The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is a 2021 action comedy directed by Patrick Hughes, and written by Tom O'Connor and Brandon and Phillip Murphy. The film is a sequel to the 2017 film The Hitman's Bodyguard. It tells the story of bodyguard Michael Bryce who has finally made peace with leaving his old life behind, until Sonia Kincaid finds him and asks for his help getting her hitman husband Darius back, after he is taken by mobsters.
The stellar cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Richard E. Grant, Frank Grillo, Tom Hopper, Antonio Banderas, and Morgan Freeman.
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard received a wide theatrical release on June 16th, 2021, courtesy of Lionsgate.
THE GOOD
If you watched the 2017 film you already know what to expect from Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, and in no way is that a negative statement. I really enjoyed this movie as it gave me more of what I got from the original, which is a fantastic cast, and a ton of unapologetic humor and non-stop action. Michael Bryce (Reynolds) and Darius Kincaid (Jackson) are the ultimate odd couple, and I could honestly watch these two all day. Their chemistry is red hot yet again and the one-liners are aplenty, as well as plenty of Jackson’s trademark F-bombs. In the first film we were teased with a little bit of the “complexities”, if you want to call them that, of the relationship between Kincaid and his wife Sonia (Hayek).
That unhealthy yet hilarious relationship is front and center in The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, and the two remain as devoted to each other as ever - which proves to be very unfortunate for Bryce and his goal of embarking on a peaceful and relaxing life. I admittedly have a soft spot for raunchy humor, but I laughed out loud more times than I can count during this movie right up until the very end. Reynolds character is the victim of many unfortunate “incidents” that leave him battered and bruised, and I cracked up each time.
To say the cast is the bread and butter of The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard would be a severe understatement. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are front and center once again and continue to ooze chemistry, and as the title clearly indicates the beautiful Salma Hayek plays a much more prominent role this time around and she is fantastic. There is just something about her overly revealing outfits and exotic accent combined with her propensity for violence.
Frank Grillo and ageless cinematic icon Morgan Freeman are welcome additions to the cast, and Antonio Banderas is great as well. From start to finish it is clear everyone had a blast making this movie, and I love to see that. Everyone seemed energetic and completely invested, and that really stood out for me. I can imagine they went through a ton of great cuts for each scene and I would love to see the outtakes. I just hope the movie does well enough to warrant a sure to be hilarious 3rd movie.
THE BAD
The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is far from perfect, I’m not disputing that. It has flaws in the writing, CGI that is painfully bad at times, and I could see some of the jokes coming across as tasteless or even cringeworthy for some viewers. But, this is an action comedy that shows its cards early on, and never tries to be something else. If you enjoyed the first film, you will leave the theater with a smile on your face. And at the end of the day that’s what matters, right?
THE VERDICT
Raunchy, over-the-top, and loaded with talent, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is a throwback to old-school action comedies willing to take full advantage of a well-deserved R-rating. I mean come on, the fact that uptight critics want to shred a movie that was obviously a blast to work on by all involved and continued to build on the momentum from the first film is BS if you ask me. If you can’t find a way to enjoy this movie, you’re doing it wrong. If you are too easily offended, well I guess this movie just isn’t for you. Is it cinematic gold? Of course not, but for my money this is good old fashioned fun at the movie theater and I am glad I watched it on the big screen. Bring on the sequel!
TED TAKES RATING - 7/10
The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is now playing in theaters. Check out the trailer below.