Opened: August 18, 2017

Directed by: Patrick Hughes

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek, Élodie Yung, Joaquim de Almeida, Barry Atsma, Tine Joustra, Kirsty Mitchell, Sam Hazeldine, Mikhail Gorevoy, Richard E. Grant, Yuri Kolokolnikov & Georgie Glen

With a clichéd premise and few surprises, The Hitman’s Bodyguard makes good use of Samuel L. Jackson, but that’s about all that can be said.

On trial for his crimes against humanity, Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman) benefits from lack of evidence and his one downfall will be if infamous hitman Darius Kincaid (Jackson) testifies against him. When Interpol becomes compromised, disgraced bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) is the only hope to get Darius to the stand.

The story isn’t new and follows a simple formula that can be figured out in the opening moments. Jackson and Reynolds are forced to carry the plot with Reynolds giving a one-note performance. However, the script feels so limited that extra fights and expletive-ridden conversations are added for no reason except extending the runtime.

Final say: Someone order a kill shot. ★★☆☆☆