A hit movie these days guarantees one thing that it will be followed by a sequel or if they can keep being hits a franchise of films. In some cases like JOHN WICK this is a good thing where those involved attempt to not just repeat the success of the first film but make the next chapter just as good. Unfortunately most movies that have sequels suffer from a sophomore slump and THE HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD falls loosely into that category.
The first film was a bromance between top professional bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson). Kincaid was turning states evidence to The Hague against Vladislav Dukhovic (Gary Oldman) in return for the release of his wife Sonia (Salma Hayek). By the end of that film Bryce was back to his old self, Sonia was released, Kincaid escaped and they were reunited.
This film kicks off two years later. Bryce is having issues still with what happened back then. He’s filled with self-doubt and the triple A review board is about to decide whether to renew his license as a bodyguard or not. Seeing a therapist she tells him he needs time away from the guns and violence and sends him on a vacation to Capri.
Relaxing on the beach wearing headphones he’s unaware of the carnage around him until Sonia yanks off his headphones and pulls him to cover. She’s tracked him down and needs his help. Darius has been kidnapped and specifically asked her to get Bryce to save him. As the bullets fly all around them the make their escape. They save Darius who tells Sonia what he said was anyone BUT Bryce. As they leave they are captured by Interpol agents.
Agent Bobby O’Neill (Frank Grillo) needs their help. Wealthy madman Aristotle Papadopoulos (Antonio Banderas) wants to destroy the European power grid because the European Union has placed demands on his country of Greece. His plan is to crush the European monetary system and create chaos. O’Neill sends in Bryce and Sonia as the buyers for the plans revealing the location of the grid hubs with the standard madness that follows in the wake of any and all Kincaids.
With the secrets locked in a steel case and a bomb watch attached to Sonia’s arm they go to the only place Bryce thinks he can find help, his father (Morgan Freeman). But Papadopoulos is not so easily put off and his men capture the trio. More twists and turns follow and double crosses take place and eventually it will take Bryce and Darius uniting as a team to set things straight, including rescuing Sonia from the clutches of Papadopoulos.
The movie is filled with plenty of gunplay, explosions and action just like the first film was. And Ryan Reynolds once more is hit by so many vehicles you wonder how he could still stand (because it’s a movie in case you didn’t know). The mayhem that follows this pair is major and the body counts high. And for some reason not a single policeman is in sight anywhere.
The problems start with Ryan’s character. At the end of the first film he seemed to be back in control of his life. It looked like everything was finally falling into place, he got the girl, he got his job back and all was well. But as this film opens it’s as if all of that never took place. Instead he is a wreck, worse off than he was at the start of the first film. To make matters worse it takes him most of this film to get back on track again.
The next problem is with Hayek. She is one incredible actress when given the chance to do so. But here she tends to rave, rant and scream more than anything. I’m sure it was a choice made to give her something lighter than what she’s done in the past but it becomes grating after a short time. Jackson plays it as smooth as always and yes, he drops the MF bomb repeatedly here. Fans of that will be pleased while others will tire of it. Banderas reeks of evil here and does a solid job.
In the end the movie is entertaining enough but not one I’d watch a second time nor add to my collection. Is it worth a night’s rental? For fans of the first film and the actors involved probably. But if they decide to make this a trilogy I hope they work a little more on the script. With the time they had they should have done that here.
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