Film Review: Hitman’s Bodyguard

Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are two of the biggest stars of today, but they happen to be sharing the screen in their recent venture. One would think this film has to be a bust, correct? A no name action-comedy with two bankable stars that seemingly have no chemistry? Well if one thought all of that, they would be wrong. “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is the last great action comedy romp of the summer, and it came just in time.

The 2017 summer box office totals are the lowest they have been since 2006 but they should get a last minute boost from this great comedy. Reynolds and Jackson star in an action packed battle of hilarious ideologies with real, albeit light, consequences. Alongside the leading men are Salma Hayek and Gary Oldman who are a love interest and an evil villain, respectively.

While the film may not be as funny as “Deadpool” or as action packed as “The Avengers”, the “Hitman’s Bodyguard” stands out in its own right for fantastically set pieces of excitement filled with crazy car chases and stunts. I was genuinely surprised that a standalone film such as this one had the incredible stunts that it did, including a motorcycle chase with guns and explosions galore.

I was even happier to see that two of Hollywood’s biggest stars of the day play perfectly well together and only rarely do they step on each other’s toes. Moreover, they feed off of each other the entire time.

It was refreshing to see Reynolds play the annoyed and “tortured” character for a change, as opposed to the snarky and sarcastic character he usually plays, not unlike Deadpool (although he still finds places to fit in his signature shtick.) Likewise, Jackson seems to be playing a character outside his wheelhouse as well, with all of his hilarious one-liners and over-the-top action.

While it is not necessarily a bad story, it is a very formulaic approach that not even the best jokes can escape from. All of the classic action-comedy tropes are there, and Reynolds and Jackson do their best to distract from them, but the end of the film proves to be all too familiar to audiences. The story could have benefitted from a twist or a shake-up that changed the events just enough to have the audiences not leave disappointed.

However, all of that being said, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is by no means a bad film. When going to see this movie, viewers will have the best laughs of the summer going into the school year. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson come in to save the day from an underwhelming summer box office just in time, and all those who go and see the gut-busting adventure are left all the better because of it.

✪7.5/10