Synopsis: The world’s deadliest assassin and New York’s biggest screw-up are mistaken for each other at an Airbnb rental
Patrick Hughes has the best comedic timing when it comes to action films. Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard and now The Man From Toronto are the best examples of a good action-comedy. Now the question is, is this the best action-comedy, and I got to say it does not live up to the mantle. There are still a good amount of issues with this film that was annoyingly apparent. The film feels rushed and there are moments you can tell that some of the action sequences were not polished enough, but then again that could have been done on purpose for the comedic effect because those were the moments I laughed the most.
There are a good amount of the action moments that look a bit off. A good example of this was the moment when Kevin Hart ran into the tree; or when “The Man from Toronto” ran into “The Man from Tokyo” with his car. This goes to another problem with the film; the names are very unoriginal. It’s like Robbie Fox and Chris Bremner got lazy and said “fuck the names”; or they thought it would be funny, but it ended up feeling like a cliché. Back to what I was saying; it was like those action moments have been speed ramped. Now was that done for comedic effect? Possible; because it was funny, but at the same time it stood out like a sore thumb.
I’m going to be honest; Kevin Hart is a great comedian, but there is something about him when it comes to acting that just bothers me. Is it because he does the same roles over and over? Possibly. Can it be because he has no nuances to his acting ability? That can also be it. Regardless, I do believe he could be a great actor if he just took the time to take some acting lessons to help better himself. These were the same issues I had with Dave Bautista, he was just a one-note actor, but after Guardians of the Galaxy I could tell he put in a good amount of work to add depth to his performance. Kevin Hart isn’t on that level yet, but he could be. In the meantime, Woody Harrelson does carry this film by a huge margin.
Woody Harrelson blows his role as “The Man from Toronto” out of the water. Harrelson is a great example of giving nuance to a character, even though it was a bit cheesy. The Man from Toronto was a tough character, he also had this hint of softness to him that he does not let out until near the end of the movie. He creates this great tension and humor between him and Hart that helps this movie be that much more entertaining. I have come to the conclusion that no matter what Woody Harrelson does, no matter how ridiculous, he will most likely be the standout.
For the most part this was one hell of a movie comedy wise; and the action was more than decent. Especially that one-take scene which was the best part of the movie. It got me a little interested to see what Patrick Hughes is going to do with The Raid remake, even though I think it’s shouldn’t be remade. If you like Patrick Hughes style, this will be the movie for you. If not, I suggest you skip it because the issue will stick out making it less enjoyable.
The Man From Toronto is currently available to stream on Netflix.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urqy8DrcGBs]
