Movie Review
Review: The Hitman’s Bodyguard
An Enjoyable Action-Comedy Packed Full Shoot ’Em Up Tropes
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is an action comedy film released by Lionsgate Films and directed by Patrick Hughes. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek, Elodie Young, Joaquim de Almeida, Kristy Mitchell, and Richard E. Grant.
The world’s top protection agent is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world’s most notorious hit men. The relentless bodyguard and manipulative assassin have been on the opposite end of the bullet for years and are thrown together for a wildly outrageous 24 hours. During their journey from England to the Hague, they encounter high-speed car chases, outlandish boat escapades and a merciless Eastern European dictator who is out for blood.
The Good
This movie is a fun paint-by-numbers action movie, and I mean that in the best way because I enjoyed watching this film. The Hitman’s Bodyguard is a light-hearted action comedy that overall worked for me because I knew what I was signing up for when I bought my ticket, and it completely delivered on my expectations. It’s essentially Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds being exactly who you would expect them to be; it’s Nick Fury, and Deadpool forced to work together in a movie that is for all intents and purposes about 30 minutes too long. I digress I’m sorry; this is the ‘good’ portion of the review right? I’m getting ahead of myself…Alright; back to the good stuff!
One of the high points for me in The Hitman’s Bodyguard is Samuel L. Jackson. He stole so many of the scenes he shared in this movie and was surprisingly one of the funnier elements in this film as well. I expected Ryan Reynolds to have more of the comedic lines, but I enjoyed how Samuel L. Jackson’s assassin had most of the one-liners. In contrast, Reynolds’ character is a straight-laced, by the books bodyguard who lives by the rules, and has a plan for any scenario. The chemistry the two leads had on screen worked for me, and at times reminded me of Lethal Weapon’s Riggs/Murtagh loose canon/lawful vibe.
Even though at times the supporting cast (Hayek and Young) at times were over the top in their portrayal as the significant other’s to the main characters, I found them to be funny, intelligent and an excellent addition to the movie. The scene where Jackson’s character recounts how he met his wife, played by Salma Hayek, drew some laughs from the audience I was with, and added a refreshing distraction from the main story.
The Bad
My primary criticism of The Hitman’s Bodyguard is that it is a paint-by-numbers action film. Many of the beats in the storyline can be seen from a mile away for anyone who has seen any action movies over the past 20 years. There is one character in this film that from the FIRST TIME you see them onscreen you’re like ‘he’s a double agent.’ Seriously guys there are so many action movie tropes in this film.
So Gary Oldman is in this film. Commissioner Gordon Gary Oldman? Yep. Sirius Black from Harry Potter? That’s the guy. The actor who is playing Churchill? One in the same. Sid and fucking Nancy Gary Oldman? Yes; and he wasted on this role. Don’t get me wrong I love Gary Oldman, but this character was not memorable and could have been played by just about anyone. I don’t find that to be a fault of the actor by any means; it’s just the character was a little thin considering you have this elite actor at your disposal.
Some of the cinematography choices in The Hitman’s Bodyguard were annoying, specifically the ghosting around the characters. Ghosting, or a veiled lens flare, is when a light source behind a character (and often out of the frame) distorts the actor, where the edges of their body appear to be semi-transparent. I’m not entirely sure why this effect was chosen, but when I would see it in the movie, I found it to be distracting. To be clear, I’m not a filmmaker, so I don’t usually pick up on elements like this, but there are times in The Hitman’s Bodyguard where this technique is evident, and it takes you out of the movie.
Lastly, I felt that this film was just a bit long and that the ending was drawn out too much. The Hitman’s Bodyguard clocks in at about 2 hours, and I think it would have been a better film if it was about 20 minutes shorter. As I had said earlier, the ending just is too long and has multiple possible end points that keep getting dragged out. Seriously it’s one of those movie endings where you’re like “is it over now, no? Oh okay, there is more happening.” It was a bit much.
The Verdict
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is a light-hearted action comedy that overall worked for me because I knew what I was signing up for when I bought my ticket, and it completely delivered on my expectations. The chemistry of the cast and their performances are both pretty good, even if the villain is a little weak. If you want to unplug from everything that is going on in the world and want to have a fun, enjoyable movie experience where you can tune out for a couple of hours and have a few laughs, then this film is for you.
That’s how I’m calling this one, but I’d like to know what do you guys think? Do you plan on seeing The Hitman’s Bodyguard? Am I spot on, or out of my mind? Let me know in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter @TheWeeklyMovie and on Facebook @TheWeeklyMovies. As always thanks for reading, and I’ll see you at the movies.
