The Hitman's Bodyguard
2017 · Directed by Patrick Hughes
Original language: English
- action
- comedy
- crime
- thriller
The story
The world’s top bodyguard gets a new client, a hitman who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated action-comedy in the sun-warmed mould of a summer studio caper: sunlit European streets, glossy Mediterranean harbours, sleek hotel lobbies and rain-slicked motorway chases shot in crisp digital detail with a polished, commercial sheen. Camera work is kinetic and handheld in the fights, with quick cuts, whip pans and a lot of stylised slow-motion, while the quieter moments of banter sit in bright, evenly lit rooms. The score is bouncy and pop-driven, with heavy use of familiar songs to punctuate car chases and bickering. The tone is loud, breezy and irreverent, a buddy-pairing of two prickly men who trade insults nonstop, with a slow thaw in their relationship underneath the gunfire. Violence is frequent and cartoonishly staged, with plenty of shooting, punches and explosions, plus a lot of profanity and crude jokes; it is bloody in places but more slapstick than grim, and there is little sexual content. Pacing is relentless, one set piece after another, so it suits a loud, lighthearted night in or a long flight when you want something mindless and funny. Best for viewers who want energetic action with a strong comic streak and no emotional heaviness.
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