Directed by: Patrick Hughes
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Elodie Yung, Joaquin de Almeida, Salma Hayek
The Hitman's Bodyguard is a buddy movie with loud, loud explosions, car chases, and some lapses in credulity. With all of the property damage and mayhem, I thought I was watching an Avengers or Justice League movie. This is a movie in which, after everything is resolved to the plot's satisfaction, no mention of the trail of destruction getting there is made again. To whom do the insurance companies send the subrogation paperwork? How exactly is the death of a hired goon handled by the legal system? By my count, Jackson's Darius Kincaid and Reynolds' Michael Bryce are responsible for at least as many deaths as the villainous dictator Dukhovich (Oldman) stands trial for at The Hague.
I know, I know. I'm overanalyzing. I'm supposed to sit back, have a good time, and let the absurdity go. If you are able to do that, then I commend you. The Hitman's Bodyguard isn't an awful film. It is simply a movie with no surprises which is more concerned with the action than the characters. The best buddy movies, like 48 Hrs, Lethal Weapon, etc. have people with intriguing personalities and they crackle with energy. The Hitman's Bodyguard has action to spare, but this doesn't substitute for energy. The actors attempt to inject the story with some life and occasionally succeed on the sheer force of their personalities.
As the film opens in London, Michael is a top-notch bodyguard for hire with shady, but wealthy clientele. No matter to Michael. The money rolls in and his reputation for keeping his clients alive grows. Until one day in which one of his clients is assassinated after seemingly boarding his plane to safety, and then Michael's world falls apart. The film picks up two years later, in which we see Michael taking on coked-out, paranoid attorneys as clients and his reputation in the crapper. How do we know Michael has fallen on hard times? He was impeccably clean-shaven in the film's opening scenes and now has stubble and messy hair. Plus, he is urinating in a bottle while waiting to retrieve his client.
Meanwhile, across town at Interpol headquarters, Michael's former flame Amelia (Yung) is in charge of accompanying a key witness, our hitman Kincaid, to The Hague to testify against Dukhovich, a former Belarusian dictator being tried for crimes against humanity. For reasons which I'm sure have little to do with international law, Kincaid must appear at The Hague no later than 5:00pm the next day or else the charges against Dukhovich will be dismissed. This plot point was likely inserted to create a deadline and the inherent suspense which goes along with it. If the prosecution's case hinges on a hitman's testimony, then it has no case.
No matter. Amelia's caravan of protection is wiped out by Dukhovich's thugs and Amelia and Kincaid are forced to hide out. Amelia calls her old boyfriend Michael for help. Michael, still carrying a torch for her, reluctantly agrees. He is less than thrilled about having to escort Kincaid, with whom he has crossed paths often in the past, to The Hague, but gosh darn it, he does. The thugs remain not far behind, mostly because of a leak in Interpol hierarchy assisting Dukhovich. Interpol must not be stocked with any decent detectives because they can't seem to figure out the identity of the traitor even when it is painfully obvious from the jump who it is.
The Hague itself doesn't seem to have much prisoner security either. Dukhovich, when he is not in the courtroom, is seen hanging out in what looks like a five-star hotel room. He can pretty much run the show from there. Shouldn't dictators up on such grievous charges be in a jail cell? And should he be allowed to have access to a cell phone? Gary Oldman gnashes his teeth and exists to spew hateful things and chew scenery. Oldman has played so many villains of this type, he should have his own wing in the Movie Villain Hall of Fame. I liked him better when he played the quiet, yet tough and resourceful Commissioner Gordon in the Dark Knight trilogy.
Michael and Darius start out with hostile dislike, which moves along to a guarded truce, followed by confessions, a momentary chasm in their newfound friendship, and then topped off by a healing of their rift and teaming up to thwart their common enemies. Along the way, they encounter so many bullets, fights, and cars chasing them that it is a wonder they don't develop PTSD. And, like many movies like this, the baddies can rain bullets down upon Michael and Darius without even grazing them, while Michael and Darius fire one bullet and kill their attackers. What a huge waste of money to supply these thugs with top-of-the-line cars, guns, and ammo when they can't hit anything.
Reynolds dials down his trademark snark enough to be somewhat vulnerable, while Jackson seems to be enjoying himself a lot. Maybe too much for a guy the whole world is seemingly after. I'm not sure what to make of the movie's attempts to make Darius a misunderstood good guy complete with, gasp, principles. Salma Hayek appears in a few scenes as Jackson's foul-mouthed, hitwoman wife in jail in the Netherlands, who is so intimidating she can force her cellmate to stand in the corner facing the wall for hours at a time. She may even be tougher than Darius, but not necessarily funnier.
The Hitman's Bodyguard has a higher body count than all four Lethal Weapon movies combined and a property damage bill which must rival The Avengers. It does nothing to stand out from those films or even elevate itself above the traditions of the genre. It is content to be, well, merely content.
