The Hitman's Bodyguard

The Hitman's Bodyguard

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek

Directed by Patrick Hughes

The Story:
After losing his triple A rated executive protection agency, Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) is brought in by Interpol to assist in bringing ruthless hitman Darius Kinkaid (Samuel L. Jackson) to the International Court of Justice to testify against Belarus President Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman).  His testimony is the only thing preventing Dukhovich from being a free man, and he's sent out all his troops to silence Kincaid for good.  Meanwhile, his equally fierce wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) remains in prison and refuses to help the police find her husband.  On the road and on the run, the two men with polar opposite views of life have to work together to make it out alive - unless they kill each other first.

The Synopsis:
The buddy cop comedy has been a staple of films for decades.  "48 Hours," "Bad Boys," "Ride Along" and "The Heat" all include the classic mismatched duo trying to achieve the same goal with totally differing viewpoints, and the film's success rides solely on their chemistry.

Now we've got "The Hitman's Bodyguard," which unites Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in a profane-laced, non-stop action buddy comedy that's laugh-out-loud funny and surprisingly heartfelt in one fell swoop.  If the film had anyone but these two actors at the helm, it would've been an unmitigated disaster and fallen flat on its face, but due to the chemistry - and natural humor - between the two men, the film rises among the ranks of generic buddy comedies and sets itself apart as a humorous romp you'll have to see again to pick up on the lines you missed from laughing at the previous ones.

As far as the story goes, it's easily the most generic flare.  Two mismatched people have to work together to get to a final destination to prevent an evil from getting free.  That's the entire premise of the film, and it's as paint-by-the-numbers as they come, but even though you know the outcome it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the ride - and it's one thrilling, hilarious ride.

Ryan Reynolds plays off his Deadpool-like snark with ease, blending his naturally sarcastic nature with a small addition of caution - his motto is "boring is best" - into a character that's easy to love and who effortlessly brings the laughs.  Equally, Samuel L. Jackson is in his prime here, delivering his trademark brand of off-putting humor (including more "m-f-ers" than you can shake a stick at) that's made him comedic gold.  The two clearly don't get along, but as their Murphy's law educing adventure unravels, they learn they got more in common than they thought.  If only Marvel and Fox would come together, I'd love to see a film where Deadpool meets Nick Fury and is like, "don't I know you from somewhere?"

Gary Oldman - who is usually solid and on point - doesn't really seem to deliver that much to his character here.  He's very generic, and doesn't seem to be enjoying himself as much as the others do.  Salma Hayek steals the show, however, as her tough-as-nails character Sonia, Darius's wife who's every bit a B-A as he is.  She's rude, crude, and knows how to handle herself, and dominates all the scenes she's in.

The action is fun and exciting, but it's almost an afterthought compared to the solid chemistry between the two leads.  It's like they were given a script that included the bare bones of the concept, and improvised their lines.  That's what makes this a great film, and sets it apart from other generic buddy cop comedies - the natural talent of the two leading men.

The Summary:
When you get Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds in a movie together, you're bound to expect what you see in "The Hitman's Bodyguard" - loads of humor, action, and a fantastic escape from reality.

The Score: A