''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' is a 2017 American
action comedy film
Action comedy is a genre that combines aspects of action and comedy. The genre is most prevalent in film with action comedy films, though several TV series fit this genre.
Film
The action comedy film is a film genre that combines aspects of actio ...
directed by
Patrick Hughes and starring
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion.
He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...
,
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...
,
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Fi ...
, and
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
. The film follows a bodyguard (Reynolds) who must protect a convicted hitman (Jackson), who is on his way to testify at the
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...
against a sadistic, Eastern European dictator (Oldman).
''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' was released in the United States on August 18, 2017, and grossed $183 million worldwide. Critics praised the performances and chemistry of Reynolds and Jackson and the action sequences, but criticized the clichéd plot and execution. A sequel, ''
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
''Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard'' is a 2021 American action comedy film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O'Connor and Brandon and Phillip Murphy. The film is a sequel to the 2017 film ''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' and features Ryan Reynold ...
'', was released on June 16, 2021.
Plot
Michael Bryce lives a luxurious life as a successful
UK-based private
bodyguard
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, w ...
, until his client Takashi Kurosawa, an international arms dealer, is assassinated on his watch. Two years later, the fallen-from-grace Bryce survives by protecting drug-addicted corporate executives in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Meanwhile, Vladislav Dukhovich, the vicious
dictator
A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...
of
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...
, is on trial for crimes against humanity at the
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...
. Unable to secure solid evidence or testimony against him, the prosecution's last hope is incarcerated
hitman
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
Darius Kincaid, who agrees to testify against Dukhovich in exchange for the release of his wife Sonia from prison. Led by
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
Agent Roussel, an armed convoy escorts Kincaid from the UK to the International Criminal Court in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
.
With the aid of treacherous Interpol Assistant Director Jean Foucher, Dukhovich's men successfully ambush the convoy as it passes through
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
and kill most of the security team. Kincaid eliminates the attackers and Agent Roussel, the sole survivor, takes Kincaid to an Interpol safehouse in the city. Realizing that the agency cannot be entrusted with the mission due to a possible leak, she enlists the help of Bryce, her ex, to escort and protect Kincaid on the way to The Hague.
They hitchhike to a ferry going to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, where Sonia is being held. Kincaid reveals to Bryce that he was the one who killed Kurosawa, having spotted him by chance while on another job, causing an outraged Bryce to abandon him. As Bryce evaluates his past mistakes at a beer stand, Dukhovich's men attack Kincaid. Bryce regains his composure and helps Kincaid escape, but is captured in the process. As he's being tortured, Kincaid arrives and rescues Bryce.
After reconciling their differences, they arrive at The Hague with seconds to spare. Kincaid testifies that Dukhovich hired him to assassinate a political rival, but Kincaid witnessed Dukhovich carry out a mass execution, and uploaded the massacre photos to a secret
FTP site that he provides to the court.
Dukhovich admits guilt, then resorts to his backup plan: bombing the court to escape. Foucher leaves the court before the bombing and Roussel deduces he was the traitor. In the confusion after the bomb goes off, Dukhovich seizes a gun to kill Kincaid, but Bryce dives in front of the bullet, taking the hit. Injured, he tells Kincaid to stop Dukhovich.
Foucher and Roussel struggle until Bryce shoots him to save Roussel. Kincaid pursues Dukhovich to the roof where he attempts to escape by helicopter. Kincaid destroys the helicopter and angrily kicks Dukhovich off the roof to his death for shooting Bryce.
Kincaid is rearrested for his various crimes but breaks out of
Belmarsh Prison
His Majesty's Prison Belmarsh is a Category-A men's prison in Thamesmead, south-east London, England. The prison is used in high-profile cases, particularly those concerning national security. Within the prison grounds there is a unique unit ca ...
several months later so he and Sonia can celebrate their anniversary in the bar in
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
where they first met. As a wild bar brawl breaks out around them, they kiss.
Cast
*
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion.
He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...
as Michael Bryce, a disgraced triple A rated
executive protection
Executive protection (EP), also known as close protection, refers to security and risk mitigation measures taken to ensure the safety of VIPs or other individuals who may be exposed to elevated personal risk because of their employment, high-profi ...
agent and
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
officer.
