The Hitman's Bodyguard
Director: Patrick Hughes
Actors: Gary Oldman
Release Date: Thursday 17th August 2017
Genre(s): Action, Comedy
Running time: 111 minutes
Fans of buddy action flicks from the 80s and early 90s rejoice, for here is the foul-mouthed nephew you've been waiting a couple of decades for.
Ryan Reynolds is a top tier bodyguard in a very good place when we meet him; swish home, high-end (criminal) clients, beautiful girlfriend... Then someone he's protecting gets clipped. We move forward a few years to see that his life is gone to shit. Instead of high-end arms dealers, he's now transporting coked-up lawyers and generally self-loathing. When Samuel L. Jackson's notorious hitman cuts a deal to testify in a war criminal case involving Gary Oldman's dastardly baddie, the two unlikely pals team up to travel from London to Amsterdam in time for him to give his testimony and send Oldman's genocidal maniac to the slammer.
Right, the problems. Gary Oldman is absolutely wasted, the plot is fierce basic and there's very little character development - even when we get some for the two lead characters, it feels tacked on. It's also completely fucking ridiculous.
But, dear reader, let me ask you this... do you enjoy Ryan Reynolds in full on acerbic, sarcastic mode? Maybe slapping a few bad guys around, blowing stuff up and basically using his obvious movie star physicality to carry the type of action film he has always been destined to star in? Well you are in luck because this is Reynolds at peak sarc and he has a wonderful sparring partner in Jackson - having an absolute blast.
The action from Aussie helmer Patrick Hughes is brutal, proficient and almost matter-of-fact at points, never taking a back seat to the core duo, more complimenting it.
