Day
109 The
Hitman’s Bodyguard [2017]
Screenplay Tom O’Connor
Director Patrick Hughes
Cinematography Jules O’Loughlin
Music Atli
Örvarsson
Leads Samuel
L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek, Élodie Yung, Joaquim de
Almeida
Production Millenium Films, Cristal Pictures
IMDb 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes 40%
This
film is better than the ratings suggest. I was going to say it’s a guilty pleasure,
but I don’t feel guilty at all for having enjoyed it. It’s the type of film my
dad would love – full of action, cheesy jokes and cheap insults – perfect for
keeping him awake long enough to watch the whole thing before bed. It’s a buddy
action comedy about a washed-up personal security agent (Reynolds) protecting
an assassin (Jackson) whilst they travel to The Hague so that the assassin can testify
at the International Criminal Court. The chemistry between Jackson and Reynolds
is the glue holding this film together. Helped a little bit by the smoke and
mirrors of the constant action sequences. The cracks do show fairly often
though, for example, the flashback sequences are something I would expect from
a cartoon. They are trying way too hard to be funny – I’m sure a few
thirteen-year-olds enjoyed them though. I couldn’t help thinking about Deadpool
every time Reynolds cracked a joke. I love his humour. However, as with anything,
if he uses it in every film it will get worn out, so keep it in Deadpool
Ryan. Jackson was brilliant, being one of the few actors who can swear in every
sentence and yet we don’t get tired of it and he always sounds badass. I
enjoyed Richard Grant’s cameo, as well as Salma Hayek’s spicy role, but Oldman’s
was unnecessary. His role was not written for an actor of his calibre. It
reminded me of my old Volkswagen Polo. It ripped along at times, but would then
stutter, stall and back to the garage I’d go. There were stunts and action
galore, laugh out loud moments and good performances, and then they’d go and
spoil it all by doing something stupid like a flashback. A fun and easy watch nevertheless.
Acting 3 / 4
Writing 2 / 4
Cinematography 3 / 4
Music 2 / 4
HWF rating 2.5 / 4
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