This year’s venture into the buddy-action blockbuster arena is The Hitman’s Bodyguard, a very violent and seemingly divisive movie starring Ryan Reynolds of Deadpool fame and Samuel L Jackson of Samuel L. Jackson fame.
With comedy action film Deadpool under Reynolds’ belt and Snakes on a Plane (amongst many others) under Jackson’s, this should be a cakewalk, right?
The scene is set with a backstory. How Michael Bryce (Reynolds), a Triple-A rated bodyguard, trusted with the protection of hugely important figures, falls into disrepute after an arms dealer he is tasked with guarding is shot, graphically, in the head. After this occurrence, we see his fall from grace into guarding corporate figures with drug issues. He’s lost his real livelihood, his girlfriend (Daredevil’s Elodie Yung) and his purpose. You can already sense the redemption building, can’t you?
Meanwhile, a violent, stereotypically bloodthirsty dictator has risen up and is fighting charges of war crimes which are to be brought against him at The Hague. However, nobody will testify against Vladislav Dukhovich of Belarus (Gary Oldman) as he insists on having them all killed. Except one, enter Samuel L Jackson.
Playing the role of Darius Kincaid, Jackson is a near-legendary hitman and the arch-enemy of Bryce (so naturally, they’ll get paired up to work through their differences). He agrees to testify to have his wife, Sonia (Salma Hayek) freed from jail. On his way to testify, things of course go pear-shaped quickly and we’re plunged into the body of the film.
Placing two Hollywood greats alongside each other is no guarantee for success, you can never have definite chemistry and you certainly can’t force it. However, this is no concern here. Thanks to the natural quick wit of both of the stars, the enduring highlight of the film is, in fact, their incessant bickering. There’s Reynolds’ ability to make his mopey character lurch from self-pity to anger at a moment’s notice, imploring with Jackson, punching Jackson and in some cases actually looking out for him. There is, somewhat unfortunately, a bit too much of a predictable nature to his character’s progression. Being Hollywood, the character’s arc is simply too linear, but Reynold’s does his level best to compensate. Best line to look out for? “I hope they kill him, I really do, the man single handedly ruined the word mother******”.
Jackson’s character, if you can call it that, is effectively, Samuel L Jackson. Always operating at peak performance levels, he is shouty, angry, sarcastic and dry; and there’s no reason not to love that. The fact that the two stars have almost been typecast for the role is surprisingly not a bad thing. The chemistry between the two is so genuine that it keeps the film together throughout its near constant chaos.
The real star of the show for characterisation though? Salma Hayek’s Sonia. Hayek is already renowned for her acting, but an action-comedy is a little out of sorts. However, with little screen time and fewer lines, she is effectively the central point of the film, the reason Kincaid is testifying, hence the reason he’s hunted and the reason he’s with Bryce. She’s supposed to portray a woman you’d go to hell and back for and does it perfectly. Sexy, sultry and yet somehow very genuine for the wife of an assassin.
However, the all-star cast and excellent character work can’t save plot and direction. For all the shine of the actors, they are made murky by a predictable plot, poor direction and if I’m honest, more violence than you might expect for a comedy. The latter point may not be a stickler for many, however for those jaunting off for a bro-comedy they’ll be met with a body count similar to The Expendables, admittedly with more laughs, so maybe that offsets it. Funnily enough, the film was indeed helmed by Patrick Hughes of The Expendables 3.
Overall, the film is what you’d expect from a summer action-comedy. Sadly, there’s nothing beyond Jackson and Reynolds’ partnership to pull the film away from cliché but it’s definitely entertaining.
Author: Steve, Southgate Store
