The Bounty Hunter (2010 film) review

The Bounty Hunter 12A
Sexy, fun and a hell of a ride is what this romantic comedy screams out to its viewers; starring Jenifer Austen and Gerard Hunter it really does try to deliver the full package. If you want a romantic comedy with a bit of an edge then you search is over, if your looking for a typical romantic comedy well.. it's good to be surprised sometimes!

The Bounty Hunter focuses on a divorced couple who are both trying to move on with their lives a reporter- Nicole (Jennifer Austen) and an ex police officer, now a bounty hunter (Gerard Butler). The start of the film is a time loop of a couple of minutes into the film with the story already in flow, the two main characters are in a car, we then learn the dislike between the characters within a few seconds before the film takes us back in time. This builds suspense and is what i thought was a little different (not entirely fresh, but a little different). The viewers a let down a little with the long winded explanation of the time before the time loop it has no real direction, we see the main protagonist chasing a man and are left with the question "What on earth is he doing", to some this might build suspense but to others it may creates confusion. however once the film gets into the full plot the excitement arises again.

Whoops! Looks like their relationship isn't the only thing in turmoil 

We learn that Milo is delighted to find that his work as a bounty hunter has allowed him to hunt down his ex wife for her hearing (consequences of assaulting a police officer), Nicole is angered by the news as she is trying to uncover the case of a suicide which she is convinced to think as a murder, this is what differentiates this film from your typical romantic comedy- there's actually a plot! The film then entertains us with two people who refuse to understand each other working together to solve a crime, along with this adventure comes a heartfelt comedy with marriage life explored. Plus Gerard gets to take his top off so there's a treat for those who obsess over "the six pack". 

Estranged couple forced to work together

The jokes and remarks are have touches of humor but lack the hot sizzling kebab that I'm after. The film, as great as it is, also lost the opportunity to go into more depth of issues to do with marriage life: what caused the divorce, why is there so much anxiety between the former couple, isn't it possible to communicate without having to trade insults after a divorce? Much more depth in the language and script could have been used to improve the film. Even if the writers were aiming to sway more to the action side of the plot they could have made it clearer.

Despite its errors The Bounty Hunter delivers a good performance with excellent chemistry between Austen and Butler. 7/10