While recovering from his last ordeal with Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson), Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) sees his holiday ruined when Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek) shows up, uninvited, and with a legion of armed goons on her tail. Turns out Darius has been kidnapped, and Sonia needs Bryce's help to rescue him. The ensuing calamity puts the trio back on Interpol's radar, and in the crosshairs of crime-lord Aristotle Papadopoulos (Antonio Banderas).
As with most sequels Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is bigger, louder and more explodier than its predecessor. In other words it's more of what we like; gunfights, car chases, explosions, and a healthy smattering of bad language. Something - or some things - the hitman, the wife and the bodyguard do very well. Much like in the first movie, Jackson and Reynolds make a perfect buddy comedy duo, a duo that works just as well as a trio, with Hayek bringing a whole new level of insanity to proceedings. She was hilarious in the first movie, very much deserving of a bigger role, and she doesn’t disappoint here - the same can be said of a cameo appearance by a certain coked up banker. Hayek and Jackson are perfect as this extreme criminal couple, they were great on the phone to each other, and they're even better in person. When they are together anything is possible, no matter how insane.
This is a big, silly action movie. It doesn't try to be anything else, and that's why movies like this generally work. But here, the joy comes from the continued suffering of Michael Bryce, and suffer he does as he's forced - by Frank Grillo's Interpol agent - into another carnage riddled road trip across Europe. Once again he's on babysitting duty, except he hasn't really recovered from the first job, and now there's two Kincaids to handle. The look of exasperation on his face only adds to the hilarity. That and the fact that Darius laughs uncontrollably (it's a rather infectious laugh!) at pretty much everything Bryce says and does. Come to think of it, he laughs at pretty much everything. The bodyguard's nightmare does prove to be rather exciting for us, however, thanks to some brilliantly choreographed action, all of which is set to a slightly quirky soundtrack. Watch out for a car chase involving a pipe-laden van, a set of Roman steps, and some lithium. And who would of thought it was possible to make pepper spray funny? I mean the blood splatter properly helps.
Unfortunately, in an attempt to outdo the first movie, Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard goes way over the top. Not to mention the fact that with all the recycled gags it feels too much like a copy and paste sequel. The Hitman's Bodyguard is a big, silly action movie, there's no doubt about that. But it did stay at least within the bounds of possibility. The same cannot be said here. Darius and Sonia haven't changed much, but Bryce has become this cartoon character, one who's neuroses begin to border on the annoying. Before, he was just a down on his luck bodyguard, who struggles to express his feelings, and is generally pissed off at the entire world. But with this one they take it all way too far, especially where his weird daddy issues are concerned.
The gag with Morgan Freeman is funny at first, but the movie pretty much floggs it to death (along with the proverbial horse), to the point where he's pretty much wasted. Much like Grillo who's only there to reaffirm the stereotype that Americans outside of America are obnoxious and insufferable. Oh, and because something happened to Darius' father to make him want to be a hitman, we obviously need a story about Bryce's mother to explain why he would want to become a bodyguard. Hollywood logic. But even with it being part of this big, silly action movie, Darius' story of his father's death is still sad, and Jackson's performance gives it real emotional weight. Bryce's story has none of that, it's just silly. And while all of this is going on a delightfully sinister Antonio Banderas is almost forgotten - apart from a couple of great scenes with Hayek - as the big bad planning revenge on the European Union.
Another chaotic adventure for the world's most uptight bodyguard and his favourite criminal couple. The trio are great together and there is some fun action. But things get a little too silly, and it never really captures the magic of the first movie.
6/10
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