Sequels are a strange thing - we have some that make sense and build on the world; Marvel tends to come to mind as a studio that does this well. My favourites, however, are ones that seem to be for no one, or their existence is confusing. When 'The Hitman's Bodyguard' debuted in 2017, I don't recall it making any kind of waves. A box office taking of US$176 million isn't anything to get excited about these days, but here we are 2021 - and we have the sequel I guess someone was waiting for, 'The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard'.
After being Darius Kincaid's (Samuel L. Jackson, 'Spiral: From the Book of Saw', 'Captain Marvel') bodyguard, Michael (Ryan Reynolds, 'Deadpool 2', 'Detective Pikachu') is on a sabbatical when Kincaid's wife, Sonia (Selma Hayek, 'Like a Boss', 'Sausage Party'), finds him and recruits him to find her husband. The three end up recruited by Interpol, as their 'bad guy' ways are the only chance to take down a threat that is going to take out of all Europe.
SWITCH: 'THE HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD' TRAILER 2
'The Hitman's Bodyguard' was not a film I cared for, with the one-note joke of Jackson saying "motherfucker" and Reynolds just whining. Even in 2017 this was kind of old, and while this dynamic remains completely unchanged here, Hayek is the star of the show. She is absolutely hilarious and, while what's holding everything together is extremely thin, she keeps it all moving and never misses a beat, putting her male co-stars, who are usually energic, to shame.
Outside of them, everything is as generic as it can, from the plot to the action it's just uninspired. But again unlike the first having Hayek here really helps this film in every-way.
Outside of the cast, everything is as generic as it can be; from the plot to the action, it's just uninspired. But unlike the first, having Hayek here really helps this film in every way.
Much like its predecessor, it's strange that both these films didn't come out ten years ago. They seem to fit into that era of 'RED' and 'The Expendables', but here in 2021, it doesn't offer much other than something to see because 'Fast 9' is sold out. While it has more to offer than the first instalment, that still isn't much; it's not bad, just passable. It's a movie you can tell whether you'll enjoy by looking at the poster and nothing more.