By Troy Ribeiro

Film: 'The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard' (Streaming on Lionsgate Play)

Duration: 112 minutes

Director: Patrick Hughes

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, Richard E. Grant, Frank Grillo, Caroline Goodall, Rebecca Front

IANS Rating: ***

This innocuously fun film that is moderately violent, vulgar, and amusing is a sequel to 2017's 'The Hitman's Bodyguard'. It is not a great film, but surely, it is a good entertainer.

The film begins with Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) still brooding over losing his triple-A status from the international bodyguard review board. Michael, who is undergoing therapy, takes his therapist's advice seriously of putting his guns away for a while and taking a restful sabbatical.

All out of the blue, while he is holidaying at a resort in Italy, Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek), the eponymous wife, who is desperate to have a baby, lands at the resort with guns literally blazing with a plan to kidnap Michael so that he could assist her with rescuing her husband, "The Hitman" Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) who has been kidnapped.

Despite being successful in her mission of kidnapping Michael and reuniting with her husband, her baby-making plan is hijacked by Interpol Agent Bobby O'Neill (Frank Grillo). Bobby forces the trio to track down a device possessed by Aristotle (Antonio Banderas), a criminal who intends to destroy Europe as revenge for sanctions on the Greek economy.

This film is Salma Hayek's canvas, and it is only her character that has any depth or maximum screen time. She is loud and boisterous and plays her character to perfection, her character balances on a double-edged sword. She is brash, yet considerate and loving. At one point, she is unapologetic as a con artiste or about her sexuality but yet passionate about starting a family despite all odds.

She does not hesitate to prioritise her desires, a trait that irritates Bryce yet is generous and giving. She cares about Bryce but shows it in her peculiar way. Every time she is on screen, kicking butt, cussing, or abusing, it leaves you wanting more.

Apart from Sonia, the other female characters that pop up include a mercenary, an Interpol agent, the therapist, and a translator, but rarely do they share the same screen space and they are just all obligatory.

Ryan Reynolds is a great actor with fabulous comic timings, and he keeps you in splits with this stupid dumb-wit act every time. The extra added twist of having Morgan Freeman as Bryce's dad adds a solid punch to the father-son bond they share.

Samuel L. Jackson has a charm of his own, and he shares odd but fabulous chemistry with Salma Hayek.

Antonio Banderas is wasted in a minuscule role as Aristotle Papdopolous.

Mounted with brilliant production values and shot across various cities of the world the film boasts of well-choreographed action sequences that include vehicular stunts and car chases, breathless fisticuffs, and fights on yachts, but unfortunately, they all appear like oft-seen generic action sequences.