The action comedy makes the most of what made Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson famous, but it’s all too familiar for film junkies.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is the comfort food of action comedies, like mac and cheese with a side of extreme violence.
Chock-full of familiarity, the middling buddy film (** out of four; rated R; in theaters nationwide Friday) is a rather basic mash-up of what made its two A-list stars famous. Even sans Deadpool mask, Ryan Reynolds is aces at cracking wise, and Samuel L. Jackson continues to be masterful with the melding of “mother” and another not-so-family-friendly word. The combination of the two showcases fun chemistry and antics, although surrounded by a formulaic narrative that action junkies have all seen before.
Directed by Patrick Hughes (The Expendables 3) , the film features Reynolds as Michael Bryce, a high-profile bodyguard in London whose “AAA rating” — like a five-star Yelp score for those in protection services — plummets after a client gets murdered.
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He’s still blaming his ex, Interpol agent Amelia Roussel (Elodie Yung) , for the disastrous incident when she calls to ask for a life-or-death favor: Keep notorious hitman Darius Kincaid (Jackson) alive and deliver him to the International Criminal Court so he can testify against Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman) , a brutal Belarusian dictator on trial for murder and ethnic cleansing.
Anybody who’s seen 48 Hrs., Lethal Weapon and their ilk can fill in the blanks from here: Kincaid and Bryce don’ t get along at first, learn how to play nice, and by the end are saving each other’s bacon. Bryce is more babysitter than bodyguard for Kincaid, a seriously formidable killer with righteous leanings, but the way they bond over Bryce’s rendition of Ace of Base’s The Sign and Kincaid’s endless affirmations (“When life gives you [stuff] , you make Kool-Aid”) keeps the plot moving in between sundry shoot-‚em-ups and car chases.
Reynolds is at least solid playing exasperated straight man to Jackson’s singing, cursing assassin, though this is the latter actor’s movie to own. Whether stealing a boat or wooing a bus full of nuns, Jackson is the most watchable aspect of this entire affair, and the screenplay makes the most of his reputation by giving him plenty of opportunities to utter his favorite cinematic profanity.
Salma Hayek also seems to be having a blast swearing up a storm as Kincaid’s jailed spouse Sonia, whose freedom is negotiated by the hitman in exchange for his testimony. More unfortunate is Oldman’s talent being wasted on a one-dimensional Eastern European supervillain, a nasty piece of work who only gets one real chance to let loose.
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The movie slightly hints at some intriguing real-world themes, though there’s a terrorist incident that’s so jarring, it takes the viewer out of the movie’s overall frivolity. The action sequences on the whole are well directed but overly drawn out, though a throwdown in a hardware store between Reynolds and a buff evil goon nails the Looney Tunes -y feel that marks the project’s best scenes.
For Reynolds and especially Jackson completists, The Hitman’s Bodyguard has something to offer even if the action flick can’ t completely find its aim.
