STACK #155 Sep 2017

REVIEWS CINEMA

THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD

ALSO SCREENING IN SEPTEMBER

RELEASED: Aug 31 DIRECTOR: Patrick Hughes CAST: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman RATING: MA15+

What doesn't kill you makes you madder.

Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) is a special kind of bodyguard. His 'Triple-A rating' means he's looking after high profile clients, but he never thought he'd one day be responsible for protecting a hitman. However, when his ex-girlfriend Amelia (Elodie Yung), who's now working at Interpol, calls him in to help with a job, that's exactly what happens. The corrupt Belarusian President Vladislav Dukhovich (Gary Oldman) is being tried in court for treason, and the only one with any sound

evidence against him is renowned assassin Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson). Kincaid has only agreed to help with the case in the first place, as it will free his particularly vocal wife (Salma Hayek) from prison. Interpol's Amelia entrusts his safe transport to the court with Bryce, creating the perfect mismatch – especially considering their past... The Hitman's Bodyguard is essentially a buddy cop film with a twist, with Reynolds' and Jackson's characters attempting to stay one step ahead of the Belarusian crims on their tail. Jackson is basically playing the same character he plays in all of his films; potty- mouthed, righteous antagonist, but this time he's married to his female counterpart in Salma Hayek. Gary Oldman is an undeniable standout as the dictator Dukhovich, and is almost unrecognisable at times. Reynolds, too, has developed quite the affinity for comedic badass roles, and is right at home in this enjoyable – albeit forgettable – action- comedy. Alesha Kolbe 10 per cent of the books and consigning its gunslinger hero Roland Deschain (a well cast Idris Elba) to a supporting role, the movie isn't King's The Dark Tower , it's bad fan fiction – a disjointed and mediocre sci-fi fantasy adventure that will quickly be forgotten. The focus is on Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor), a bland kid with the Shining who is targeted by the Man in Black (a surprisingly good Matthew McConaughey), a sorcerer abducting children whose psychic powers can destroy the Dark Tower, which is the nexus of all universes. If it falls, demons will overrun every reality. After stepping through a cosmic portal into the post-apocalyptic Mid-World, Jake meets Roland, who is hunting the Man in Black to avenge the death of his father, and the pair team up to prevent the Tower's fall. All the big set-pieces are over before they've barely begun, leaving a sense that a longer film was gutted in the editing room. Equally gutted will be those who have followed Roland's quest for the Dark Tower across eight books and thousands of words. Scott Hocking

The original Kingsman: The Secret Service certainly delivered, and the sequel looks set to, ahem, follow suit. With the Kingsman premises in a state of unforeseen disrepair and the world needing saving once more, the secret British spy organisation turns to its American brethren, The Statesman, who work under cover as whiskey distillers. Meet agents Tequila (Channing Tatum), Champagne (Jeff Bridges), and Ginger Ale (Halle Berry) on Sept 21 . KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

THE DARK TOWER

AMERICAN ASSASSIN

After losing his girlfriend in a terrorist attack, Dylan O'Brien is recruited by the CIA and trained (by Michael Keaton) in counterterrorism. His mission? Stop a mysterious operative who's stirring up tensions in the Middle East. Sept 14 .

RELEASED: Aug 17 DIRECTOR: Nikolaj Arcel CAST: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor RATING: M

After ten years in development, Stephen King's epic genre-blending saga has finally made it to the screen – all 95 minutes of it. And as far as faithful King adaptations go, The Dark Tower is right up there with The Lawnmower Man . A wonderfully wild and weird fusion of spaghetti western, Arthurian legend, dark fantasy and post-apocalyptic sci-fi, The Dark Tower was never going to be easy to adapt, much less compress into something coherent for a mainstream audience – as the film's four screenwriters obviously discovered. Using about Stephen King's magnum opus falls.

Married couple Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem's domestic life becomes a nightmare when they take in a pair of mysterious lodgers. This new thriller from Darren Aronofsky opens Sept 14 . MOTHER!

Medical students Ellen Page, James Norton and Diego Luna dabble in near-death experiences and pay a spooky price in this slick reboot-cum-sequel to the 1990 thriller. Sept 28 is a good day to die. FLATLINERS

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