Honestly, if you watched the first Hitman's Bodyguard and thought, "needs more screaming and Mexican fury," then the 2021 sequel was basically a dream come true. But let's be real for a second. Most people talk about Salma Hayek Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard as just another loud action flick where things blow up and Ryan Reynolds looks stressed. That's a huge oversimplification.
What actually happened in Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard was a weird, chaotic experiment in giving a 50-something woman the kind of unhinged, "I'll kill everyone in this room" energy usually reserved for guys like Jason Statham or John Wick.
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Sonia Kincaid isn't just a sidekick here. She’s the catalyst. In the first movie, she was stuck behind bars, basically a foul-mouthed cameo. In the sequel, she's the one dragging a depressed, sabbatical-taking Michael Bryce (Reynolds) back into a world of gunfire and high-speed chases. It’s messy. It’s loud. And surprisingly, it actually changed how Hayek approached her later roles in the MCU.
Why Sonia Kincaid is More Than a Stereotype
A lot of critics—looking at you, The Independent—claimed the movie just leaned into the "fiery Latina" trope. Is she fiery? Yeah. She stabs people with broken bottles and has a vocabulary that would make a sailor blush. But Hayek actually pushed for more than that. She wanted Sonia to be "maternal but lethal."
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There's this whole subplot about her wanting to be a mother while simultaneously dodging bullets in Italy. It’s ridiculous, sure. But Salma Hayek has been vocal about how rare it is for a woman in her 50s to lead an action-comedy without being the "mom at home" or the "strict boss." She’s the wild card.
The Banderas Reunion
If you’re a fan of 90s cinema, seeing Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas back on screen together was probably the highlight. It had been decades since Desperado. Even though Banderas plays the villainous Aristotle Papadopoulos (a Greek tycoon who, hilariously, doesn't even try a Greek accent), their chemistry is still there. It’s a bit of a meta-nod to their history, and honestly, the movie needed that weight to ground the slapstick.
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The Stunts: Did Salma Really Do That?
Believe it or not, Hayek did a significant amount of her own stunt work. In various interviews, including one with BBC Radio 1, Ryan Reynolds joked that she actually punched him in the face by mistake during filming.
- The Physical Toll: She spent weeks soaking wet, jumping into oceans and rivers.
- The "Rust" Factor: Hayek mentioned that the intense physicality of this role was what actually "took the rust off" and prepared her for playing Ajak in Marvel’s Eternals.
- Improvisation: A huge chunk of the dialogue between Hayek, Jackson, and Reynolds was improvised. When you see her screaming something absolutely unhinged about "failing her dreams," there’s a good chance she just came up with it on the spot.
The Box Office Reality Check
Look, we have to talk about the numbers. The movie didn't exactly set the world on fire like the first one. It grossed about $70 million on a $70 million budget. In Hollywood math, that’s a flop. The first film made over $176 million.
So, what happened?
Release timing was a nightmare. It came out in June 2021, right when theaters were still trying to figure out if people would actually come back during the pandemic. Critics also hated it. It’s sitting at a pretty grim 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. But the audience score? That stayed much higher, around 79%. People just wanted to see Salma Hayek be crazy and Samuel L. Jackson say his favorite eleven-letter word. It delivered on that, even if the plot about a "European data grid" was totally forgettable.
How to Actually Enjoy the Movie Today
If you’re going back to watch Salma Hayek Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard now, don't look for a tight script. Look for the "trio" dynamic.
- Ignore the logic: The "Triple A" bodyguard ranking system makes zero sense. Just roll with it.
- Focus on the background: The movie was filmed in beautiful locations like Croatia and Italy (standing in for Greece).
- Watch the credits: There are some genuinely funny moments and adoption paper gags that tie the whole "found family" theme together in the weirdest way possible.
The ending of the film—where Michael Bryce accidentally signs adoption papers and becomes the legal son of Sonia and Darius Kincaid—is perhaps the most "what did I just watch?" moment in modern comedy. It’s a literal nightmare for Bryce, but a perfect encapsulation of Sonia's character. She gets what she wants, even if she has to kidnap a bodyguard to get it.
Next Steps for the Fans
If you want to see the "evolution" of this character, go watch Desperado (1995) immediately followed by Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. The contrast in how Hayek uses her physicality over 25 years is incredible. Also, check out the behind-the-scenes "The Stunts" featurette on the Blu-ray; it shows just how much work she put into the knife-fighting choreography that most people assume was just a stunt double.