Four years ago, the chemistry of Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson was enough to lift “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” above the usual action movie pablum (read my full review here). But the few scenes with Salma Hayek as Jackson’s wife elevated it further and gave the proceedings even more of a spark.
Now, the trio is back in “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” with Hayek not just as a supporting player, but a full participant in the mayhem. I’m not even going to try to describe the plot to you, because it just doesn’t matter.
There are car chases that leave no flower or fruit cart unsmashed and you can anticipate every time the bad guys’ vehicle in pursuit of our heroes is going to flip over, or ram into an abutment, or get pushed aside before exploding in flames.
And none of it matters.
There are scenes in which Ryan Reynolds is hit by a car moving at a pretty good pace, but of course, he’s only knocked out for a moment before bouncing back up unharmed.
And none of it matters.
There are fight scenes involving all sorts of guns and other weapons, in which no bad guy can put a bullet or a dent in the leads, despite being described as among the best assassins in the world.
And none of it matters.
There’s an impossible-to-unravel plan to destroy Europe’s economy by the rich Greek villain played by Antonio Banderas. That’s an interesting casting choice, to say the least, but the role calls for an actor who can chew up all the scenery, a tough task in a movie with Jackson, Hayek, and Reynolds. Suffice to say Banderas overplays the Bond-villain-like bad guy as expected.
And none of it matters.
Director Patrick Hughes (who directed the first go-round with this crew) uses a dizzying amount of quick-cut editing in the fight scenes, particularly those involving multiple participants. His pacing and the script by Tom O’Connor, Brandon Murphy, and Phillip Murphy play almost as a parody of every other action movie you’ve ever seen. Oh, and there’s a ridiculously long reveal of the actor who plays Reynolds’ father, whose identity I won’t spoil here.
And none of it matters.
What does matter is the banter between the three stars, much of it shouted (an energy level at which Jackson is unmatched in movie history). They’re given clever things to say, regardless of whether things go well or fall apart. At one point, an INTERPOL agent sends the trio off on a mission and warns them not to “fuck it up.” Reynolds immediately responds, “Oh, come on, of course we’re going to fuck it up!” Amid all of the flying bullets and stunt work on both land and water, there are enough quips and humorous lines to keep “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” from crumbling under its own weight.
This was the first movie I’ve seen in a theater with other human beings since before the pandemic. It was a pleasure to see something on such a large screen again, and to be surrounded by a few hundred people laughing out loud and enjoying themselves.
And that’s really all that matters with a film like this.
For total escapism and a summer action farce that doesn’t take itself too seriously, “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” delivers enough for me to give it a 6.5 out of 10. Opens tomorrow in theaters.