Ok, so I just finished watching The Hitman’s Bodyguard, that came out in August 2017, and I have to say… it was funny! I mean come on, it stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, how could it not be funny? Here’s something I didn’t know about the movie, the script that was written by Tim O’Connor was on the 2011 Black List. Now, that’s kind of a cool list to be on because it’s a survey of most liked motion picture screenplays that are not yet produced. After Skydance Media acquired the script it went under a two-week rewrite because it was originally intended as a drama, but got turned into a comedy. Unfortunately, as funny as the movie was, the story was about average for an action movie. Sadly, even with the star power of Reynolds and Jackson, I’d be surprised if The Hitman’s Bodyguard doesn’t fall into the abyss of forgotten films once the newness has worn off. There’s just not enough to the movie to help give it staying power.
Now, I’m almost curious to see what the original drama version of The Hitman’s Bodyguard would’ve been like, but most likely it would’ve just turned out to be a rehash of The Bodyguard (1992). So, nevermind, leave the classics alone, I’m good with what we got. The rewritten story that Tom O’ Conner (writer) came up with is filled with action, comedy and a bunch of bullets. Patrick Hughes (director) took that story and packed it into a hundred and eight-teen minute action flick. I will warn you, it’s rated R for language and violence, which this is a ton of both throughout the movie.
What’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard all about? Michael Bryce (Reynolds) is the world’s top bodyguard. Or he was before a hitman took out one of his clients, right in front of him. Two years later, Bryce is taking any bodyguard job he can with the hope of one day regaining his reputation. As luck would have it, Bryce’s ex-girlfriend and Interpol Agent, Amelia Rossel, has a witness that needs to make it court to testify, but a bunch of hired gunmen doesn’t want that to happen. Amelia says she’ll help Bryce out with his problem if he helps with hers. No problem right? Well, as it turns out the witness that needs protection is the renowned international assassin, Darius Kincaid (Jackson). Not wanting anything to do with Kincaid, but wanting his reputation back, Bryce agrees to take the job. Unfortunately, this simple task is going to take both of Bryce and Kincaid’s skill sets if they have any hope of making it to the courtroom before the deadline.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is your typical action based excuse to spend a big chunk of the budget on bullets and explosions. The best thing the movie had going for it is the cast. Even in the smaller roles, like Salma Hayek’s, it was the star power that made the scene so enjoyable. Because otherwise, the movie is about two people with very distinct skill sets, taking on hordes of gunmen, while racing against time. Oh, and of course there’s the big bad guy that needs to be taken down. You can’t have an action flick without having to take down a big baddie before the credits roll. So, yeah it’s been done a thousand times over, but it’s Reynolds and Jackson that keep you hooked till the end. Now, it’s still a good movie and the action scenes are great to watch, but if I rewatch the movie anytime soon, it’ll be because of Reynolds, Jackson and Hayek’s parts.
I dug the opening of the movie and it pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the film. The Hitman’s Bodyguard has a running theme of if something can go wrong… it will. I think the theme is also what makes most of the humor possible. There are so many scenarios that throw Reynolds’s character out of his straight-laced element and fits into Jackson’s “no worries” way of life. Watching Reynolds having to deal with that and Jackson’s character is where all the humor comes from. It has a really good pace and between the humor and action, I never got bored with it.
Some of the cast you’ll see is Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction), Elodie Yung (The Defenders), Salma Hayek (Frida), Gary Oldman (Leon: The Professional), Yuri Kolokolnikov (Game of Thrones), and Joaquim de Almeida (Desperado). First off, the chemistry between Reynolds and Jackson was awesome! Reynolds plays a tightly wound straight-laced kind of guy that has a plan for everything, while Jackson is a play it by ear as we go kind of guy. Watching the two of them constantly at odds with each other was great. The next person that I thought was awesome was Salma Hayek. I don’t think I’ve seen her in a role like this before and she killed it. Hayek’s role in the movie is pretty small, but she makes each scene highly entertaining. I can’t say I’m a fan of Elodie Yung, she just comes off rather bland to me. I first saw her when she played Elektra on the Netflix show Daredevil and didn’t care for her then either. Oldman was good, but you don’t really get a lot of time with his character, even though he’s the main villain.
Sidenote: The Hitman’s Bodyguard is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray November 21st, 2017. If you decide you can’t wait that long to see it, then here’s some good news. It’ll be available on Amazon Video and iTunes November 7th, 2017.
Overall, it’s a good action flick, but a better comedy.
The Hitman's Bodyguard
Pros
- Great cast
- Cool action scenes
Cons
- Average action flick
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