“The killer’s bodyguard” entered the top of the most anticipated films of 2017. The point is not so much that the picture has an impressive budget and a solid cast, as a combination of comedy and action, which has not yet had enough time for the mass audience. With a budget of $ 30 million, the picture raised over 175 million, which is conditionally recognized as a success. Director Patrick Hughes managed to create an interesting, dynamic, and therefore interesting movie.
The plot is simple and represents a huge cliche, but the viewer does not notice it at all, immersed in interesting dialogues of non-standard heroes and the beauty of shooting and editing. Actors of the “Killer Bodyguard” picked up with an impressive status and reputation. The stellar team, nicknamed by critics the second version of The Expendables, however, turned out to be a good choice. The director was able to “cover up” the shortcomings in the intricacies of the plot with the charisma of the main characters. The actors and roles of the “Killer Bodyguard” are so harmoniously selected that the picture literally lives its own life.
Plot
As such, the film does not have a plot with a deep background. Viewers are confronted with the fact that events are developing “just like that,” revealing certain details along the way. First, the picture introduces the layman to the first protagonist - a bodyguard of the “AAA class” Michael Bryce. He seeks to streamline everything in his life and does not suffer any surprises. The hero’s life goes downhill when he loses a high-ranking client. In order to regain his status, he needs to deliver to The Hague a witness who is ready to testify against the eminent criminal - dictator Duhovich. Since the film is literally filled with references to the mafia, there are also Russian actors in The Killer Bodyguard.
Peppercorns are added by the fact that the witness is a killer, and not a simple one. Bryce’s client is one of the most wanted criminals in the world, who also set him up with the death of that same client. Throughout the film, Bryce fights with those who want to kill Darius Kincaid and their own desire to strangle an unbearable fellow traveler. Kincaid is the exact opposite of Bryce; he is inclined to accept life as it is and open to any uncertainty. In many ways, the comedic part of the picture is based on the confrontation of the main characters and their foundations. Actors of the “Killer Bodyguard” were able to convey the director’s idea most accurately, because of which the hassle of the characters does not seem trifling or simulated.
Critic reviews
Both the audience and the critics liked the picture, since the film, unlike Hollywood’s previous attempts to introduce the “star team” into the usual picture, was created for the average audience. Well-known actors in “The Killer Bodyguard” do not at all try to put their identities on display, but follow the chosen role, fully playing their part. Therefore, the film was to the taste of those who just wanted to go to the cinema for a session and relax.
In technical terms, the picture also does not find fault. Filming and editing are at a high level, the scenes of the battle and shootings are made “under instructions”, clearly and beautifully. The plot raises some questions, but in the end the picture does not at all follow the goal of introducing the neophyte into the intricacies of the created micro-universe or existing characters. The actors and roles in the “Killer Bodyguard” are organic, which significantly brightens up some sharp corners.
Michael Bryce
The role of a good guy and just a “smart guy” was played by
Ryan Reynolds. After Deadpool, Reynolds is characterized primarily in this role, that is, in the role of an extraordinary and unpredictable character. However, he once again showed that he was capable of more. The character is a unique collection of cliches on various "good guys" in the world of Hollywood films. Bryce is pedantic to the smallest detail, he does not like surprises, surprises and needs a constant order. Also, the character suffers from several complexes at once, which is doubly fun, given the age of the hero. In the end, the lyrical image of a knight and a good guy fades, giving way to human nature, which is not alien to mistakes. The Russian actors in “The Killer Bodyguard” are completely serious, but their western colleagues got bright and funny roles.
Darius Kincaid
In stock, Samuel L. Jackson has just a few characters who can be called if not comedic, then specific. Kincaid in his performance turned out to be practically a child, the killer is so unpredictable. Despite a somewhat "childish" behavior, the killer feels enormous responsibility for his lover, which forces him to make a deal and testify against the dictator Duhovich. Later, when the character’s backstory nevertheless appeared, it turns out that Kincaid is not as simple as Bryce initially thought. The killer turns out to be a man of honor and a reliable friend, who, in the end, turns his shoulder to a bodyguard.
Duhovich
The dictator of Yugoslavia (in the original of Belarus) performed by
Gary Oldman turned out to be colorful and “evil”. The character does not cause sympathy, even when fully revealed. The viewer craves the victory of genuine "good guys", while Duhovich, according to all the canons of the genre, remains a concentration of dislike and even hatred. The dictator turned out to be excellent. He is cruel, unprincipled and consistent. There is no rushing between good and evil, as well as false repentance and, all the more, moralizing one's own image. The villain, simply and unpretentiously, which is the merit of the actor. When the public found out that the Russian actors would still be in the killer’s bodyguard, she expected to see a native of the Russian Federation, including for the role of Duhovich, but the director’s choice was correct.
Amelia Russell
“Pure evil,” reads Bryce’s signature on the phone. The girl, despite her harsh character, is vulnerable and has tender feelings for the main character even after he accused her of his mistake. The character is secondary, but it plays an extremely important role, since it is the girlfriends of the bodyguard and killer that bind them and make them similar. The heroine was played by Elodie Jung, who brilliantly coped with the task.
Sonya Kincaid
The respectable wife of a killer, a center of criminality and threats, at least within the framework of the women's prison in Amsterdam. She is extremely sharp on the tongue, but loves her “cockroach” very much, and therefore, an idyll is almost always formed in their relationship with her spouse. The role was played by Salma Hayek, with her inherent twinkle and passion. The image came out colorful and saturated.
Russians
The names of Russian actors in the film “The killer’s bodyguard”, perhaps, were known to compatriots even before the picture was released to the public. There are two personalized characters of Russian origin in the film: lawyer Duhovich and his trusted action movie Ivan. Their roles were played by Mikhail Gorevoy and
Yuri Kolokolnikov, respectively. If the first is known for playing in a number of projects, including foreign ones, then Kolokolnikov barely made his debut in a big movie. His image in the film leaves no doubt about the seriousness of “these bad guys.” Ivan is strict, disciplined and ruthless.
The film “The killer’s bodyguard” turned out to be rich and interesting. The viewer does not need to delve into the backstories and origin of the heroes, it is enough just to lie back in a chair and get aesthetic pleasure from a simple story performed by professionals. The picture cannot be called a masterpiece, but it is not a failure.