing a relationship with Federal Agent Amelia Roussel (Elodie Yung). It all starts when a high profile person he’s guarding gets killed by a sniper and Bryce subconsciously blames Amelia, the only person he told about his client. Now, down and out protecting menial persons from hitmen, his future looks dim.
Super hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) finds himself trying to get to the trial of a violent Belarusian dictator Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman) as a star witness against him. However, he’s now on the run when Amelia, who’s in charge of his safety, loses him in a street fire fight on the way to the courthouse. On the run Kincaid comes across Bryce just finishing up a case and the two, who are arch enemies, find themselves working together at the request of Amelia. With Dukhovich’s band of vicious men out gunning for Kincaid, it becomes a fight to the finish.
The film has enough chase and fight scenes to fill two movies as Kincaid and Bryce try to make it to their goal. Director Patrick Hughes (Expendables 3) takes some of the pages from his last film and adds a whole lot of excitement in The Hitman’s Bodyguard. With two major players who are familiar with action films Reynolds (Dead Pool) and Jackson (The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained) I’m sure the task to create a wild and woolly trip across Europe was a fun one. Holding nothing back when it comes to violence, Hughes pumps in some very eye popping wow scenes that are memorable way after the credits roll.
Reynolds pushes the envelope as the ego crazed Bryce who feels his whole world is crashing down on him. He knows if he can pull off the impossible he may not only get rewarded, but regain the woman he loves. Reynolds shows his tough side warding off attackers, pulling off narrow escapes and dealing with the likes of the daring Kincaid. A near perfect performance, but it’s time for Deadpool 2.
Samuel L. Jackson makes the film work with his powerful personality, menacing screen presence and acting ability. He knows how to handle a role like this and his performance easily tops many of his equals. The perfect choice to buddy up with Reynolds, the argumentative banter between the two creates a very funny atmosphere among all the violence. Bring on another action thriller featuring Jackson, it’s his forte.
In a surprisingly overwhelming performance, Salma Hayek shows up as Kincaid’s vigilant wife Sonja who’s in the clutches of Vladislav Dukhovich as a hostage. If there’s a list of actors that spew the most expletives in a film, she’s at the top. But, that’s her character and Hayek provides a good measure of the laughs as Sonja bullies and blasts her captors. When she runs out of obscenities in one language, she comes up with more in another one.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard has been rated R by the MPAA for strong violence and language throughout. The language gets a little out of control from time to time making the movie a tough watch for the timid and immature.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Disregarding the language, the film has a lot of laughs and excellent chase scenes.
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek, Elodie Yung, Joaquim De Almeida, Kirsty Mitchell, Richard E. Grant.
Directed by: Patrick Hughes
Genre: Action, Comedy
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence and language throughout
Running Time: 1 hr. 58 min.
Release Date: August 18, 2017
Distributed by: Lionsgate