To get ready for the sequel, I went back and rewatched The Hitman's Bodyguard. I said it back when I saw it in theaters and will still say this movie had no right to be as good as it is; the story is basic and cliched ridden it is on the backs of Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson that the movie is carried through without becoming dull and sluggish. A rapid recap for those needing one before seeing the sequel and not wanting to rewatch the first, do not have the time, or just never cared to watch it. Reynolds is a highly rated bodyguard who loses his status when one of the people in his protective custody is killed by a sniper bullet. Gary Oldman is on trial for doing bad things, and Jackson is on his way to testify against Oldman when the convoy is blown up; Elodie Young was in charge of the transport and calls in Reynolds for help to get Jackson to the hearing on time. Thus the meat of the movie begins with Reynolds and Jackson playing opposites and having terrific on-screen chemistry together that elevates the scenes and the dialogue to entertaining levels. This is a prime example of a great popcorn flick; it is entertaining, you do not need to think too much, and when it is over, you feel like you just got off a fun carnival ride with a smile on your face.
Flash forward from 2017 to 2021, and we get the follow-up film The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. Did we need a sequel to the first one? No, we did not, and after seeing the sequel, it is a definite nope. Patrick Hughes returns to direct following the expected format of an action sequel, go bigger and louder. We are back with Ryan Reynold's; after the first movie's events, he has lost his bodyguard license and finds himself in therapy because of it. To try and put his mind at ease takes a vacation in Italy where things, of course, go wrong, and he finds himself with Salma Hayek, who needs his help to find her kidnapped husband, Samuel L. Jackson. Because someone decided to remember how Salma Hayek had those couple scenes in the last movie where she screamed a lot and stole those scenes, we need to make her a primary character and have her do that throughout the entire movie, most of the movie seems just a setup to determine if she can out Motherf***** Jackson and how many references to her boobs they can get away with. The plot, wow this was taken out of the '90s straight to DVD action flick, Antonio Banderas is a Greek who wants to destroy Europe by using a diamond-covered drill under the ocean to sever the data cables for the continent, during a demonstration in the movie this also causes electrical things to explode for some reason. It is the most convoluted and uninteresting plot with new characters that are just bland. The tone of the movie is all over the place, where the first movie was a simple story heightened by the performances, this one there is so much trying to go on, car chases and explosions constantly that it overpowers the actors who just do not seem to have that chemistry from the original which made it so bad but so good at the same time. This is a fully recommended pass for me, the first movie you love it or hate it; this one just has no reason to exist and is a waste of a talented cast that will also waste 99 minutes of your life.
