A Quiet Place Part II Review: Slick Monster Sequel Delivers High-Tension Thrills

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (M18)

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L Jackson, Salma Hayek

Directed by Patrick HughesThe talents of Ryan Reynolds (as the bodyguard), Samuel L Jackson (the hitman) and Salma Hayek (the hitman’s wife) are criminally squandered in this unnecessary sequel which feels made-up as it goes along. (Frank Grillo’s Interpol agent shows up, talks tough and disappears for a while.) Poor Antonio Banderas, looking like a Liberace impersonator on his day off, is the third-rate Bond megalomaniac giving the trio hell as they shoot and swear their way across Europe. Some folks might find this overplotted, overcrowded jumble entertaining, but for others, it is the kind of cynical cash-in that’ll make them hate movies. (2/5 stars)

Photo: Golden Village

Hand Rolled Cigarette (NC16)

Starring Lam Ka-Tung, Bipin Karma, Tai Bo, Chiu Siu Ho

Directed by Chan Kin-LongPart social drama, part gritty crime story, the Hongkong-set, Golden Horse Award-nominated Hand Rolled Cigarette stars Lam Ka-Tung as a former British army soldier harbouring a South Asian man (newcomer Bipin Karma) who’s stolen a stash of dope from the triad. The two do not get along at first but they eventually warm up to each other and start sharing their hopes and regrets (it’s a pity their bittersweet exchange isn’t in Cantonese). Decent turns, though the coincidence-laded plotting — what are the odds that they pissed off the same gang boss? — scuppers the narrative. The climactic fight sequence is unforgettable. (3/5 stars)

Photo: Clover Films