Reynolds and Jackson settle smoothly into their usual bickering interplay, and having Michael insist upon not carrying a gun-relying on pepper spray and his trusty Swiss Army knife ("they never see it coming") because his therapist advised against it-makes for a solid running gag.
Once again, it's the on-screen chemistry between the three leads that makes the movie work. The screwball/slapstick comedy aspects are more pronounced this time around, as is the cheese factor. Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as. As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas). Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid. The world’s most lethal odd couple-bodyguard Michael Bryce and hitman Darius Kincaid-are back on another life-threatening mission. One person's tired cliché is another's time-honored trope, after all, and raunchy, entertaining, R-rated comedy/action flicks are in short supply these days. Although almost everyone praised the onscreen comic chemistry between Reynolds and Jackson, much of the criticism targeted the fairly generic, cliché-ridden script. The Hitman's Bodyguard grossed $176.6 million globally-not a bad showing-but it received decidedly mixed reviews.
Do they ultimately succeed and save the day against nigh-impossible odds? Do you really need to ask? Michael has to get Darius from London to the International Criminal Court while being pursued by all the crack assassins and firepower the Belarus dictator can muster.
Darius is a key witness in the trial of the ruthless dictator of Belarus (Gary Oldman), agreeing to testify in exchange for the release of his con-artist wife, Sonia (Hayek), from prison.
Two years later, his ex-girlfriend (an Interpol agent) reluctantly hires him to protect hitman Darius Kinkaid (Jackson).
In the first film, Reynolds plays ambitious, tightly controlled, triple-A rated "executive protection agent" Michael Bryce, who finds his professional life in shambles after one of this clients is assassinated on his watch. Only mild spoilers for new film no major reveals.) But if you liked that movie (I thought it was a blast), chances are you'll enjoy this latest flawed-but-fun outing. Jackson and Salma Hayek, his co-stars in The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. Yes, it's an awkward title for this sequel to 2017's action/comedy, The Hitman's Bodyguard. Reynolds is at his best when he has a strong co-star to play off of as a foil, and he has that in Samuel L.
He was sheer perfection in 2016's raunchy, R-rated blockbuster, Deadpool. It took a little while for Ryan Reynolds to find his true cinematic niche-one that makes good use of his rare combination of leading-man looks, self-deprecating amiability, and smartly sardonic sense of humor. Ryan Reynolds, Samuel Jackson, and Salma Hayek reunite for more madcap hijinks in The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard.