“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” made me laugh.
I was surprised by how few F-bombs were involved in a Samuel L. Jackson movie. There were some, but not in abundance.
Ryan Reynolds is Michael Bryce, who’s aspiring to get his AAA status restored as a reliable bodyguard for hire.
Reynolds shares some great scenes with Jackson. The pair even contemplates the use of the word plethora, a word not used much in today’s everyday verbage. The pair crossed paths once. Reynolds’ client was assassinated by Jackson’s Darius Kincaid.
Part of the story’s dynamics involve Selma Hayek and Gary Oldman. The former portrays Jackson’s wife, Sonia Kincaid. The latter is a former president/dictator of a European country.
Vladislav Dukhovich (Oldman) is essentially a delusional president, who, for all intents and purposes, is a dictator.
Also important is Elodie Yung (Netflix’s “Elektra”), who shares key scenes with Reynolds’ Bryce. It’s a romantic interest that never goes anywhere. Somewhere along the way, the sparks sputter and fall flat.
Like “John Wick: Chapter Two” earlier this year, the death scenes are played more for laughs than anything else. The characters meeting their demise are awful human beings.
I think back to James Cameron’s “True Lies,” wherein Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Harry Trasker says “They were all bad” when talking to his wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis).
“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is a better entry for director Patrick Hughes. It improves on either the mixed stylings of 2010’s “Red Hill” or 2014’s “The Expendables 3,” which wereboth in the C range on my report card.
This is a film not to be taken too seriously, even though part of the storyline involves Oldman’s ruthless dictator who slaughtered quite a few people in his day.
Despite the language and violent death scenes, one could do worse than taking this enjoyable ride on the sarcasm train to pleasantville.
