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The Hitman’s Bodyguard.
Stifled by pointless flashbacks and detours … The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Photograph: Jack English/AP
Stifled by pointless flashbacks and detours … The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Photograph: Jack English/AP

The Hitman’s Bodyguard review – Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L Jackson sent to... Coventry?

This article is more than 6 years old

This medium-octane buddy movie has the distinction of featuring a certain West Midlands city centre, but is too slow to turn into the romp promised

This fumbled buddy movie throwback touts some only-here-for-the-money stars as compensation for leaden pacing and a futzing, bum-obsessed script. Any remaining life in its tired set-up – security operative Ryan Reynolds drags assassin Samuel L Jackson to The Hague to testify against a Belarusian war criminal (Gary Oldman, inevitably) – is soon stifled by pointless flashbacks and detours, and a suicidally phlegmy palette.

It earns the distinction of being the first shoot-’em-up to reroute its leads via Coventry city centre, but that’s the problem: only belatedly, with its medium-octane chases around Amsterdam, does this dopey endeavour become the freewheeling romp the trailers promised. For an action-comedy, its timing is lousy.

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