The Hitman’s Bodyguard – Review
Quick Review:
If a road trip movie featuring Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Samuel L. Jackson’s character from Snakes on A Plane sounds interesting to you, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is going to be a perfect fit!
Synopsis (IMDb):
The world’s top bodyguard gets a new client, a hitman who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.
The Good:
Character’s Relationship – Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are absolutely fantastic together! Often when you get two big personalities together they clash and the film suffers. And since about 80% of this movie is about them being together, it is really a make or break dynamic. Luckily, Reynolds’ and Jackson’s personality mesh absolutely perfectly. Based on their relationship alone I would see any movie that has these two actors on screen together.
Gary Oldman – While we are on the topic of acting, we might as well jump over to Gary Oldman. First of all, it’s no surprise that he is incredible. He doesn’t get very much screen time, but when he does he steals every single moment. Even before this I considered Oldman to be one of the best actors in the business. This just reaffirms my feelings.
The Action – I went into The Hitman’s Bodyguard purely for the hope of a decent comedy, so when I left having gotten a really good action movie I was completely surprised. There are a few action sequences that I would consider fantastic and two of them are car chases. It was so good it makes me think that maybe the script was originally developed and fleshed out as an action movie. Then at some point along the development process someone decided to make it a comedy and add in Reynolds and Jackson. They are so good that even if it wasn’t a comedy, I’d still consider it a fun movie.
The Story (surprisingly) – When I into a comedy or an action movie I never expect a good story. Mainly because I feel that more time (and money) is spent on the comedic or action set pieces that the actual story elements suffer. A lot of times the story is bad enough that it actually distracts from the other elements and brings the whole film down. But somehow the story was actually pretty decent. Yeah, it was pretty predictable and straightforward, but not in a bad way. Instead, in a way that complemented the film as a whole.
Just Plain Fun – I wouldn’t say The Hitman’s Bodyguard is a great movie, but I would say that it is definitely a fun time.The action is exciting, the comedy is funny, and the actors are perfect for their characters. I enjoyed myself from beginning to end and wouldn’t discourage anyone else from seeing it either.
The Ehh:
Side Characters – While the main characters are great, the side characters are not. There’s a few reasons why this might be, but I think the main reason is just that we spend so much time with the main characters. So there just isn’t enough time to build up the side characters enough to actually care about them.
Verdict:
After leaving The Hitman’s Bodyguard I honestly thought it was good movie that I kind of enjoyed watching. But after actually writing my thoughts I think I enjoyed it quite a bit more than I initially thought. There are better movies currently in theaters, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if this is your movie of choice. So if this kind of movie is your thing, I’d say to see it in theaters.
