The atomic number of zinc is thirty

Rating: Null/10 (18 April 2011)

"The Bodyguard" is bookended by two very excellent scenes.
Everything in between those scenes is primarily interesting in the way it condenses a number of very powerful fantasies. So you have the fantasy of a celebrity falling in love with a regular guy, of the chivalrous knight rescuing the princess, of being the "strong silent type" who can't help it that ladies (and their kids and sisters) fall for you, and for the ladies, you have a man dedicating his life to defending you, your nest and your kids.
The film was directed by Mick Jackson, a television director. His direction is plain, but the film channels well the tone of 1960s/1970s crime movies ("Point Blank", anything by Siegel, Peckinpah, Steve McQueen etc). Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner are our stars, he doing a monosyllabic Steve McQueen routine, she a bit abrasive in front of the camera. Their romance is underwritten.
"Bodyguard" movies were all the rage in the late 80s/early 90s, think "Terminator 2", "The Specialist", "In The Line Of Fire" etc. Why is this?
Pop culture and pop music have a lifespan of a few months if you're lucky, today's fad swiftly turning into tomorrow's joke. All this film's "hollywood", "MTV", "music" and "popstar" moments thus now look tacky, changing trends having rendered them silly. Costner's the only artifact who's survived, his character modelled after Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" and other Samurai flicks. Like McQueen often did, Costner strips his character down to the bare minimum, leaving time with nothing to take away.
7.5/10 – "The Bodyguard" made zillions at the box office, writer Lawrence Kasdan and actor/producer Kevin Costner hitting upon a script that condensed a powerful set of very archetypal fantasies. The film is worth watching for its opening and closing scenes. Plans are currently underway for a remake.