*
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...
as Darius Kincaid, one of the world's most infamous hitmen and Sonia's husband.
*
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Fi ...
as Vladislav Dukhovich, the dictatorial
President of Belarus
The president of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Прэзідэнт Рэспублікі Беларусь; russian: Президент Республики Беларусь) is the head of state and head of government of Belarus. The office was cre ...
.
*
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...
as Sonia Kincaid, Darius's wife.
*
Élodie Yung
Élodie Yung (; born 22 February 1981) is a French actress. She is best known for her role as Elektra Natchios in the 2016 second season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Netflix series '' Daredevil'' and the 2017 Netflix miniseries '' The De ...
as Amelia Roussel, an
Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
agent and Michael's ex-girlfriend.
*
Joaquim de Almeida
Joaquim António Portugal Baptista de Almeida (born 15 March 1957) is a Portuguese actor.
Almeida began his acting career in theatre during the 1980s, he started his film career appearing on the 1982 action film '' The Soldier'', and later ach ...
as Jean Foucher, the French Assistant Director of Interpol.
*
Barry Atsma
Barry Atsma (born 29 December 1972) is a Dutch people, Dutch actor. He became known in the Netherlands through his role in the TV series ''Rozengeur & Wodka Lime'' (2001–2005) and the movie ''The Black Book''. He is a recipient of both a Golde ...
as Moreno, the lead prosecution lawyer.
* Tine Joustra as Renata Casoria, Director of Interpol.
*
Kirsty Mitchell
Kirsty Loretta Mitchell (born 28 June 1974) is an award nominated Scottish actress, She is the Scottish voice of Mòrag Ladair in ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2''. In 2019, she began appearing in the BBC medical drama series ''Casualty'' as ACP Faith ...
as Rebecca Harr, Kincaid's lawyer.
*
Sam Hazeldine
Samuel Hazeldine (born 29 March 1972) is an English actor working in film, television and theatre.
He is the son of actors James Hazeldine. and Rebecca Moore.
Early life
Sam Hazeldine was born in Hammersmith, London. He is the son of actors Ja ...
as Garrett, a
National Crime Agency
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is a national law enforcement agency in the United Kingdom. It is the UK's lead agency against organised crime; human, weapon and drug trafficking; cybercrime; and economic crime that goes across regional and in ...
officer.
*
Mikhail Gorevoy
Mikhail Vitalievich Gorevoy (russian: Михаи́л Вита́льевич Горево́й; born 19 May 1965) is a Russian actor, occasionally credited as Michael Gor in English language productions, best known internationally for playing Vlad ...
as Litvin, Dukhovich's lead defense lawyer.
*
Richard E. Grant as Mr. Seifert, a drug addicted corporate executive and client of Bryce.
*
Yuri Kolokolnikov
Yuri Andreyevich Kolokolnikov (russian: Юрий Андреевич Колокольников; born 15 December 1980) is a Russian stage and film actor. In the West, Kolokolnikov is best known for his performance as Styr in the television series ...
as Ivan, Dukhovich's lead mercenary.
*
Georgie Glen
Georgie Glen is a Scottish actress, known for her film and television work in both dramatic and comedic roles. Among her most popular performances are the running characters of Miss Higgins in the BBC One period drama series ''Call The Midwife ...
as ICC Lead Judge
*
Patrick Hughes as Interpol Agent
Production
In May 2011,
David Ellison
David Ellison (born January 9, 1983) is an American film producer and actor best known as the founder and CEO of Skydance Media.
Early life and education
David Ellison was born in Santa Clara County, California. He is the son of billionaire Ora ...
's
Skydance Media
Skydance Media, LLC (formerly known as Skydance Productions) is an American production company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company entered a five-year partnership to co-produce and co-finance films with ...
acquired the action script ''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' written by Tom O'Connor. The script was among the top 2011
Black List
Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, t ...
of unproduced screenplays. While originally intended as a drama, the script underwent a "frantic" two-week rewrite to be remade into a comedy several weeks prior to filming.
