Samuel L. Jackson Is The World’s Greatest Assassin In A Hit Film Streaming For Free
The Hitman's Bodyguard starring Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds is now available for free on Tubi.
The Samuel L Jackson action comedy The Hitman’s Bodyguard is free to stream right now on Tubi. Also starring Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, and Salma Hayek, the film follows Darius Kincaid (Jackson) an imprisoned hitman who agrees to testify against Vladislav Dukhovich (Oldman), a Belarusian dictator who uses violence and fear to get his way. Michael Bryce (Reynolds), a private bodyguard, is assigned to keep him safe on his way to the International Criminal Court.
Helmed by Australian director Patrick Hughes and written by Tim O’Connor, the film received praise for the interactions between Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, which are the center of its comedy and fun. Hughes had previously directed Expendables 3 and brought his taste for action comedy with him to the production. Released in 2017, The Hitman’s Bodyguard took in a worldwide gross of $183 million and even garnered a sequel.
In the film, Samuel L Jackson’s character, Kincaid, represents the last hope the prosecution has of making a case against Dukhovich. The dictator is being tried for crimes against humanity, but prosecutors are short on solid evidence until Kincaid agrees to testify in exchange for his wife Sonia’s (Hayek) release from prison. Bryce is a disgraced private bodyguard in the UK whose client, a major international arms dealer, was assassinated two years prior, leaving him scrounging for work protecting drug-addled London executives.
Samuel L Jackson’s Kincaid is initially escorted by an armed cadre led by Interpol Agent Amelia Roussel (Élodie Yung) before their party is ambushed by Dukhovich’s agents, leaving only Kincaid and Roussel alive. She then calls upon the aid of her ex-boyfriend, Michael Bryce (Reynolds), to help her escort Kincaid safely from the UK to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. From there, the action comedy unfolds with all sorts of twists and turns.
The comedy element plays especially well for stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L Jackson, but in its original form, The Hitman’s Bodyguard was a drama. After the pair were cast, it was rewritten from O’Connor’s original version into the funnier version that was filmed when production began in 2016. The push to shift to comedy might have come from Reynolds, who didn’t believe the film would work without it.
While Samuel L Jackson has starred in his share of dramatic roles over the decades of his career, he also shines in comedic roles and blends well with Reynolds in that setting. The script was rewritten quickly—in just two weeks—and cameras rolled a few weeks later. Hughes was brought in less than a month before principal photography began after the exit of the previous director, Jeff Wadlow, whose other credits include Truth or Dare, Kickass 2, and Fantasy Island.
When the film was released in August of 2017, Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds were hailed by critics as a standout element of the buddy movie, which some called a close approximation of a live-action cartoon. Reviewers also praised director Patrick Hughes’ work, saying he helped the film hold its elements in tension and allowed his stars to shine. The box office and reviews for the film were not overwhelming, but they were enough to convince studio executives that a sequel was in order.
The announcement that Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds would return for a second film was made in May of 2018, with production beginning less than a year later in March of 2019. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard not only brought back the original film’s central duo but also centered Hayak’s character’s role and added Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, and Frank Grillo to the cast. Patrick Hughes returned to the director’s chair for the sequel, with Tom O’Connor again writing the script, along with Brandon and Phillip Murphy.
The second film was far less successful than the first, even with Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L Jackson, and Salma Hayek all reprising their roles. Pandemic-era theatrical turnout could have played a part in that, as it was released in June 2021. Ultimately taking in $70.1 million on a $70 million budget, the film was a financial failure with less than half the receipts of the original.
Still, the original film is fun and worth watching. You can enjoy Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, along with Salma Hayek and all the buddy comedy action hijinks of The Hitman’s Bodyguard, right now on Tubi.
