I was lucky enough to attend a pre-screening of the movie, so I'm actually able to get this out when normal reviews would happen! Weird, isn't it?
Obviously, due to the early nature of this ryview, this will remain Super Ultra Spoiler-Free. The only details I'll reveal are the ones readily available on Wikipedia.
Ryan's Rating: 8 Motherfuckers/10
Ryan's Rycommendation: See the Movie
The Hitman's Bodyguard is essentially about one thing: putting Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in a movie together. And I mean that in the best possible way. It was a tremendously fun action comedy that had both main actors playing up what audiences love about them. Reynolds had a lot of nice quick wit, while Jackson had lots of trademark cursing and swagger. The combination was very entertaining.
The other actors all did a fine job too, but if I'm being completely honest with myself I usually found myself biding my time during those scenes so I could get back to more Reynolds/Jackson shenanigans. Elodie Yung (another Marvel alum, btw) did a good job, and Gary Oldman plays a solid villain. But as far as the supporting players go, Salma Hayek was certainly the most enjoyable.
The action was all solid, with a few fight scenes standing out to me as downright impressive, and some chase scenes that were top notch (and this is coming from a guy who doesn't like chase scenes all that much, in general). This director is no stranger to action; he directed The Expendables 3. That kind of high level dedication to gunfire and explosions was appreciated.
The pacing was a bit odd, but not necessarily bad. The movie had a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but pretty much everything after the first half hour had a better flow to it. And I would probably chalk some of that up to the director's style. The pacing worked for the movie, it was just unconventional.
Now, obviously, with this being an action movie, there were some cheesy moments, silly lines, awkward musical cues, etc. And you'll never hear me call this movie perfect. But compared to lots of other popcorn action movies that I subject myself to, this was ahead of the game. And there were certainly several instances where I think the movie would have felt cliched if it didn't have its two main stars keeping things lively. Their chemistry helped move the movie forward, never letting it get bogged down by its own genre.
All told, being an admittedly big fan of both main stars, I found this to be extremely fun, and it's definitely a movie I want to see again (and/or own). I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes either star, or if you like action movies, or if you really like the word "Motherfucker". If you aren't an action fan, you hate Ryan Reynolds's face, and you're against cursing because it's an affront to your decency, you'd be better served staying home (I would recommend seeing The Nut Job 2, but let's be honest, anyone who pays to see that should probably have their money revoked).
Let me know what you think about it in the comments!
Until next time,
Ryan
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