On November 4, 2015, Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman were cast in the film, which
Jeff Wadlow
Jeffrey Clark Wadlow (born March 2, 1976) is an American writer, producer and director. Feature films that he has both written and directed include ''Truth or Dare'', '' Kick-Ass 2'' and ''Fantasy Island''.
Life and career
Wadlow was born in ...
would direct for
Millennium Films
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
. Producers would be Mark Gill, John Thompson, Matt O'Toole and Les Weldon.
On February 23, 2016, Élodie Yung and Salma Hayek were cast in the film, which
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
would distribute in the United States.
On March 9, 2016, it was reported that Wadlow had exited the film and
Patrick Hughes signed on to direct the film.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on April 2, 2016 in London, Amsterdam and
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
.
Originally, just one scene was to be shot in Amsterdam but when Hughes visited the location and saw its surroundings he decided to move some "London scenes" to the old inner city of Amsterdam. The Coventry-based scenes were also filmed in London.
Reception
Box office
''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' grossed $75.5 million in the United States and Canada and $107.9 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $176.6 million, against a production budget between $30–69 million.
[
In North America, ''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' was released on August 18, 2017 and was projected to gross $17–20 million from 3,350 theaters in its opening weekend.] The film made $8 million on its first day (including $1.65 million from Thursday night previews). It went on to open to $21.4 million, topping the box office. In its second weekend the film made $10.3 million, finishing first at the box office in what was the combined lowest-grossing weekend since September 2001. The film made another $10.5 million the following weekend, becoming the third film of 2017 to finish atop the box office for three straight weeks. However, while it made an estimated $12.9 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend, was again involved in a historically low weekend, as it was the worst combined holiday weekend since 1998.
Critical response
On review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 43% based on 226 reviews, and an average rating
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
of 5.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' coasts on Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds' banter—but doesn't get enough mileage to power past an overabundance of action-comedy clichés." On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score 47 out of 100, based on 42 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak
PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios.
History
The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film a ...
reported filmgoers gave it an 80% overall positive score and a 57% "definite recommend".[
Peter Debruge of '']Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave the film a positive review and called it a pleasant late-summer surprise, writing: "''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' is about as close to a live-action cartoon as you're likely to get this year... That's not a style that works much of the time... but in the hands of ''The Expendables 3
''The Expendables 3'' is a 2014 American action film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt and Sylvester Stallone. It is the third installment in ''The Expendables'' franchise and the sequel to '' Th ...
'' helmer Patrick Hughes—and more importantly, owing to the chemistry of stars Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds—it makes for a delightfully ridiculous screwball action comedy." Writing for ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', Peter Travers
Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
praised the cast, giving it 2.5 stars out of 4 and saying, "Reynolds and Jackson make this summer lunacy go down easy with their banter and bullet-dodging skills. They're the only reason that ''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' doesn't completely sink into the generic quicksand from whence it came."
Sequel
In May 2018, it was announced that Reynolds, Jackson and Hayek were in early talks to reprise their roles for a sequel, titled ''Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
''Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard'' is a 2021 American action comedy film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O'Connor and Brandon and Phillip Murphy. The film is a sequel to the 2017 film ''The Hitman's Bodyguard'' and features Ryan Reynold ...
'', with plans to begin filming later in the year. Production on the sequel began in March 2019, with Frank Grillo
Frank Anthony Grillo (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor and martial artist. He played Brock Rumlow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (2014), '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016), '' Avengers: ...
, Antonio Banderas, and Morgan Freeman joining the cast of the film.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitman's Bodyguard, The
2017 films
2017 action thriller films
2017 action comedy films
American action comedy films
American action thriller films
American buddy action films
American buddy comedy films
American chase films
American comedy thriller films
2010s buddy comedy films
American courtroom films
2010s English-language films
Films about bodyguards
Films about contract killing
Films about Interpol
Films directed by Patrick Hughes
Films scored by Atli Örvarsson
Films set in Amsterdam
Films set in London
Films set in The Hague
Films shot in Amsterdam
Films shot in Bulgaria
Films shot in London
Lionsgate films
2017 comedy films
2010s American films