Day 109 - The Hitman's Bodyguard



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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