The Hitman's Bodyguard

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In the search for a surefire summer action blockbuster, one may be very tempted to check out the title starring both Deadpool and Nick Fury themselves. Both Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are very beloved names in the industry right now, so how could things possibly go wrong?

The movie features professional bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) who is hired by his old flame Amelia (Elodie Young). There is tension between the two due to a misunderstanding that took place years ago, so of course, Michael is hesitant. The job in question is revealed to be an escort job, to get pro-assassin Darius Kincaid (Jackson) to testify against a ruthless tyrant named Dukhovich (Gary Oldman), guilty of crimes against humanity.

Unfortunately, for the pair, Dukhovich will seemingly stop at nothing to get Kincaid killed, as he knows that Kincaid knows everything that he's been up to. Along the way, there's plenty of action sequences, and a fair amount of comedy. The whole thing is extremely reminiscent of some old buddy cop movies from the 90s, except in this case, it's a bodyguard and a hitman.

A lot of the comedy is good, but there wasn't a hell of a lot that made me laugh out loud so much as giggle. In all honesty, I was expecting much more from that angle. I expected a bit more of a balance between Jackson's in-your-face attitude and Reynold's all-out sarcasm, but the truth of the matter is, the film is carried very much by Jackson alone. This isn't to say Reynolds doesn't have his moments, but he's a far cry from how he was in 'Deadpool'. That said, Reynolds is more or less the "straight man" through this, so one can't expect too much, I suppose.

Although the comedy is good, not great, I'm glad to say the action IS great. The camera is only slightly shaky, the chase scenes were well done, and the fight sequences were actually pretty creative most of the time. So where the movie does lack in the comedy I was expecting, the action kinda trumped it.

So, if you feel a bit nostalgic for a movie that is representative of something more like 'Lethal Weapon', then I definitely recommend this title to you. I may have expected more than what was delivered, but it's still a fun movie and a good time.

3/5 

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