Despite holding one of the worst sequel titles ever created, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard was always going to be a film I'd be interested in watching. The original flick was a straightforward, dumb action-comedy movie with a bunch of Hollywood stars attached to the project, which was always going to be financially successful. Fan-favorite comedic actors like Ryan Reynolds (Pokémon Detective Pikachu) and Samuel L. Jackson (Spiral) bantering for over an hour-and-a-half? Of course, viewers will run to the theaters...
This sequel follows pretty much the same formulas of its predecessor. Every remotely emotional moment or storyline is replaced by a random joke or nonsensical action sequence. A vast majority of the dialogues feel like stand-up comedy or improv from the actors. Even the villain portrayed by Antonio Banderas (Dolittle) checks all the caricatural boxes of the "bad guy". From the writing to Patrick Hughes' (The Hitman's Bodyguard) direction, it all feels too familiar and unexciting.
The bloated runtime, the overwhelming amount of jokes, and some rough language might be a tad too much for some audience members, but the phenomenal chemistry between every cast element is enough to compensate for an otherwise forgettable flick. Hopefully, a more than certain third film won't add more apostrophes to its title...
Rating: C