The Man from Toronto

Directed by Patrick Hughes, The Man from Toronto follows Kevin Hart’s bumbling Teddy Jackson as he and an elite assassin (Woody Harrelson’s title character) are, after a wacky misunderstanding, forced to embark on a dangerous mission together. It’s a larger-than-life premise that’s employed to relatively watchable effect by Hughes, as the filmmaker, working from a screenplay by Robbie Fox and Chris Bremner, delivers a briskly-paced and thoroughly slick actioner that remains relatively watchable for the duration of its overlong running time – with the passable atmosphere perpetuated by Harrelson’s typically appealing efforts and an ongoing smattering of agreeable, entertaining set-pieces. There’s little doubt, then, that The Man from Toronto‘s far-from-stellar vibe is due mostly to its exceedingly (and often excessively) hit-and-miss narrative, as the picture, for the most part, suffers from a palpably, aggressively generic feel that’s compounded by Hart’s periodically grating turn as the less-than-sympathetic protagonist – although, to be fair, the actor is responsible for many of the movie’s biggest laughs (eg Teddy must trick several individuals into believing he’s a tough-as-nails hitman). By the time the predictably overblown climax rolls around, The Man from Toronto has cemented its place as a decent-enough yet entirely forgettable endeavor that should’ve topped out at 90 minutes.

**1/2 out of ****