Bodyguards and hitmen don’t seem to tango quite well. Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Samuel L. Jackson (The Avengers) are paired together in the new action/comedy titled The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Bullets fly and zing all around, the body count enters the double digits in the blink of an eye and the car chase sequences are well handled by director Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3). The script by Tom O’Conner (Fire with Fire) is filled with laughs from start to finish, an abundance of excessive language and a story that does feel clichéd at times. But despite all that The Hitman’s Bodyguard is one of the most entertaining films this summer.
The story beings with Michael Bryce (Reynolds) as a Triple A agent who protects high-value people from being targeted or killed. His assignment is to transport a Japanese Arms Dealer to his private plane safely. All goes well but then disaster strikes. Bryce loses his client. Fast-forward two years and Bryce has left the agency and aids in the escape of a drug-addicted corporate executive. The film then introduces us to the key players in the film first starting with the ruthless Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman) who is cruel dictator. He is on trial at the International Court of Justice for his crimes. Every witness that is to testify against him has either being killed or has no corroborating evidence. The only person left with possible evidence against the dictator is Darius Kincaid (Jackson), a hitman who openly admits to the people he killed and agrees to testify if only his wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) is free from being prosecuted.
The plan is simple: transport Kincaid to the court located in The Hague, Netherlands. They have 27 hours to be there or the dictator will be released. Soon enough the transport is ambushed and the only people that remain are Kincaid and Interpol Agent Amelia Roussel (Elodie Yung). She has history with Bryce and asks him to assist transporting Kincaid to the Court. Bryce is initially reluctant due to his history with her and has even had some close-call moments with Kincaid. The two-mismatched pair embark on a wild adventure that sparks feuding arguments, numerous gunfights and even some touching moments about life. We get to learn about Bryce and Kincaid which is nice and the conversations between these two is hilarious and very interesting. It reminded me of when Jules and Vincent would converse with each other in Pulp Fiction.
The story may feel clichéd and that it adds nothing new in the action/comedy genre, but for me The Hitman’s Bodyguard is pure entertainment and not to be taken seriously. It’s fun, hilarious from start to finish and a what a summer movie should be. Reynolds and Jackson have such a good chemistry together and being this is the second time that they are working together (Turbo being the first), I hope to see them back together on another project. While the supporting cast don’t share a considerable amount of screen time, they do a good job. Salma Hayek is loud, crude and was a joy to see her in the role that she had. Gary Oldman provides good work as this evil dictator and reminded me of his role in Air Force One. Elodie Yung is convincing as the Interpol agent and the story between her and Bryce felt honest instead of forceful on the audience. I just wished I’d seen the film with a larger audience because everyone in the theater couldn’t stop laughing.
Verdict 5 out of 5
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is not original in any sense and has a great deal of clichés; those bad guys still have bad aim after all these years!? Nevertheless, this is pure entertainment and should be enjoyed as so. Reynolds and Jackson brings the laughs, the chaos and the undeniable level of fun to this film. Patrick Hughes delivers on bringing us awesome action sequences that kept me glued to the screen and cheering our heroes on. It a great way to end the summer; with a big bang! This movie is wild from start to finish and if you enjoy it as much as I did, you just may see it again. I only wonder the day when Deadpool and Nick Fury meet. Now that would be something!
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