'The Hitman's Bodyguard' Trailer: Ryan Reynolds Tries To Protect Samuel L. Jackson
Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson are going to try their hand at reviving the buddy comedy — this time with plenty of the latter's trademark expletives.
The trailer for their new movie The Hitman's Bodyguard is less a send-up of the legendary Whitney Houston/Kevin Costner Bodyguard romance (though the movie's famous theme song I Will Always Love You hilariously plays throughout the trailer) and more an attempt to recapture the magic of '80s action movie bromances à la Lethal Weapon. And with Reynolds and Jackson both cursing up a storm, it may just work.
As you'd imagine, this trailer is NSFW. At least put some headphones on.
It feels like director Patrick Hughes simply let Jackson and Reynolds loose on set and told them "have at it."
The Hitman's Bodyguard especially leans into Jackson's reputation as a profanity-spewing badass and his affinity for the word "motherf***er." In fact, Jackson has arguably built his career on how passionately he has uttered that word. Reynolds, meanwhile, has begun to develop his own reputation for a sailor mouth, playing the loose-lipped mercenary in Deadpool.
So it seems like a natural meeting of the minds in The Hitman's Bodyguard, which has Reynolds playing the straight man bodyguard to Jackson's unhinged hitman with a target on his back.
Set to the soaring soundtrack of Houston's I Will Always Love You, a wink at the movie's own ridiculous title, The Hitman's Bodyguard seems to exercise no restraint in its action or comedic scenes, at one point having Jackson pinball his way down a fire escape in an attempt to jump from a roof to a dumpster below. It's absurd and hysterical, and definitely on brand for both Jackson and Reynolds, who seem like they'll make for an unlikely but electrifying buddy-comedy duo.
See the official synopsis below:
The world's top protection agent (Ryan Reynolds) is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world's most notorious hitmen (Samuel L. Jackson). The relentless bodyguard and manipulative assassin have been on the opposite end of the bullet for years and are thrown together for a wildly outrageous 24 hours. During their raucous and hilarious adventure from England to the Hague, they encounter high-speed car chases, outlandish boat escapades and a merciless Eastern European dictator (Gary Oldman) who is out for blood. Salma Hayek joins the mayhem as Jackson's equally notorious wife.
Directed by Hughes — who is experienced in over-the-top action setpieces after The Expendables 3 — The Hitman's Bodyguard's cast is rounded out by Elodie Yung, Joaquim De Almeida, Kirsty Mitchell, and Richard E. Grant.
The Hitman's Bodyguard hits theaters on August 18, 2017.