The Hitman’s Bodyguard
The world’s top bodyguard gets a new client, a hit man who must testify at the International Criminal Court. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.
Cast
Ryan Reynolds – Michael Bryce
Samuel L. Jackson – Darius Kincaid
Gary Oldman – Vladislav Dukhovich
Salma Hayek – Sonia Kincaid
Élodie Yung – Amelia
Yuri Kolokolnikov – Ivan
What Went Right
There are some truly enjoyable comic moments in The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Reynolds and Jackson don’t make a bad partnership at all, with one character being more wise than the other and both actors radiating the same level of comic energy throughout the movie. Farcical elements rule the movie with both characters involved in a lot of running and jumping through tough situations, explosions that would otherwise be terrifying being hilarious, and Darius (Jackson) dropping lush random one-liners. I have to admit, the man made me howl out loud at one point with his brilliantly funny way of delivering some of this dialogue.
The moment Michael smashes through a car windscreen is fucking hilarious. It truly is comic gold, in the most subtle of ways. And this moment happens so quickly that it becomes a real random “WTF” one, so stay focused on the screen.
The moment Michael’s client is gunned down in front of him on an airport landing strip is nicely sinister; the scene momentum becomes slow as Reynolds stands staring at the camera with a face so completely void of emotion that it’s hard to tell how the character is reacting to what just happened.
Hayek explodes on screen as Darius’s wife Sonia, bringing with her comedic timing so good she almost overrules the guys. She had the audience laughing out loud with her nastily acidic tongue – just superb.
What Went Wrong
Something was missing here. As though someone had reached into this movie and torn its heart out, The Hitman’s Bodyguard had the feel of a popular Hollywood hit – but didn’t hit anything at all. I felt as though this movie should have been more recognised and a lot better than it actually was. I saw the advertisments around town on the sides of buses, etc. but I never saw an actual trailer in the cinema. Nor did I hear anything by word of mouth. Sometimes a comedy has a massive build-up before exploding in cinemas and making a massive impact. This one however, missed the mark (and people’s eyes) and snuck through the back door without making a sound. Its cinematic impact followed suit. Not great.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard starts off well, but slowly becomes a tedious affair. The first few scenes build the movie up nicely with Reynolds pounding the streets of London, playing the slick tough guy. It all feels brilliantly action-packed, but sadly this evaporates as soon as the two lead characters hit the road and become tangled up in trouble with various people. Imagine cutting the second half of Dumb and Dumber off and replacing it with the second half of Dumb and Dumber To; I.E. removing the good and adding a load of crap (let’s face it, the Carrey and Daniels sequel was just awful). This is what you get with The Hitman’s Bodyguard.
Worth a watch if you are extremely bored.
Ricky's Film Reviews 