1/21/2024 0 Comments Hitman bodyguard 2![]() The idea is that he will use a super-strong drill to damage the underwater junction box that holds the data for the European Union’s computer systems, as a revenge for the EU beating up on his home country. They find themselves up against Greek supervillain Aristotle Papadopoulous, played by Antonio Banderas with such an uncompromising refusal to do a Greek accent that at first I thought it had to be some kind of gag. So the wacky trio are back together again, Reynolds getting whatever laugh lines there are going, as he is bemused and depressed by the situation that this couple have put him in, though not as bemused and depressed as all of us in the audience. Michael is stripped of his “licence” to practise bodyguarding and is now in therapy but just as he decides to take a restorative European break by the pool, Michael gets sucked right back into the melee by Kincaid’s badass wife Sonia, in which role Salma Hayek is once again phoning in her hellcat routine. Ryan Reynolds is back as Michael Bryce, the former triple-A rated bodyguard, now haunted and traumatised by his professional failures, and by his association with the notorious assassin Darius Kincaid, played by Samuel L Jackson. Anyway, here’s the sequel with the extra-clumsy double-possessive in the title. Bottom line? The reliable magic of Reynolds, Jackson, and Hayek keeps some fun intact, but this shoot-'em-up actioner is less of a blast than it could have been.Here’s the tiresome follow-up to the tiresome action comedy with the tiresomely (and unfunnily) muddled premise: bodyguards generally protect people against hitmen and hitmen generally don’t need bodyguards as they’re not publicly visible … but that wasn’t the point. ![]() Viewers go on a visual vacation as the threesome carries out their mission throughout glamorous European locales. Still, the mistakes are covered up by cool stunts, fast action, and take-me-there scenery. Plus, the script just isn't as good and can be hard to follow. Instead, he's positioned more as a puppy that they kick - and that's not necessarily funny. Now the Kincaids are teamed up against Bryce, so he's no longer the foil. Adding a third person into the mix knocks off the balance. What made the first film a hit (no pun intended) is what always elevates action buddy comedies: the banter and chemistry between two equal opposites forced to work together. We're back to "men don't cry," "men don't need mental health help," and "men shoot stuff up" - albeit with a 2021 twist: "so do women." And on that note, Sonia is just as violent and profane as the guys - but for her behavior, she's called "crazy," because her actions and words are more emotionally reactive. It's no surprise that the movie's dialogue references classic '80s action comedies, because The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is a regression to that era's problematic attitudes. Reynolds' character is now traumatized from his efforts to protect Kincaid, and his efforts to restore his mental health are made fun of throughout. The hits keep on coming, but the laughs are a bit weaker in this fun but uneven sequel - and so is Michael Bryce. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails. There's some drinking, a character is drugged for laughs, and cocaine is talked about as if using it is a rite of passage to being cool. The Kincaids are honeymooning and are actively trying to get pregnant no matter where they are, although nothing more than making out and an over-the-blouse fondle is actually shown. And while Sonia is just as violent and profane as the guys, she's called "crazy" because her actions and words are more emotionally reactive. Equating masculinity with brutality (e.g., "men don't cry" and "men shoot stuff up"), the movie makes Bryce's emotional fragility the butt of the joke. While the first film was about Kincaid helping Bryce realize that some matters are out of his control, the goal this time around is making Bryce less responsible and more comfortable with killing. The body count is sky-high, with constant gunfire, stabbings, graphic headshots (and other wounds), and physical fights. As in the original, profanity flies as frequently as bullets ("f-k" is in practically every sentence). Jackson (as high-level assassin Darius Kincaid), and Salma Hayek (as Kincaid's wife, Sonia). ![]() It re-teams Ryan Reynolds (as uptight, safety-first bodyguard Michael Bryce, who's still trying to regain his Triple-A certification), Samuel L. ![]() Parents need to know that the action comedy The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is the sequel to The Hitman's Bodyguard.
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