Sat 17 Nov 2018
Movie Review: THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD (2017).
Posted by Steve under Action Adventure movies , Reviews[6] Comments
THE HITMAN’S BODYGUARD. Lionsgate, 2017. Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek, Élodie Yung. Director: Patrick Hughes.
For an action comedy, The Hitman’s Bodyguard has a complicated plot, so let’s start with that, using the cast listing above, and in the same order. Ryan Reynolds is the bodyguard, two years earlier at the top of his game, but fallen into disgrace after he allowed one of his clients, a Japanese arms dealer, to be killed.
Samuel L. Jackson is his client, a notorious hitman who has agreed to testify against Gary Oldman, the brutal dictator of Belarus, at the International Criminal Court, for crimes against humanity. Salma Hayek is Jackson’s wife, currently in prison, but as a bargaining chip, she will be released once Jackson testifies.
Last but far from least is Élodie Yung, an inexperienced agent for Interpol whose assignment is to make sure Jackson makes it to the trial on time. To this end she hires Reynolds, an ex-lover, as an outside agent in charge of transport. He demurs but he finally agrees when he is promised his reputation will be restores.
Almost all of the pieces are in place, but of course there are some twists ahead, as well as lots and lots of bullets, explosions and other spectacular firepower. Lots of chases too, on foot, by car, on motorbike, and around and around the canals of Amsterdam. If you like movies with high body counts, this is the film for you. It is also a “buddy” film, with the hitman and his bodyguard always in wickedly sharp banter with each other as they make one hair’s breadth escape after another.
But at the heart of the film, though, what it really is, is a love story. Two of them, in fact. Jackson is willing to testify and in all likelihood go to prison, but in exchange for his wife Salma Hayek’s release, it is worth it. Theirs is love-hate relationship, but course we know that love will win out.
As for Ryan Reynolds, he broke up with Élodie Yung when he became convinced that she had something to to with his big failure two years before, but the torch he carries for her is a mile long. Once again, we the viewer, know that all will end well, and indeed it does.
Don’t watch this movie if either overpowering but well-filmed mayhem or lots (and lots) of swears bother you, but if not, I think you may enjoy this one as much as I did. It did well enough with audiences last year that a sequel is in the works, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.
November 18th, 2018 at 12:48 am
These usually lose me at Interpol agent, a non existent career for the former Nazi front organization which now fronts for Putin and the Russians and never did much more than issue Red and Yellow sheets on wanted people and persons of interest.
Not that any of that effects whether the film is fun or not, but you would think as easy as it is to research someone would bother to find out what a crock Interpol is and always has been.
November 18th, 2018 at 1:29 am
For some information about how the Russians are playing serious games with Interpol, read this, for example:
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/russia-interpol-abuse/561539/
But whenever Interpol comes up in the movies (not books) I find it very easy to replace the word Interpol in my mind by “some large fictitious generic international police force,” because that’s all it is in the movies.
November 18th, 2018 at 8:29 am
I wasn’t sure about this one, but your review convinced me to give it a try, especially with Samuel L. Jackson and Salma Hayek.
November 18th, 2018 at 1:22 pm
I don’t know if liking Jackson and Hayek is enough to say you’ll enjoy the movie, Jeff, but I can tell you this. If you don’t like Samuel L. Jackson’s movie performances, you won’t like this one.
Jackson has a way of taking a role and making it larger than life and all his own. The focus is on him, no matter who else he allows to be on the screen with him.
Me, I think he’s great.
November 18th, 2018 at 6:42 pm
Just shift the words and there’s a never-ending series of films: The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife
The Wife’s Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife’s Hitman/Bodyguard/Wife…
You could do the same thing with the script.
November 18th, 2018 at 9:06 pm
A franchise that will live forever!