The Hitman’s Bodyguard from 2017 became a surprise success, so much so that we got an unwarranted sequel. I didn’t think the first movie was good enough to justify a sequel and this one is an unnecessary and uninspired clunker. If the first one was mediocre, this one — Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard — is downright ludicrous.
Ryan Reynolds is back again as Michael Bryce, now a former bodyguard until he is brought out of retirement to reunite with his old pal Darius Kincade (Samuel L. Jackson) after he’s kidnapped by mobsters.
After he inevitably rescues Darius and much to both of their chagrins, Michael is introduced to Darius’s wife, Sonia (Salma Hayek). The three are then captured by Interpol and are offered the chance to have their records expunged if they track down an international terrorist named Aristotle Papadopoulos (Antonio Banderas). Aristotle’s goal is to eliminate the European Union for wanting to place sanctions on his native Greece.
The journey takes them to Michael’s stepfather (Morgan Freeman) who offers aid to the trio and this subplot goes nowhere fast and wastes Freeman’s talent and involvement. I would give it away, but I think anyone reading this can read between the lines.
The rest of the movie is just a series of nonstop shootouts and explosions punctuated by idiotic one-liners exchanged by Reynolds and Jackson that make us feel like they weren’t given much of a script to begin with. That’s how I felt about much of the movie.
It’s nothing more than a case of the cast and filmmakers throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks and about 90% of it fails utterly.
As for the climax, it suffers from Pinball Machine Syndrome in the sense that there’s too much going on at the same time. If these characters or this plot were more well-developed, it would’ve worked. As it is, all the actors involved are simply going through the motions.
There’s no sense of humor that works. It feels witless and contrived. The actors are in it for a quick payday and there might be a hint of a third. I hope not.
Grade: C-
(Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, and some sexual content.)
