Yet when both he and Jackson work together it seems that Reynolds forgets his moral code and lets bullets fly without remorse. He’ll subdue them with kicks and elbow strikes and tie-wraps. Now this may be nit-picky on my part but Reynolds’ character makes it clear early on that in his profession he doesn’t mortally wound those who try to kill his targets. Her temper is perfect in a flashback sequence showing how she and Darius met, and it’s all set to Lionel Ritchie’s “Hello”. Too bad she is only present in a few scenes. Probably the lone bright spot is Salma Hayek as Darius’s imprisoned wife. If only the script had better situations in which to dispense such jokes, instead of Reynolds standing with a hound dog expression talking to a street vendor as Jackson is in shoot’em-up mode in the background. There are some self-referential wisecracks (like Michael acknowledging that Darius single-handedly ruined the word “motherf*&%er” – a dig at characters Sam Jackson has played in the past) that might get a laugh or two. The jokes levied are more whiffs than hits. Patrick Hughes got off to a promising start with the Australian western Red Hill (only to follow that with The Expendables 3), but his direction, like the movie, is by the numbers. Vladislav’s goons are no contest for an old-school assassin missing an eye patch and Deadpool without his costume. And because they are so skilled with firearms they should be in a different movie altogether – like Wanted or the recent The Dark Tower, where it’s okay if bullets defy the law of physics. The first encounter between Michael and Darius is bad enough in trying to cover for the age discrepancy of its two leads. This buddy comedy has chases and shootouts littered with bad CGI effects and chaotic editing. It’s generic, which may be even worse than labeling something as bad. Vladislav’s hired henchmen and a corrupt official try to complicate matters but it is Michael and Darius’s personal differences that are the biggest culprits in this misbegotten comedy. Michael and Darius have an adversarial history, and both must set aside those ill feelings if they are going to make it to the Hague in one piece. The hitman is none other than Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. A shot at redemption comes calling as Amelia needs his help in getting a hitman to the international court to testify against war criminal and former Russian president Vladislav (Gary Oldman, in need of a house payment). Not quite the same ballpark as shepherding foreign diplomats. Now he takes random jobs like escorting a drug addict lawyer to safety. On the way down his girlfriend, Interpol agent Amelia (Elodie Young), dumps him. Michael (Reynolds) is a triple-A rated protector until losing a high-profile client sends his career in a tailspin. However, a dilemma develops when neither wants to play the straight man in this movie. Both are fun and charismatic, and it’s easy to see why they signed on to do this buddy action-comedy. Jackson, two actors that know a thing or two about comedy (and superhero movies), seems perfect on paper. Pursued by the Mafia, the FBI, and a rival bounty hunter, they travel cross-country from New York to LA.īodyguard takes that template but instead going from the East Coast to the West Coast, it’s get to The Hague to testify. Some may recall the Martin Brest comedy where Robert De Niro played bounty hunter Jack Walsh, hired to find and return bail jumper Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin), a former Mafia accountant. The Hitman’s Bodyguard so wants to be this generation’s Midnight Run.
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