Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

I did thoroughly enjoy the 2017 movie "The Hitman's Bodyguard", so when I saw that there was a sequel coming out and seeing that they vastly improved on the cast, I must admit that I was thrilled to get to sit down and watch the 2021 movie "The Hitman's Bodyguard".

However, while "The Hitman's Bodyguard" certainly was watchable and entertaining enough, it just didn't have the punch and the comedy that the 2017 movie offered. And it was a bit disappointing actually. And oddly so since they really upped the game with the likes of Morgan Freeman, Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas added to the cast list.

The storyline told in this 2021 sequel was just a bit too mundane in comparison to the first movie. Sure, the movie was fun and entertaining enough for what it was. Just a shame that it never managed to get up to the same level as the 2017 movie "The Hitman's Bodyguard" did.

Of course it is fun to see Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson back on the screen together. And I do admit that having Salma Hayek as part of the main cast was definitely fun, especially with her particular character and that accent.

There is a good amount of action in the movie, though it does feel a bit wasted given the movie's otherwise mundane storyline.

I must say, though, that "Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" wasn't as entertaining as I had hoped. But it is adequate enough for a single viewing if you're in for an evening of some light-hearted action comedy.

And I do find it a shame that writers Phillip Murphy and Brandon Murphy didn't manage to take this 2021 movie up to the same level as its predecessor.

My rating of director Patrick Hughes' 2021 movie lands on a mediocre five out of ten stars.

Positives:

• As a comedy thriller, it does pass the '6 laughs test' in terms of the 'comedy' element. Some of these are minor chuckles. A few are really good belly laughs.

• Among these are some of the outrageous tirades of Salma Hayek: her accent makes some of the dialogue unintelligible, but given its X-rated nature, that's not necessarily a bad thing! As a mid-50's actress (Oh God - - don't tell her I mentioned her age!), Ms Hayek indeed has an arrestingly attractive form.

• Seeing Antonio Banderas and Morgan Freeman on the screen is never anything other than a positive. (Although Banderas is like Sean Connery in failing to tailor his natural accent to any role he's ever in!)

Negatives:

• A general problem I have with 'comedy thrillers' is that the comedy nearly always negates any of the thrills. Ryan Reynolds is not playing Deadpool in this one, although he might as well be doing so based on the number of times he is hit by cars and other solid objects. The result is that although it has the trappings of a Bond or a Bourne - exotic locations (here, mostly Italian ones) ; exotic woman; car chases; heavily-armed henchmen; huge explosions - it delivers none of the tension or excitement. When matched with some rather dodgy post-shoot special effects, the effect is generally underwhelming.

• The plot here is shallow and ludicrous. A McGuffin involving a diamond drill tunnelling into "Europe's data hub" to implant a virus is infantile.

• If there was an award for the clumsiest movie title of 2021, we may already have a winner.

Summary Thoughts on "The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard": Sequels are very occasionally better. Often they are much worse. This one, I have to say, delivers very much "more of the same". Given that the writer/director team of Tom O'Connor and Patrick Hughes are in the driving seat, that's not much of a surprise. The shtick is mildly diverting, occasionally downright funny, but quickly outstays its welcome. The 100 minute run time felt, for me, much longer.

Looking back at my 2017 review of the first film, I think I was being over-kind giving it 6/10. I think this is neither better nor worse. So if you want to average the two and give each 5/10, I wouldn't object! But, again, it's one I will struggle to remember much about in a few month's time.

(For the full graphical review, please check out One Mann's Movies on the web or Facebook. Thanks).

Been flicking through a load of the reviews on here and I seriously don't understand the hate. It's just a fun movie, just as crazy as the first one. It doesn't take itself too seriously, the jokes are funny and the action is great. What do you expect from this film? If you want to go and watch a fun, action packed film for an afternoon, go and check it out! If you're expecting some sort of classic, super high budget mind blowing phenomenon, go watch Avatar again or something.

The original film was great. Loved it. Original. Funny and watchable. Not Oscar winning but a great watch.

This film carries on with the fun characters and introduces a super brain numbing storyline to waste hours of our lives. I can't begin to explain how much of a parody this story is. Not in an intelligent way. But in a painfully lazy way. It is like they had to make a lockdown film and just couldn't care less if it made sense or not.

I want to write a more in depth review but this film is bad. That's all you need to know.

Banderas is now Greek. And wants to wreck havoc in the EU. Although the movie was (at times) fun and it's cool to see Samuel Jackson and Morgan Freeman in the same film, a star-packed cast can't get this film rated above 6. And 6 is already too much.

Where to start...Pace is inconsistent and compared to the 1st film there are some really boring parts. Action is focused on bang-bang and car chase, coupled with some extreme shouting from Salma Hayek. Acting is ok (if you can stand Hayek).

Storyline is outdated and exaggerated but keeps the European vibe of the first film, which is consistent.

Comedy is prevalent throughout the film and there are some good moments.

And of course...Antonio Banderas: He plays the villain, Greek billionaire Aristotle Papadopoulos, but he doesn't take the role too seriously and he still is the one and only Antonio Banderas, with the one and only Spanish accent we all know. He delivers some funny one-liners mixed with a few popular Greek words and almost looks like a villain BUT with a really weak and bad plan.

Comedian Ryan Reynolds does well in comedy.

Frank Grillo is always a nice addition, even though his role in the film is not essential.

Nice cinematography, photography and great Italian landscapes. And some truly funny moments.

Maybe since they're chasing a Greek, they should have done more shots in Greece, so it could have been more relevant. Because in the overall story the connection with Italy seemed rather weak.

To conclude, there's a few reasons to watch this film. But it's not as good as the previous one, so be prepared.

I personally enjoyed it but it's no more than a 6/10.