Buddy movies took over the box office for years and then
suddenly died off in their frequency. My first big memory of the style was the
LETHAL WEAPON films featuring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. They slowly began to
lose steam but they were still enjoyable entertainment. Many more movies took
on that format and ranged from great to terrible. But they slowly declined.
THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD might change that. It did decent
figures at the box office and with its release on DVD this week my guess is
word of mouth will have people discovering the film. The film open with Ryan
Reynolds as Michael Bryce, one of the best bodyguards working for an elite
firm, who has his latest protectee shot before his eyes. Fast forward 2 years
and now Bryce is working for a no-level firm handling even less impactful
clients. Even his girlfriend Amelia (Elodie Young) has left him as she’s moved
up working for Interpol.
Her latest case involves transporting a high profile witness
in the international trial of Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman), the ruthless
dictator of Belarus. Dukhovich has been charged but never convicted because
witness always seem to be killed. The witness this time around is professional
hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) who agrees to testify in return for
the release of his wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) from prison.
Things go askew early on as the convoy transporting Kincaid
to The Hague to testify is attacked leaving Amelia and Kincaid on the run.
Assuming there is a mole and unable to trust anyone at Interpol Amelia calls
Bryce to ask for his help, eventually forcing him into his assistance. When
they meet and he recognizes Kincaid they begin to fight until Amelia can stop
them. Bryce knows Kincaid is the killer behind several clients his firm once
handled. Kincaid knows who Bryce is. Not they set aside their issues with one
another long enough to get Kincaid to The Hague in the Netherlands.
It won’t be an easy task as tons of assassins meet them
every step of the way in an attempt to take Kincaid out. Sounds like the
makings of a hilarious comedy, no? Maybe not but the fact is in the hands of
Jackson and Reynolds it is indeed that. And one that is action filled at that.
Reynolds has made a career out of playing smart mouthed
characters and rode that to fame when he played Deadpool in 2016. Some might
even think of the character here as there is plenty of gunplay, car chases and
explosions accompanied by Reynold’s character cracking wise all the time. And
yet he is different here. Bryce’s character is troubled by that last incident
he blamed on Amelia since she was the only person he shared info with. He plots
out every plan in detail before following through. He’s flawed, troubled and
yet still the best at what he does.
Jackson is Jackson. Yes, the F bomb is dropped non-stop by
him here. His character is more carefree than that of Bryce. Kincaid takes life
as it comes, rarely making plans and taking advantage of everything thrown his
way be it a set of handcuff keys or a handgun. He has a chance to make a run
for it several times but continues to his destination all because of the love
he feels for his wife and his desire to see her freed.
The two characters combine like oil and water as they cajole
one another while on the run towards The Hague. Both have moments where they
save the other and both have skills that are similar but profoundly different
in how they handle the violence that comes their way. How anyone could think
that they could possibly succeed is beyond the imagination of most viewers. But
those of us who have seen a number of movies know the outcome far in advance.
Those same people will figure out one of the major plot points as well.
It would be easy to believe that a majority of stunt men
made tons of money working on this film. The same would hold true for those who
handle pyro techniques. There are enough explosions here to make you wonder how
it has affected the ozone layer and enough gunplay to make you wonder why the
industry trash talks weapons.
The end result is a fun movie with plenty of action. It also
has enough laughs in it to will require you to keep a finger on the pause
button to let you finish a laugh now and then. It’s another great example of
what Reynolds and Jackson do best and that’s a good thing. For me it’s a movie
I know I’ll want to pull out every now and then to watch.
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