2021’s The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is an action-comedy that excels when it steps back from its sloppy plot and embraces the charming chemistry of the film’s star power. However, the rest of the movie is overstuffed with action cliches, forgettable B-roll footage of the Italian countryside and lazy comedic gags that unfortunately weighs down an otherwise fun film.
After the events of 2017’s The Hitman’s Bodyguard, the sequel follows a formerly top-tier bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and the aftermath of his decision to save his unlikely friend/professional hitman Darius Kinkaid (Samuel L. Jackson) from a gunshot wound. Despite Bryce’s attempts to relax on vacation in Italy, he finds himself forced to save Kinkaid again alongside Kinkaid’s wife Sofia (Selma Hayek). Quickly, the trio finds themselves drawn into ruining a complex plan by Greek power player Aristotle Papadopolous (Antonio Banderas), which, if it succeeds, would bring about the destruction of the Europe’s entire infrastructure — as revenge for economic sanctions placed on the nation of Greece.
The plot of the film is often pushed to the side due to minor distractions dragging the trio to different parts of Italy. As with the first film, the real driving force of the story is the snarky back-and-forth between the film’s stars: Reynolds, Jackson and Hayek. Hayek and Jackson are clearly having fun as the destructive and consistently bickering Kincaids. Reynolds is torn between a rock and a hard place, though, with the script forcing him into a snark-off with someone before reverting back to the more passive and put-upon former bodyguard. He’s much more enjoyable as the inherently more passive character who is constantly having life hit him in the back of the head, giving him a bit more range and comedic possibilities.
Bryce is hit with cars and blasted with a shotgun and still gets no respect. Unlike the literal record scratch jokes used repeatedly throughout the film, there are cutaway gags that work when the cast gets the chance to bounce off and amp up their natural chemistry. Banderas’ Aristotle is an underutilized character, but he thoroughly hams up his performance to a memorable level in his criminally few scenes with Hayek. Yet, there are these cartoonish moments when the film actually shows promise — a Looney Tunes/John Wick hybrid that could potentially work as a straight comedy — if it committed fully to those elements. For example, the bodyguard community has its own bizarre awards industry. At one point, Richard E. Grant dances his way on the screen to almost ruin an undercover mission.
Instead, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard quickly devolves into a hodge-podge of different concepts and tones, ranging from the James Bond-lite plans of Banderas’ Aristotle to the wasted “rogue cop” story-beats that waste Frank Grillo, Alice McMillan and Caroline Goodall in bit parts. Even the reveal of Morgan Freeman’s role — while an unexpected gag that reveals itself to be more connected to the overarching story — ends up weighed down by conflicting motivation. The script by Tom O’Connor, Brandon Murphy and Phillip Murphy is most engaged when it’s being silly and the aimless narrative is more or less replaced with an extended advertisement for the Italian Travel Board.
Directed by Patrick Hughes, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard never tries to be unique in its look. The previous film worked thanks to its star power, primarily pitting Reynolds and Jackson against the world as its main source of comedy. When those comedic, inter-character dynamics pop up in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, the film is inherently fun. When the film takes it to another level, the film is actually enjoyable and funny as a broad comedy about assassins, but the rest of the film plays as a series of action-movie cliches that aren’t worth the sum of its parts.
Directed by Patrick Hughes, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, Caroline Goodall, Rebecca Front, Gabriella Wright, Alice McMillan, Kristofer Kamiyasu, Tom Hopper, Blake Ritson and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives in theaters June 16.