(Credit: Netflix)

It is not a new release, nor was it ever hailed as a masterpiece. But somehow, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is back in the top 10 on Netflix US. And it is dragging its sequel along for the ride. Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson’s chaotic Eurotrip has become a surprise double feature on streaming, and viewers cannot seem to get enough of the bullets, bickering, and bad decisions.

For a film that critics once dismissed as “loud and forgettable”, this resurrection says a lot. Maybe audiences are tired of prestige dramas and just want to see Reynolds crash through windows while yelling at Jackson in a bulletproof vest. Or maybe there is comfort in movies that ask nothing of you except to sit back and watch things explode.

Released in 2017, The Hitman’s Bodyguard paired two actors who thrive on being slightly unhinged. Reynolds plays Michael Bryce, a disgraced bodyguard. He is tasked with protecting Darius Kincaid (Jackson), a notorious hitman set to testify against a war criminal. What follows is a chaotic road trip across Europe, with the two exchanging gunfire and insults in equal measure.

Critics called it formulaic. Audiences, on the other hand, ate it up. It grossed over $175million worldwide and got a sequel, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, in 2021.

So why is it trending now?

Part of the reason could be Ryan Reynolds himself. With Deadpool & Wolverine marketing everywhere, fans are clearly in the mood for more of Reynolds’ signature sarcasm-meets-sincerity energy. The Hitman’s Bodyguard is not his best role by any means, but it is peak Reynolds fast-talking, perpetually annoyed, and somehow still lovable. Pair him with Jackson’s devil-may-care swagger, and you get a buddy comedy that never slows down long enough to care about plot holes.

That said, this is not a movie without flaws. The action is entertaining but often bloated. The jokes land more through delivery than clever writing. And Salma Hayek’s over-the-top appearance in the sequel feels more exhausting than funny. But that might be the whole point. These films are not trying to be good. They are trying to be loud, silly, and just entertaining enough to keep you from looking at your phone.

What makes this Netflix resurgence even more interesting is the kind of comfort it signals. Viewers seem to be seeking out the kind of easy, shoot-em-up cinema that ruled the mid-2010s. It is the kind of movie you can half-watch while scrolling or rewatch purely for a few quotable one-liners. In a way, it is junk food, but the kind you keep craving.

Streaming trends often tell us more about mood than quality. And right now, it seems Netflix viewers are leaning into chaos, chemistry, and classic Ryan Reynolds-Jackson banter. Whether it is nostalgia, curiosity, or just algorithm magic, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is having its moment again.

And honestly? It kind of earns it. Not because it is great cinema, but because sometimes, all you want is a ridiculous shootout on a speedboat while two grown men scream at each other.