Studio: Lions Gate
Release Date: August 17, 2021
Rating: R
Film: 3/5
PlotThe world’s most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hit man Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) – are back. Still unlicensed, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by the volatile spouses, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas). Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as…well, you’ll have to see.
My ThoughtsFor some strange reason I enjoyed the first movie mainly due to the two stars, so I had to give this second one a try. Is it as good as the first? No. Is it overly violent and crude? Absolutely. Did I have a good time watching it? Yes. Do I feel guilty for saying that? More than you know!
The plot isn’t very deep and is mainly there to give Reynolds and Jackson as much screen time together as possible. The pair play off each other extremely well and even though I find Hayek’s character way too crude and somewhat stupid, she provides a few laughs herself. One of the funniest scenes in the movie is when Jackson finally gets to meet Reynolds’ father—we had to rewind the scene because we were laughing so hard we missed some of the dialog.
Like the first film, this was shot in 2.4K but finished in 4K and the results look marvelous in UHD. The level of detail is off the charts in both close-ups and long shots. The European locations look amazing as you can see every intricate detail in the buildings and the color palette is to die for. My only gripe is the green screen scenes stick out a little bit, but this isn’t the fault of the encode.
The Atmos track is very good, but not the best it could be. Overhead effects are all but forgotten outside of the action scenes and the LFE while bombastic, could have provided a tad more thump below 25Hz.
Video 10/10Audio 9/10 (Dolby Atmos)Special Features:• Ryan, Sam, Salma: One F’d Up Family
• Gone Soft: The New Michael Bryce
• Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard: #stuntlife
• One the Set of Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
• Gag Reel
• Theatrical Trailers
• UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy
ConclusionThis is an over-the-top action/comedy that doesn’t hide its true intentions. It will have some crude and gross-out moments (due to splattering blood) and is wildly violent, but the humor makes up for this and even my wife enjoyed the film. Even though the film runs only 95 minutes, the third act does seem to take forever, but overall, it delivers the good—especially on the A/V front. Recommended for fans of the genre.
Reference Review System:JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays) Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner
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