The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, and Salma Hayek.  Released on August 18, 2017, the film is about an agent who is tasked with guarding a notorious hitman.

The film is directed by Patrick Hughes, who also directed Red Hill and The Expendables 3.  Well, this is about as close as we can get to seeing Deadpool team up with Nick Fury.  While it’s not technically a Marvel film, you have to admit that you’ve seen that joke coming.  This weekend brings us two original films that have a solid all-star cast, but I decided to start with this one first since I always prefer the action films first.  Plus, it’s got Reynolds and Jackson sharing the screen together.  The first time I was introduced to director Patrick Hughes was the action sequel, The Expendables 3, which was infamous for being the first film in the ultra-violent franchise to receive a PG-13 rating.  Even though it wasn’t as great as the first two, I still thought it was a fun movie to watch.  When I found out that Hughes was directing this film, my interest for it started to get much higher than anticipated.  The question is, would it be able to match my expectations, as well as everybody else’s? 

If you’re familiar with the 1992 thriller, The Bodyguard, well, this is pretty much what happens when they added the word “Hitman” in the title and increased the amount of violence, language, and comedy.  This isn’t technically a spoof of The Bodyguard or anything, but it does have a similar premise with a few differences here and there, such as having Reynolds as Kevin Costner and Jackson as Whitney Houston.  If you’re expecting anything new to the usual action comedy genre, this film may not be for you.  It has its usual tropes that we’re familiar with and it does get a bit predictable and stale during certain scenes, but if you’re looking for some late summer fun, I believe this film offers that.  One of the things that I enjoyed out of the film was the chemistry between Reynolds and Jackson.  Their characters like to banter at each other a lot in between the action sequences, which can get a bit tiresome for some viewers, but they managed to offer some pretty decent laughs, especially Reynolds.  Speaking of laughs, the comedy in this one doesn’t have a lot of memorable jokes that stand out compared to the other comedies, but it does its part in preventing the film from taking itself too seriously.  I also thought that the action was pretty darn fun as well.  Like the comedy aspect, none of the sequences stand out as memorable, but Patrick Hughes did a nice job at delivering what was promised in the marketing: an entertaining, action-packed ride.

Overall, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” offers nothing new to its cliched action comedy storyline, but for those who are looking for some violent fun, it hits the mark just fine.  Bolstered by the two main leads, some decent laughs, and its fun action sequences, it’s a non-stop action fest that’s enjoyable enough to get you out of your late summer blues.  It’s not for everybody, but if you like the two main actors and don’t care that much about the story, then I think this film is for you.

B-