The entertaining and merciless trio reunites

Ryan Reynolds is back as Michael Bryce, who’s having a hard time dealing with his triple A-bodyguard failures. After losing his ‘license’ and experiencing the same vivid nightmare, his therapist suggests time away from bodyguarding by enjoying an Italian break by the pool. His time off heals Bryce but not for long. He unwillingly becomes part of Kincaid’s ferocious wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) her rescue mission to save her ‘cucaracha’ (Samuel L. Jackson) from some baddies. Been there, done that, and once again, the bad-ass trio gets together.

This time, they take on Aristotle Papadopoulous (Antonio Banderas), who’s out for revenge on the EU by drilling a hole in their underwater safety box that contains all the computer systems. While trying to save the world and battling Papadopoulous, each trio member has to deal with personal problems. Bryce feels inferior compared to his stepfather (Morgan Freeman), a legendary bodyguard, with whom he reconnects during the mission, and Kincaid and his Sonia deal with family problems. Will they overcome their problems and save the world from the Greek supervillain, or is the world doomed this time?

Don’t take it too seriously

When reading the plot, you get that this movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, so don’t expect a brand-new and cinema-changing story. No, what you can expect from The Hitman’s Wife Bodyguard is an entertaining and enjoyable trip throughout Europe (without leaving the country). A journey you have to go on, and here’s why.

It’s such as pleasure to see Reynolds (Deadpool, The Change-Up) again as Bryce. With him, there will always be laughter and seriousness at the same time. When his on-screen action is explosive and fast, he still finds a way to put some witty and fun elements in it. It becomes even more amusing if you put him in front of Jackson. Jackson (Spider-Man: Far from Home, The Hateful Eight) his dialogue mainly contains swearwords, but he delivers his lines with such a great and captivating attitude that it becomes such a pleasure to watch him. The female power and temperament in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard come from Hayek (Frida, The Roads Not Taken). Ok, yes, it might not be the most in-depth role she has ever had, but it’s still a thrill to watch.

When watching The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, it becomes clear that screenwriters Tom O’Connor (Fire with Fire, The Courier), Phillip Murphy and Brandon Murphy certainly didn’t mind the lack of depth or credibility of the characters. Sadly, this has a negative impact on the new characters. Banderas (Pain and Glory, Life Itself) can’t convince us in the slightest, mostly because of his so-called Greek accent, as it sounds more like his Spanish one. Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Seven) only has a handful of scenes, of which none are very memorable. There’s nothing wrong with his performance, but it doesn’t contribute a lot to this movie.

You might not get the most exciting and innovative storyline, but what you will get is tons of European locations and more than enough car chase scenes, guns going off and violence and if that’s what you’re up for, then cinematographer Terry Stacey (The Angel, Den of Thieves) absolutely shot the perfect scenes for you.

An action-comedy that hits some marks and misses a few

Yes, if you want a movie with more personality, in-depth characters and innovative plot twist, then this movie is absolutely not a film for you. However, if you’re in the mood for a thrilling rollercoaster full of action, witty jokes and a lot of banter, then we’re pretty sure you will love, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, you mother*cker!

Rating: (3.5 / 5)

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is out now in U.K. cinemas

Also Read: Horror-ibly Funny Movie Titles

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When two worlds collide, people change

Love comes when you don’t expect it, and that’s certainly the case for graphic designer Greg (Owen Wilson). After being divorced, fired and having to deal with losing his job, he finds himself at the bar drinking away his sorrows. Luckily for him, his day becomes much more intriguing when the beguiling Isabel Clemens (Salma Hayek) steps into his world. A world that will change drastically.

Isabel lives on the streets and takes Greg around the city in a way that will open his eyes forever. It makes Greg questioning his actions, the relationships and his future. Even more so when Isabel tries to convince him that the polluted and sad world they live in is a computer simulation. At first, Greg is very sceptical, but when he starts to see the life through Isabel’s eyes, his mindset (literally) changes in ways he could have never imagined (and neither could you)…

All over the place without any direction

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a movie in which many different worlds come together. It can be captivating and gorgeous, and if you want to add romance, you can also focus on human emotions. Sadly, that’s absolutely not the case for Bliss. One of the main reasons for that is the lack of direction. While we get it that in a movie about two different worlds, you undoubtedly have to make some sudden jumps from one to another, the jumps in Bliss are just too big. At first, there’s a lack of background information but throughout the movie, you just get too much information. It creates a confusing vibe. You will probably feel as confusing as Greg is during most of the part of this film.

Sadly, that confusing feeling is the only emotion the audience will be able to connect with. While this movie involves romance, a broken father-daughter relationship, the dramas of life and human feelings, it’s just impossible to connect with the characters due to the baffling storylines. There’s just too much going on, and because of that, the human feelings don’t come out fully. While Wilson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Midnight in Paris) brings feelings such as anger, fatherly love, defeat, curiosity to the screen, Hayek (Frida, The Hummingbird Project) offers darker emotions such as hatred, despair, lost and combines it with an extremely high fighting spirit, they can’t keep the viewers engaged due to the tiresome storyline.

There’s one element that’s continuous throughout this movie, and that’s the dark cinematography of Markus Förderer (Stonewall, Finsterworld). The black and grey colours and shadow he uses to heighten the “doom and gloom” vibe of the story contribute to the movie’s bewildering feeling. There aren’t many other colours in this movie, but if Förderer uses them, he does it beautifully. Just don’t expect many of those scenes in this movie.

Not as much bliss as you hoped for

After focusing on human relationships and sci-fi in I Origins and the changing society in Another Earth, Cahill decided to combine both worlds’ best elements. It’s just a shame that, despite the intriguing premises and fitting cinematography, this movie doesn’t provide much bliss. This is because of the average performances, the repetitiveness of the storyline and the overall confusing vibe.

Bliss is available via Amazon Prime from the 5th of February

Rating: (1 / 5)

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