Four years after the events of the original film, bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) is on a company mandated sabbatical when Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek), the wife of hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) whom Bryce shares an uneasy friendship with, rescues him from an assassination attempt to rescue Darius. Due to his sabbatical, Bryce is not allowed to use firearms or lethal weapons of any kind and must use his wits and intelligence to save Darius and save the day.

Australian director Patrick Hughes returns to helm this much watch sequel to The Hitman’s Bodyguard, the film that took the world by storm and rewrote the very nature of what action-comedy could be. Now with Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Hughes really cranks up the volume and this time the action is gnarlier and the comedy is totally off the chain. And trust us when we say that action-comedy doesn’t get much better than this. Right from its opening moments, Hughes cranks everything up and soon the action gets heavy for former ace security expert Michael Bryce (Reynolds) as he is pulled kicking and screaming into another outlandish mission with the foul-mouthed assassin Darius Kincaid (Jackson) and his totally unhinged wife and lover Sonia (Hayek).

Right from the start Hughes puts his foot down and moment after moment the action of this film gets utterly crazy. Whether it’s a wanton path of destruction through the streets of Capri or an explosive yacht chase in the middle of Palermo, Hughes really goes over board with his unique mix of action and comedy. And the audience will get one hell of a rush because of it. While I’m a big fan of action as narrative, here we see action as comedy coming into its own, and Hughes continually throws an array of worsening situations as Reynold’s Bryce, who has to face them on with all his issues, while having to survive the presence of the flamboyantly dangerous Kincaid’s in the process.

Ryan Reynolds is back in top form as security expert Michael Bryce, and he’s in a hell of a funk when we meet up with him again. Carrying a deep sense of anxiety, he is literally ‘forced’ back into the bodyguard profession by the foul-mouthed and totally unhinged Sonia, and then you go in and mix ultimate ‘frenemy’ hitman Darius into the picture and you have one hell of a destructive threesome! Reynolds once again nails his comedic timing, and his talent for improvisation leads to uncontrollable laugh-out-loud moments. He also has to put up with the presence of two Kincaid’s now and this leads to plenty of questionable choices on behalf of Mr Bryce. And did we mention that his newfound sabbatical mindset and unique weapon choices also add to the hilarity.

Again sparring with Reynolds’ Bryce is Samuel L. Jackson’s Darius Kincaid, the most wanted hitman on the planet and one hell of an unpleasant, yet loveable assassin, and their ‘bromance’ has lost none of its fire. Again these two go head-to-head with one another, while also having to survive a host of murderous killers who are out to get them and Jackson proves yet again why he’s one of the best in the business. But aside from sparring with Bryce, Jackson’s Darius undergoes some serious character development here, mostly due to his wife Sonia’s desperate desire to start a family and you can be sure that this adds a whole new level of funny to Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

But stealing the entire movie is Salma Hayek as the foul-mouthed, psycho-would be baby mana Sonia Kincaid! Seriously Hayek completely owns this movie with her performance as Sonia, who we were only briefly introduced to in The Hitman’s Bodyguard, but whom now takes centre stage and who is unbelievably clucky this time around. Yes, she may be able to riddles any bad guy with bullets without a second’s hesitation, but mark my words when I say that Sonia is ‘crazy’ for a baby and this leads to so many memorable moments throughout this film. Without-a-doubt the two most hilarious moments of the film, which include the ‘Swing Scene’ and a ‘Burial At Sea’ scene come at the presence of Hayek’s Sonia and she completely makes this movie the out-of-control rollercoaster of fun that it is.

While there’s comedy aplenty in Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, and I mean the most out-of-control, outlandish humour you can imagine, the action of Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is also raised sky-high. Hughes and his team have a serious blast blowing Italy to hell and back. One minute you’re looking out at a beautiful vista over the Italian Riveria, the next minute Bryce, Darius and Sonia are ploughing through it in a minivan with guns blazing, helicopters whirling and rocket-propelled grenades exploding. Yep this is exactly the kind of movie you need in your life at the moment, and Hughes absolutely makes this a blockbuster spectacle in every single way possible.

Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is an absolute standout blockbuster that audiences will fall in love with. With hilarious unhinged characters, insane action and some of the most inappropriately laugh-out-loud comedy you’ve ever seen, this is one film that is an absolute winner.

Image: Roadshow Films

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Executive protection agent Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) had it all….until it was all taken away from him. Now eeking out a living as a meagre ‘bodyguard’ Bryce finds himself caught up in protecting his nefarious mortal enemy, and wise cracking hitman Darius Kincaid () for Interpol, who is on his way to testify against ruthless dictator () at The Hague. But when everything goes to hell Bryce and Kincaid are forced into a wild and unpredictable road trip that will test them to their core. They might just save the day….unless they kill each other first.

If you love in-your-face and over-the-top action then you’re in for a treat with The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Director Patrick Hughes throws audiences into a 1980s buddy-movie throwback that comes with a whole lot of crazy and a lot more swearing. While today’s audiences are used to a more streamlined comic books style of action filmmaking, Hughes throws all of that out here. His action is heavily choreographed and arrives from out of nowhere, which as an audience member completely takes you by surprise. But this is not just action for action’s sake, and every moment of the film has a bigger piece to play in the film’s overall narrative.

And then there’s the perfect duopoly of Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson as mortal enemies turned unexpected allies. But neither of these cats are heroes. Reynolds is ambitious and incredibly egotistical as Bryce, while Jackson’s Kincaid….well Kincaid is just one badass motherfucker who doesn’t give a shit. But put these two together and you have the recipe for one hell of a fun time in the cinema. The Hitman’s Bodyguard takes the structure of the traditional buddy-cop genre and throws it out the window, as these two, well, they really hate each other. And this never ending battle to not kill one another, and instead, kill the bad guys makes for a movie that is really fun to watch.

But while there’s all kinds of crazy going on, Hughes also uses his characters for a unique analysis of the themes of hero and villain. While Reynold’s Bryce would normally be treated as the typical hero, except his job is to protect an unholy host of scumbags and criminals. Kincaid, on the other hand, is the all around bad guy, except he makes his living killing even worse guys for a living. Hughes ability to play with the morality of his characters and make his audiences question the nature of hero and villain is something incredibly different in an action film of this size….and with this many explosions.

Then there’s Selma. Oh yes, Selma Hayek makes an appearance in this film, and this lady is so grand. Oh so perfectly cast as Kincaid’s wife Sonia, Selma is Jackson’s perfect counterpart in every way. Their romantic introduction together takes the best moment of any 80s romance film, and then add’s a good helping of gore to it. Then there’s their back and forth of love, hate and more love which is so damn cute to watch. It’s fun to see romance this honest up on screen, and their chemistry is so-good together that I’m calling for a Darius/Sonia sequel right now. This romance is real and is a testament that some characters are truly meant to be together.

Finally, I have to mention the film’s epic motorcycle chase scene through the streets of Amsterdam. BECAUSE. IT. IS. EPIC. I haven’t seen anything this inventive up on a movie screen in a long time, and Hughes and his stunt team go to work in the third act with this uncontrollable piece of motorized choreography. Trust me when I say this scene is worth the cost of admission alone.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard is one all around crazy film, and that’s a really good thing. Sometimes you just need a good dose of crazy to lose yourself in at the cinema and The Hitman’s Bodyguard is certainly perfect movie to do that in. So buy that ticket and take that ride to peak Reynolds/Jackson….you won’t regret it.

Image: Roadshow Films

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