The Ryan Reynolds hit movie franchise is now free to stream

According to Jonathan Klotz
| Published 1 second ago

For decades, Hollywood has struggled to make Ryan Reynolds a leading man, from From Wilder and Proposal for genre fares included RIPDwith mixed results. Reynolds was recognized and his star power rose on the strength of his sarcastic public persona, but until Deadpool that his name alone could sell tickets. Hitman’s bodyguardhis first post –Deadpool the film proved that being “Ryan Reynolds” on screen was enough to attract audiences and turn the buddy action comedy Samuel L. Jackson to a surprise hit.

Hitman’s Bodyguard was a surprise hit

IN Hitman’s bodyguardReynolds reportedly plays Michael Bryce, a fast-talking, wise-cracking disgraced bodyguard who happens to act and sound a lot like Ryan Reynolds. His mission is to ensure that Darius (Jackson), a world-class assassin, gets to The Hague to testify against the wartime president of Belarus, Dukhovich (Gary Oldman). Along the way, he breaks Dario’s wife Sonia (Salma Hayek), break out of prison, go on the run across Europe and save each other’s lives multiple times. It’s a standard road trip buddy comedy plot, but the sheer charm of the two stars elevates it above a paint-by-numbers plot.

A box office total of $176 million may not sound like much compared to Deadpoolbut it was enough to make it Hitman’s bodyguard the top film for three consecutive weekends when it opened on August 18, 2017. Critical and fan reception were similar, with both groups giving it middling marks Rotten tomatoes44 percent rotten from critics and only 66 percent favorable from the public. Still, it did well enough to earn a sequel, and to this day it’s still one of the best buddy comedies of the last decade.

The bodyguard of Hitman’s wife falls into the trap of every sequel

As for the sequel, Bodyguard of Hitman’s wifeflips the script and has Sonia recruit Bryce to save Darius. As a trio, the group goes up against the manipulative billionaire he plays Antonio Banderasand Bryce’s stepdad Michael Sr., played by Morgan Freeman, gets in on the action. It’s bigger than the first movie, but not better.

Bodyguard of Hitman’s wife falls into every trap possible for a comedy sequel, from repeating the same gags to kicking back and as 22 Jump Street he pointed out brutally and did the exact same thing again. Released in June 2021, the film bombed in theaters, barely making back its $70 million budget, and to say that critics trashed the film would be an understatement, with a rotten 25 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but fans loved it and gave it a 79 percent fresh. Comedy is subjective, but there are so few Hollywood blockbuster buddy comedies being made these days that even a sub-par one is a breath of fresh air and makes for a fun date night movie.

The biggest knock against both films, and there is talk of a third, is this Ryan Reynolds stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson leans into a parody version of Samuel L. Jackson, but the thing is, audiences love that about each of them. Hitman’s bodyguard and Bodyguard of Hitman’s wife they aren’t top-notch cinematography and don’t provide a spectacular artistic vision, but they are fun and sometimes that’s all you need from a movie.

Best of all, you can stream both Hitman’s bodyguard and Bodyguard of Hitman’s wife free on Amazon Freevee.