The Hitman's Bodyguard is a buddy movie with loud, loud explosions, car chases, and some lapses in credulity. With all of the property damage and mayhem, I thought I was watching an Avengers or Justice League movie. This is a movie in which, after everything is resolved to the plot's satisfaction, no mention of the trail of destruction getting there is made again. To whom do the insurance companies send the subrogation paperwork? How exactly is the death of a hired goon handled by the legal system? By my count, Jackson's Darius Kincaid and Reynolds' Michael Bryce are responsible for at least as many deaths as the villainous dictator Dukhovich (Oldman) stands trial for at The Hague.
I know, I know. I'm overanalyzing. I'm supposed to sit back, have a good time, and let the absurdity go. If you are able to do that, then I commend you. The Hitman's Bodyguard isn't an awful film. It is simply a movie with no surprises which is more concerned with the action than the characters. The best buddy movies, like 48 Hrs, Lethal Weapon, etc. have people with intriguing personalities and they crackle with energy. The Hitman's Bodyguard has action to spare, but this doesn't substitute for energy. The actors attempt to inject the story with some life and occasionally succeed on the sheer force of their personalities.
As the film opens in London, Michael is a top-notch bodyguard for hire with shady, but wealthy clientele. No matter to Michael. The money rolls in and his reputation for keeping his clients alive grows. Until one day in which one of his clients is assassinated after seemingly boarding his plane to safety, and then Michael's world falls apart. The film picks up two years later, in which we see Michael taking on coked-out, paranoid attorneys as clients and his reputation in the crapper. How do we know Michael has fallen on hard times? He was impeccably clean-shaven in the film's opening scenes and now has stubble and messy hair. Plus, he is urinating in a bottle while waiting to retrieve his client.
Meanwhile, across town at Interpol headquarters, Michael's former flame Amelia (Yung) is in charge of accompanying a key witness, our hitman Kincaid, to The Hague to testify against Dukhovich, a former Belarusian dictator being tried for crimes against humanity. For reasons which I'm sure have little to do with international law, Kincaid must appear at The Hague no later than 5:00pm the next day or else the charges against Dukhovich will be dismissed. This plot point was likely inserted to create a deadline and the inherent suspense which goes along with it. If the prosecution's case hinges on a hitman's testimony, then it has no case.
No matter. Amelia's caravan of protection is wiped out by Dukhovich's thugs and Amelia and Kincaid are forced to hide out. Amelia calls her old boyfriend Michael for help. Michael, still carrying a torch for her, reluctantly agrees. He is less than thrilled about having to escort Kincaid, with whom he has crossed paths often in the past, to The Hague, but gosh darn it, he does. The thugs remain not far behind, mostly because of a leak in Interpol hierarchy assisting Dukhovich. Interpol must not be stocked with any decent detectives because they can't seem to figure out the identity of the traitor even when it is painfully obvious from the jump who it is.
The Hague itself doesn't seem to have much prisoner security either. Dukhovich, when he is not in the courtroom, is seen hanging out in what looks like a five-star hotel room. He can pretty much run the show from there. Shouldn't dictators up on such grievous charges be in a jail cell? And should he be allowed to have access to a cell phone? Gary Oldman gnashes his teeth and exists to spew hateful things and chew scenery. Oldman has played so many villains of this type, he should have his own wing in the Movie Villain Hall of Fame. I liked him better when he played the quiet, yet tough and resourceful Commissioner Gordon in the Dark Knight trilogy.
Michael and Darius start out with hostile dislike, which moves along to a guarded truce, followed by confessions, a momentary chasm in their newfound friendship, and then topped off by a healing of their rift and teaming up to thwart their common enemies. Along the way, they encounter so many bullets, fights, and cars chasing them that it is a wonder they don't develop PTSD. And, like many movies like this, the baddies can rain bullets down upon Michael and Darius without even grazing them, while Michael and Darius fire one bullet and kill their attackers. What a huge waste of money to supply these thugs with top-of-the-line cars, guns, and ammo when they can't hit anything.
Reynolds dials down his trademark snark enough to be somewhat vulnerable, while Jackson seems to be enjoying himself a lot. Maybe too much for a guy the whole world is seemingly after. I'm not sure what to make of the movie's attempts to make Darius a misunderstood good guy complete with, gasp, principles. Salma Hayek appears in a few scenes as Jackson's foul-mouthed, hitwoman wife in jail in the Netherlands, who is so intimidating she can force her cellmate to stand in the corner facing the wall for hours at a time. She may even be tougher than Darius, but not necessarily funnier.
The Hitman's Bodyguard has a higher body count than all four Lethal Weapon movies combined and a property damage bill which must rival The Avengers. It does nothing to stand out from those films or even elevate itself above the traditions of the genre. It is content to be, well, merely content.
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