It’s true what Gaius Bolling of JoBlo is saying, Woody Harrelson and Jason Statham aren’t exactly comparable when it comes to action movie since Harrelson is the ‘nut up or shut up’ kind of guy while Statham is the silent type that’s all fancy punches and kicks. But when it comes to getting into a fight and getting out of one both men have their own unique way of getting the job done. The only difference is that Harrelson is able to bring the comedy along with the action since Statham usually doesn’t combine the two, keeping them separate most times apart from a few quips here and there that might need to be squeezed in. With Harrelson taking on the part that Statham walked away from in The Man from Toronto however, it’s fair to state that the movie might be a little more comical than it would have been had Jason stuck around. The reason he left feels a bit petty really since it indicates that he can’t do much of anything that doesn’t have a well-earned R rating, but of course the information we’re being given could be from one perspective and not be the entire story. So far what we know, or what we’ve been told, is that Statham walked away from the opportunity to work with Kevin Hart due to the movie being more family-friendly, while Jason wanted to earn a definitive R rating. When the studio opted not to do this since they wanted to maintain that family-friendly status, Statham walked since he hadn’t signed anything yet. Whether this will be seen as a positive or negative thing for him has yet to be determined, but it does feel as though it was the right move.
Jason Statham is not a comedian, and while Harrelson has definitely had his run-in with comedy, neither is he. The difference is that Harrelson has been adept at starring in comedic roles for years now while Jason has stuck primarily to action/dramatic roles that have him playing a very typecast individual that is a tortured but highly-skilled fighter that can punch and kick his way throughout problems. Harrelson has definitely had his share of physical roles, but he’s still remained the type that can make people laugh while he’s been aggressive, as the Zombieland movies have proven with his character Tallahassee. This could be why he’s one of the best actors to stand in for this role since he’ll not only go along with the rating that the studio wants but will be able to work along with Hart to create a memorable movie that will at least gain some attention and possibly make people eager to see what the movie is all about.
The premise is pretty easy to follow as it’s a case of mistaken identity that ends up becoming one of the main points of the movie as a screw-up, played by Hart as is kind of typical, is somehow mistaken for a hitman, which cues the point of the story and gets the whole thing rolling. Kevin Hart has definitely made a habit of starring in roles where he’s seen as kind of the misfit, the guy that’s not always necessarily doing things in a less than efficient way, but is still seen by society as a step or two down from where he should be in terms of his life and the choices he makes. In other words being the screw-up is kind of his M.O. in a lot of movies since with a lot of his characters there’s some inadequacy that he has to work through. In a way it feels as though he swings wide of the typecast mark most times, but just wide enough that he’s not playing the exact same character every time. He’s not much of an action star to be fair, but he does show up in several action movies as the comedic relief and has made it work for him in a big way. Whether it will work in this movie or not is kind of hard to say since pitting two guys that are both great at bringing the comedy to a given project could backfire, but the saving grace is that Harrelson can be entirely dramatic when he needs to be, whereas Kevin Hart can do the same, but is usually much more believable when sticking to comedy.
That being said though it could be that working with another individual that’s this good when it comes to being funny could be a huge boon that will make the movie come off as more than just another action/comedy. Seeing as how the movie is slated to release this coming November we don’t have that long of a time to wait, but up until then it will be a question of just how the chemistry of Harrelson/Hart will work.
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