'The Hitman' s Bodyguard' Review: The comedic banter between Jackson and Reynolds is utterly undeniable!

7.7/10

The Hitman's Bodyguard is a violent, swearing-filled buddy action-comedy about two men who are experts with guns, but for different reasons: Samuel L. Jackson plays an infamous hit man, while Ryan Reynolds plays a (AAA) bodyguard-for-hire.

This action-comedy is unnecessarily violent In so many necessary ways and the comedic banter between Jackson and Reynolds is utterly undeniable. If only the tone wasn't so uneven at times and if there was just a tad less bloodlust and a less over-the-top body count, The Hitman's Bodyguard would have been a perfect example of an odd-couple comedy bromance. No one's performance is a stretch: Jackson is a quick-witted, foul-mouthed, eyebrow-raising assassin (which suits him to a T as he has had plenty of time to perfect this kind of role since Pulp Fiction) who justifies his work. Reynolds is a sharp-tongued, super-detailed bodyguard who can't stop talking. No surprises there, but there was no guarantee the two stars would click, and they bloody do.

The rest of the movie is bolstered by a funny supporting turn from Hayek, who plays Kincaid's beloved (crazy bi***) Sonia. She calls her husband hercucaracha ("cockroach") because he's basically "unkillable." She's right. The action sequences are nearly nonstop, and each shows how Kincaid is the grim reaper, but with a gun instead of a scythe. The parts of the movie featuring Oldman's irredeemable dictator, Dukhovich, are considerably less funny and should come with a trigger warning. A leader who kills a man's wife and child in front of him and is responsible for genocide is a little too scary and realistic for times when you'd be forgiven for hoping that a buddy comedy would prove to be pure escapism.

All in all it wasn't perfect (I don't think thats what they were going for) but it really made me chuckle and I really did enjoy it. Worth a watch!