The Hitman´s Bodyguard

Can you believe that it was 30 years ago since Lethal Weapon hit cinema screens worldwide ? The action comedy from 1987 became a huge success, and the main actors Mel Gibson and Danny Glover turned out to be a really good combination. Back in 1987, i was just 10 years old, so i did not see it until my early teenage years. As the premiere of Lethal Weapon 2 came out in 1989, i was easily hooked up by these films. The sequel turned out to work really well, perhaps because of the magic between Mel and Danny. As the 90´s rolled in, of course we got a third film in 1992. It was becoming clear that it was harder to bring back the same magic in another sequel. You could sense that they should have stopped there. Of course, the film studio probably thought they could bring in some big cash, so they decided to make Lethal Weapon 4. The film did not do as well as they thought, even though it was not a box office bomb. With discussions of a 5th film, it seemed that Mel Gibson was not interested in doing another film. And i think he did the right choice, we would not need a fifth film. Instead a tv series was made, with actors Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans. I actually have not seen one full episode of the tv series yet, but i will try and take a look, at some point. The action comedy genre have been around for a very long time, where we have seen many different combinations of actors, trying to make things work. The films known as Ride Along, could have been funny, if the actors Kevin Hart and Ice Cube had better comedy material to work with. These films proved through that they could not reach any level near Lethal Weapon. I liked the idea behind the Ride Along films, because both Kevin Hart and Ice Cube have proved themselves to be funny in comedy, though these films did not fall in my taste. When i heard early spring of 2017, that actors Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson would team up together, in an action comedy called The Hitman´s Bodyguard, i thought that this was a great idea. Both of them are really good actors, and i was hoping that their chemistry on screen would show a perfect match. I was curious to see if this would be like a Lethal Weapon tribute, or a completely different take on the genre. With 2 great actors in lead roles, with the talented director Patrick Hughes on board the project, do we finally have an action comedy that works, or is this a desperate try to make money at the box office ?

Bodyguard Michael Bryce ( Ryan Reynolds ) is hired to protect Takashi Kurosawa ( Tsuwayki Saotome ), a Japanese arm dealer. Everything seems to be going well, until Takashi is assassinated. 2 years have passed, and Michael have fallen into disgrace, still working but under complete different circumstances. Meanwhile, Vladislav Dukhovich ( Gary Oldman ), the ruthless dictator of Belarus, is put on trial for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. The prosecution is unable to substantiate their allegations with physical evidence. To make sure that Vladislav is convicted, they need the notorious hitman Darius Kincaid ( Samuel L. Jackson ) to testify in court. He agrees to do so, but only under one demand, that his wife Sonia Kincaid ( Salma Hayek ) is guaranteed a exoneration. Interpol Assistant Director Jean Foucher ( Joaquim de Almedia ) assigns Amelia Roussel, a greenhorn agent ( former girlfriend of Michael Bryce ), to lead a squad of Interpol agents tasked to escort Kincaid to testify at The Hague. On their way, the convoy is ambushed, and everyone except Kincaid and Amelia is killed, as they escape to a secret safehouse. No one knows where Amelia have taken Kincaid, and her main mission is to make sure no one finds them. But to guarantee that Kincaid will testify at The Hague, she needs help. So she calls her ex boyfriend Michael for help. Not willing to help her at first, he realise the importance of the mission, and that they are the last hope, to make sure that Vladislav is locked up in prison.

I love it when you see a film, and laugh more than you would expect. And this is what i did while watching The Hitman´s Bodyguard in the cinema seat. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are the best action comedy duo since.....Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in The Heat. I would say that The Hitman´s Bodyguard is so far one of the funniest comedies released this year. The plot is nothing you really care about, so the film basically works well because of the chemistry between the main characters. The fast, vulgar dialogue is exactly what a film like this need. Samuel L. Jackson makes sure to steal the show, many times throughout the film. Ryan Reynolds knows how to mix his classic style, where his comedy timing fits right in. I also enjoyed seeing so many action scenes in Amsterdam ( maybe because i enjoyed my visit there ), and we do get plenty of shoot outs. Nice to see legendary actor Gary Oldman here, as the evil Vladislav. I would not say he does a great performance ( if you compare to some of his classic films, but he does ok ). One of the unexpected highlights is without a doubt Salma Hayek as Sonia, the wife of Kincaid ( Samuel L. Jackson ). She is raw, tough, and says exactly what she thinks. I have to mention legendary actor Richard E. Grant, who have been in many great films in the past ( including Bram Stoker´s Dracula with Gary Oldman ). Nice to see him again, after so many years. If you can bare with lots of vulgar language, lots of violence and with a very simple story, you are in for a treat. The director of this film, Patrick Hughes ( who made The Expendables 3 a glorious ride ), use the right tools to get back the action comedy genre, back on track. This is the kind of film you go and see, just to laugh. Nowdays, you don´t really get to see many great comedies, and this is why you should visit the cinema and experience The Hitman´s Bodyguard. By the way, do not miss one scene where Ryan Reynolds sings Ace Of Base classic song The Sign in a car, with Samuel L. Jackson backing him up. Did you ever think you would see these actors ever sing a Ace Of Base song ? Exactly, that´s one of the reasons why you should see this film. The Hitman´s Bodyguard is a funny action comedy, that will guaranteed entertain people of all ages. Make sure you get tickets to see it, and i promise you will have a good time.

Rating: DDD