The Hitman's Bodyguard review

THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD:

RYAN REYNOLDS AND SAMUEL L. JACKSON SAVE THIS HIT-AND-MISS ACTION COMEDY!     

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hitman’s Bodyguard

            Get comfortable folks, this is the closest we’ll ever get to Deadpool being recruited by Nick Fury for The Avengers. Ryan Reynolds (National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, The Proposal, Deadpool) and Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kingsman: The Secret Service) team up to stop a dictator in the latest action comedy, The Hitman’s Bodyguard.

            The film is directed by Patrick Hughes (Red Hill, The Expendables 3) and features an all-star cast and for a movie directed by the guy who neutered The Expendables with the dreaded PG-13 rating, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is surprisingly a lot of fun. It isn’t anything great and could have used more gags between Reynolds and Jackson but for my money I had a blast.

            At first my only intention of watching this movie was to see Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson being partnered together in an action comedy reminiscent of buddy-cop films like The Heat or 21 Jump Street. And yes, like the rest of the internet I’ve joked about Deadpool and Nick Fury when I saw the ads for this film.

            But I was surprised at how over-the-top and hilarious the rest of the movie turned out to be, you got bloody shootouts, wild car chases and stunts, corny one-liners, and the leads are charming and witty. Sure, not every joke works but a majority of them did for me and the appeal of Reynolds and Jackson together is worth the price of admission.

            The film follows the world’s top protection agent, Michael Bryce (Reynolds) being called in to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world’s most notorious hitmen, Darius Kincaid (Jackson). Michael and Darius have been at each other’s throats for years but are forced to work together on an outrageous adventure from England to Hague to stop a ruthless Eastern European dictator out for blood known as Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman-Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Dark Knight trilogy, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes).

            The film also stars Élodie Yung (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Daredevil) as Amelia Roussel, Salma Hayek (Desperado, Frida, Sausage Party) as Sonia Kincaid, Joaquim de Almeida (Desperado, Behind Enemy Lines, Fast Five) as Jean Foucher, Kirsty Mitchell (The Acid House, Attila, The Leisure Seeker) as Rebecca Harr, Richard E. Grant (Gosford Park, Corpse Bride, Logan) as Seifert, and Sam Hazeldine (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, The Wolfman, The Monuments Men) as Garrett.

            Overall, The Hitman’s Bodyguard may not be a total hit but it succeeds in summer popcorn entertainment. The movie does not take itself seriously except when it needs to and gives a jolting and wild goose chase with a body count and over-the-top cheesy fun.

            Most of the appeal of this movie comes from the chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, which is near perfection. Obviously the two of them don’t get along all the time and they bash heads with each other, Jackson escapes a few times, and one of them tries to annoy the other and it’s funny, but as the film goes you grow attached to both of them and gives them both as well as the audience a moment to breathe and learn a few things about their past.

            However, as great as the team-up of Reynolds and Jackson is there are some problems with the movie. For starters, the plot of is pretty generic action movie fare and at times it can be really predictable and it doesn’t quite give us much new outside of its leads.

            I wasn’t a big fan of the film’s pacing; the movie mostly focuses on Reynolds and Jackson which is great but when it segways to Ryan’s ex-wife or this side-plot in a courtroom it’s pretty much filler. It doesn’t ruin the movie but scenes like that just make you wish you were back with Reynolds and Jackson.

            Also, some of the side characters are pretty forgettable like Ryan’s ex-wife, it’s not that the actress portraying her was bad or anything but she could have been written better and have better chemistry with Ryan Reynolds, where’s Vanessa when you need her? Gary Oldman as the villain I’m debating whether or not it’s a good or bad performance but every time he’s on-screen it’s a lot of fun to watch him go so over-the-top.

            The humor is very hit-or-miss, I was laughing for the most part but there were a few gags in there that either felt awkward or could have used a better payoff. Fortunately, a bad joke is usually followed up with a good joke so the bad humor doesn’t destroy the movie.

            Flaws aside, this is dumb fun and the charm of the leads shine through and make it enjoyable. The Hitman’s Bodyguard probably won’t be an action-comedy classic but for my money I’m glad I saw it.