Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

The Hitman's Bodyguard
2017
**½
Director: Patrick Hughes
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek, Élodie Yung, Joaquim de Almeida, Kirsty Mitchell, Richard E. Grant

A discredited bodyguard must transport a renowned hitman from the UK to the International Criminal Court in The Hague so he can testify against the brutal dictator of Belarus. This disposable action comedy combines the buddy comedy of Midnight Run with the hands-on Euro action of The Bourne Identity. However, the movie is too long and its script doesn't deliver enough jokes to compensate for all the violence. The action scenes are well directed and edited, though. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are both on auto pilot, and Gary Oldman's ridiculously evil Eastern European villain feels like a throwback to the 1980s. Followed by Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021).