Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

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The bodyguard Michael Bryce continues his friendship with assassin Darius Kincaid as they try to save Darius's wife Sonia.

The world's most lethal odd couple - bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) - are back on another life-threatening mission.

Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius's even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek).

As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio gets in over their heads in a global plot and soon finds that they are all that stands between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas).

Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as... well, you'll have to see.

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
Strong violence and coarse language
Release Date: June 24, 2021
Rating: MA15
Runtime: 116 mins

Actors: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Tom Hooper, Frank Grillo

Official Trailer - Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

Review: Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

SALMA Hayek's potty-mouthed , trigger-happy con woman, Sonia Kincaid, gets more screen time in this pedal-to-the-metal sequel.

Which is just as well, since Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson's material feels somewhat recycled, and Antonio Banderas and Morgan Freeman struggle to elevate their characters above mere plot devices.

Hayek fully commits herself to the ultra-violent Latina role. Sonia's fi recracker energy lights up this odd-trio comedy. Reynolds and Jackson support her with their now-familiar schtick.

The role of disgraced bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) fits cinemas favourite pain-in-the-neck like a pair of resort slippers, which he momentarily gets to slide into.

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard takes up some time after the original fi lm left off.

Having failed to regain his AAA rating despite his heroic actions at The Hague, Bryce is suffering from some kind of posttraumatic stress disorder, which centres around his nemesis Darius Kincaid (Jackson).

Bryce's psychologist prescribes an extended sabbatical on the picturesque island of Capri.

He has just laid himself out on one of the resort's poolside deckchairs when Sonia announces herself in a hail of bullets, a mob of gangsters in hot pursuit.

Darius, Sonia's hitman husband, has been kidnapped during their Italian honeymoon. She needs Bryce's help to liberate him.

Meanwhile, in another part of the country, a rogue Interpol agent by the name of Bobby O'Neill (an at-ease Frank Grillo) has uncovered a dastardly plot to bring Europe to its knees.

When his snitch is killed during Sonia's bloody, high-body-count rescue operation, O'Neill rashly enlists the trio's help in bringing down a well-organised crime ring.

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard takes us on a break-neck , explosionfi lled car chase from the centre of London, through the cobbled streets of Portofi no, and out into the Tuscan countryside.

At the wheel are a troublesome trio who can't f*cking die, to paraphrase Sonia.

Bryce has more lives than an entire clowder of cats. At various points, he's run over by cars, trucks and speedboats. He also cannonballs through a windscreen, takes a shotgun hit to the chest and even survives a sea burial.

Sonia and Darius's indestructibility is less visceral, but their entertaining antics are just as impressive.

The three-way showdown in the climactic scene stretches this joke to breaking point.

Clocking in at almost two hours long, Australian director Patrick Hughes' sequel has a few flat spots. The humour is scattergun, and the violence is cartoon-like and unabashedly gratuitous.

But the characters are charismatic enough to carry The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard over the finish line. The stunts are entertaining and the high production values ensure it plays well on the big screen.

Review by VICKY ROACH from the June 20, 2021 issue of The Herald Sun Digital Edition. To subscribe, visit https://www.heraldsun.com.au/.