The Hitman’s Bodyguard
3 stars
Director: Patrick Hughes
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman
Duration: 118 mins
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd
Your enjoyment of The Hitman’s Bodyguard depends pretty much on two things. The first is how big a fan of protagonists Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson you are. The second is how prepared you are to check your brain in at the door, overlook the middling script and just be happy to enjoy their company for a couple of hours.
For The Hitman’s Bodyguard is a run-of-the-mill action comedy following the duo as they travel from Manchester to The Hague, while being pursued by a mob of assassins – inevitably leaving myriad dead bodies and immeasurable destruction in their wake.
Reynolds is Michael Bryce (Reynolds), a once top-rated bodyguard who’s currently down on his luck following the assassination of a high-profile client on his watch. Jackson is Darius Kincaid, a renowned assassin-for-hire who needs to get to the International Court of Justice, where he is scheduled to testify against murderous Belarussian dictator Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman).
There is little here that we have not seen before
When the convoy accompanying Kincaid comes under a massive attack, Bryce is unofficially called in to make sure the witness arrives at The Hague, preferably alive and in one piece. The only problem is that the two have a history, Kincaid having attempted to kill Bryce 27 or 28 times in the past (they can’t seem to agree on the figure). Not quite an auspicious foundation on which to base a relationship in which one party has to protect the other at all costs.
There is little here that we have not seen before, and director Patrick Hughes seems determined to conceal the lack of proper narrative and characterisation by racking up as much action as is physically possible during the film’s running time. And so, Bryce and Kincaid and their pursuers exchange hundreds of body blows and thousands of bullets while destroying a fleet of cars, boats, motorcycles, buildings and public areas in the process.
Like many films of this ilk, the action is so over-the-top is that it is almost cartoonish in its execution, to the point that you don’t blink an eye as the duo seem to escape every altercation completely unscathed.
Extreme violence notwithstanding, the film does squeeze in a couple of decent comedic moments, including the duo hitching a ride in a van taking a group of nuns to the coast and Kincaid easily charming the wimples off them.
Reynolds is hilarious in a scene that finds Bryce complaining to a street vendor about his lot, oblivious to the absolute carnage unfolding in the street behind him…
Moreover, in the midst of all the mayhem, the script by Tom O’Connor finds the time for two romantic sub-plots – the one detailing Bryce’s lame attempts to get back with his Interpol agent ex-girlfriend Amelia Roussel (Elodie Yung); the other the relationship is between Kincaid and his smouldering, sexy, foul-mouthed wife Sonia (Salma Hayek), currently serving time in prison, whose release was part of Kincaid’s deal to cooperate with the authorities.
The cast easily rise above the mediocre material, although the roles are hardly a stretch for either actor. The effortless chemistry between Reynolds and Jackson goes a long way in making this fun, as they swap expletive-filled insults and jibes at one another while evading their pursuers.
Reynolds channels his trademark charm and irreverent comedy chops into the role of the hitman who is reluctant to protect this man, while allowing the slightest provocation from Kincaid to get under his skin.
Jackson repackages the cool, unruffled, casually violent, foul-mouthed persona he has perfected over the years; watching with obvious amusement as Bryce gets all worked up over his every action.
Hayek has a ball as Sonia Kincaid, a woman with a mouth as foul as her husband’s, and she certainly spices up the film with her every scene. Oldman comes off the worst, saddled as he is with the hackneyed role of the Eastern European villain, all snarls and dodgy accent.
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