The Hitman's Bodyguard

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 quite a few, but in the end, things, they were not in abundance.

They were used to just the right degree.

Reynolds is Michael Bryce, aspiring to get his triple A status restored as a reliable bodyguard for hire.

Co-star Ryan 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 verbiage. The pair actually crossed paths once, wherein Reynolds client was assassinated by Jackson’s Darius Kincaid.

Part of the story’s dynamics involve Salma Hayek and Gary Oldman. The former is Jackson’s wife, Sonia Kincaid of the movie while the latter is a former president/dictator of a European country. Oldman’s Vladislav Dukhovich is essentially a delusional president who for all intents and purposes a dictator.

Also important is Elodie Yung (Netflix’s “Elektra”), who shares man key scenes with Reynolds’ Michael Bryce, a romantic interest that never goes anywhere. Somewhere along the way, the sparks sputtered and fell 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 in Jamie Lee Curtis’s Helen.

As directed by Patrick Hughes, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is a better entry for the filmmaker. It improves on either the mixed stylings of 2010’s “Red Hill” or 2014’s “The Expendables 3,” which were both in the C range on my report card.

“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” knows that kit is not to be taken too seriously, even though part of the story line 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 missing this enjoyable ride on the sarcasm train to Pleasantville.
(Review by Ricky Miller)