The Man from Toronto
Director Patrick Hughes best known for his outstanding work on “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” returns with his latest action-comedy The Man from Toronto.
The Man from Toronto casts some of the movie industry’s most talented and beloved names such as Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, and Kaley Cuoco.
Right off the bat, The Man from Toronto played by Woody Harrelson makes a very intimidating appearance at the beginning of the film which makes you admire the wealth of talent that this man is.
Kevin Hart on the other hand plays the character of Teddy. A good supportive man, that has big dreams and is loyal to a fault however his introduction to the film as funny as it is made me realize perhaps for the first time that Kevin Hart is not an actor per se, he is a stand-up comedian through and through.
I say this not to shame him but to bring awareness to what I came to realize at the beginning of the film. Trust me, it doesn’t make the film any less funny, it gets better truth to be told.
There’s a level of sarcasm in this film that makes everything funny, from the FBI, the criminals, and most of all, between Kevin and Woody. Yet if you listen past the sarcasm you’ll find that there is a bit of truth behind some of the things said.
The Man from Toronto has to be a reference to “John Wick”, I mean the car, dressing in all black, and that mysterious apartment which is beautiful beyond words was the final touch of symbolism between the two characters.
Now let’s talk about the action, for starters, the action choreography in this film is by far some of the best I’ve seen this year, the moments in the plane looked so raw and lethal yet clean and sophisticated.
Same with the scene at the gym near the end of the film, Patrick Hughes directing skills must have been put to the test along with cinematographer Rob Hardy because they were everywhere and I enjoyed every moment. Talk about keeping the best moments for last.
There are so many questionable moments in this film that had me bursting into tears, the scene at the cabin with the lubricant, Oscar played by Rob Archer was so confused at the type of torture The man from Toronto was going to apply to the hostage.
Or how about the conditions Teddy wanted the FBI to meet before he agreed to work with them, outrageous yet relatable lol…
I have not laughed so hard in such a long time and I admire Kevin Hart’s craft to make people laugh without being too complex or mediocre. He knows how to balance his jokes with his audience which takes a lot of talent and understanding to achieve such a feat.
What makes this movie unique is that it not only focuses on one character having to deal with their issues and grow from the experience but both Teddy and The Man from Toronto had to come out and deal with their insecurities.
The chemistry between Kevin and Woody is incredibly amazing to watch the entire film, they bring out the best in one another in ways you just want to continue to see more of them together.
The villains are nothing too interesting to talk about however, The man from Miami is the biggest surprise in the film, played by Pierson Fode. He’s a villain that’s easy on the eyes to look at however has a tendency of appearing from out of nowhere which makes him comical lol…
To be blatantly honest, The Man from Toronto is an exciting action comedy to watch. Phenomenal directing from Patrick Hughes and alluring cinematography from Rob Hardy with a great cast of actors and actresses.
Let me know in the comments section below what some of your favorite moments were.
Thanks for reading…
Patrick Hughes
" I’m just obsessed with this genre because I love having a laugh and I love blowing stuff up—when you combine those two, it’s just a riot."