Off-The-Walls R-Rated Action Comedy With Two Marvel Leads Shows Out On Hulu
If you’re a Marvel super-fan, you’ve surely enjoyed numerous on-screen moments with iconic characters including Nick Fury and Deadpool, as portrayed expertly by Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds. While the pair each portray fan favorites within the franchise, their characters have yet to directly crossover with each other on the big screen. Luckily, we can glean some idea of what a Nick Fury and Deadpool interaction might look like, thanks to the bonkers action comedy The Hitman’s Bodyguard, which is currently streaming on Hulu.
Ryan Reynolds And Samuel L. Jackson In The Hitman’s Bodyguard
As you can imagine, The Hitman’s Bodyguard centers on an infamous killer for hire and his armed security guard, who is tasked with transporting him safely across international borders. Ironically, Samuel L. Jackson’s Hitman Darius Kincaid more closely resembles Deadpool than Jackson’s highly competent S.H.I.E.L.D. boss, and Reynolds’ no-nonsense bodyguard Michael Bryce has much more of a Nick Fury vibe than his spandex-clad Marvel hero. Any way you slice it, their chemistry is off the charts in the film, giving way to an exceptionally entertaining two hours.
The narrative of The Hitman’s Bodyguard kicks off with both Kincaid and his wife serving long-term prison sentences. In order to secure his freedom, the hitman agrees to testify against a known Belarusian dictator at The Hague, where the dictator is being tried for numerous counts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. When his Interpol convoy is found to be compromised by double agents, the organization resolves to hire disgraced bodyguard Michael Bryce as their last resort.
Bryce and Kincaid spend the lion’s share of The Hitman’s Bodyguard fighting off droves of Belarusian attackers as they attempt to covertly travel from an Interpol safehouse in the UK to the Netherlands. Along the way, the duo bonds and eventually becomes quite close despite their major differences. The overall film is an odd couple-style comedy set against a hail of bullets, well-coordinated stunts, and incredible action set pieces.
One Of The Better Modern Day Action Comedies
While audiences around the globe flocked to The Hitman’s Bodyguard, some critics were quite harsh on the film, maligning it as a formulaic adventure outing packed with cliches. Today, the movie touts an unflattering 43 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite this middling critical response, I’d say that The Hitman’s Bodyguard does its cliches better than just about any other action comedy in the last several decades, making it a certified classic. Clearly, audiences at large agreed with this assessment, as The Hitman’s Bodyguard managed to bring in over $176 million at the worldwide box office against an estimated production budget of $30-$70 million.
Streaming On Hulu
REVIEW SCORE
Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds obviously serve as the core players in the cast of The Hitman’s Bodyguard, though Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek also appear in excellent supporting roles. Hayek would later get her chance to take center-stage with the sequel film, 2021’s The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, though the second installment failed to bring in the same massive box office figures as the first. Even without great financial or critical success, filmmaker Tom O’Connor has expressed interest in rounding out the trilogy with a third movie.
Those interested in catching The Hitman’s Bodyguard today can stream the film on Hulu. Though it may not be for everyone, I feel that this is one of the most fun and enjoyable action comedies of the last decade.
GFR score: 3/5 stars
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