By CYNTHIA BIDDLECOMBLos Alamos
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is a funny, but violent movie, an unlikely “bromance” between Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds. Watching this film, you will not be bored.
But, movie lovers beware: common, vulgar epithets are overused throughout the film; many cars are hot-wired; many automatic weapons are discharged; every bullet that hits its target produces blood; the bodies, in the end, are too many to number; Interpol gets a very bad rap in this story; maverick guys with security training are the heroes. (It is satisfying, though, to see bad guys get knocked off.)
One deep, ethical question raised in the film is: who really is the good guy? If you are a hitman who gleefully pops evil-doers, does that make you virtuous? Or if, for money, you protect evil guys by killing anyone trying to bump them off, are you any better than the ones you are protecting?These questions are raised in the near constant banter between the two male leads as they dodge real bad guys trying to get to The Hague. Ryan Reynolds’ protective services character has been roped in (by an ex-girlfriend at Interpol) to transport Jackson’s notorious hitman. The hitman will be the only witness able to get a former dictator–who perpetrated genocide on his own people–convicted in the U.N.’s International Court of Justice. Along their journey to The Hague, the ex-dictator’s minions track and attempt many times to kill the potential witness.
In this film, the car crashes, assassination attempts, torture and chase scenes with which we are presented really are over the top. I found myself laughing out loud at the incredible choreography of flying vehicles, explosions, and multitudinous escapes from danger. Who designs these details?
While on the road, the hitman gets to counsel his bodyguard about love being the meaning of life, and to give him advice on how to get and maintain a relationship with a woman. We hear from each of them enough backstory to show they are human. The two men, sworn enemies (or at least competitors) in the beginning, end up not only respecting each other’s abilities, but being grateful for the other, going out of their way to protect each other; thus the “bromance” aspect of the film.
As their love interests, Salma Hayek and Eodie Yung fill their roles well. Hayek gets to be a verbal badass, though locked in a high security cell. Yung is the smart young officer, alert to all that could go wrong. Each has entranced the man who loves her.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is “Rated R for strong violence and language throughout.” This is a film for adults who like action and international settings, and can ignore the overuse of bad words. Movies like this do not portray a realistic view of violence, the underworld efforts of true evil-doers, nor one’s ability to escape determined thugs multiple times. On the other hand, this movie is good for a therapeutic laugh.