'6 Underground' and 'Deadpool' prove Ryan Reynolds is among most bankable action-comedy stars in recent times
'6 Undergound's second trailer opens with a peaceful, vibrant looking Italy. There's a bit of gushing about the place until a light green, gorgeous Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio tears through the narrow streets of Florence. Ryan Reynolds pulls down the windows and makes a remark about blending in the countryside with a car that sticks out like a sore thumb. What follows is some massive mayhem that also sees him yell in sheer terror and innocently apologize later on: 'I'm sorry for yelling".
This isn't the first time we have seen Reynolds pull off a comic line with some absolute elan. Funny, witty and downright humorous are characteristics that he brings to the table not just on his social media, but also in his flicks. Add objectively speaking, gorgeous, ripped, charming, smart, ridiculously likable and super-talented to the list and you have a complete package of an actor and an absolutely bankable one at that.
Before the superhero and action flick, there were enough comedies that he acted in that swung his acting career back and forth. 'Van Wilder', 'The Change-Up', 'Definitely, Maybe', 'The Proposal' were enough to thrust him in the spotlight. Plus a bunch of modest thrillers and a speck of horror, Reynolds was slowly climbing up the ladder.
If anything catapulted him to a whole new level of success, it was 'Deadpool' that saw him as a merc with a mouth. And an incredibly foul-mouthed one at that. 'Deadpool' and 'Deadpool 2' firmly established the fact that an actor could adapt, evolve and push himself to the limit — and Reynolds does that seamlessly. This wasn't the first time. He has been a comic-relief smartass all the time, except it wasn't so well-accepted in 'Blade'. It was better appreciated and accepted in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' when he takes a dig at his fellow mercs.
His screen time as Deadpool’s alter ego, Wade Wilson, is reduced to a couple of scenes meant to convey that he loves his swords. “Great,” he deadpans. "Stuck in an elevator with five guys on a high-protein diet." Then he kills a bunch of people and disappears from the movie for an hour. You miss him, and his sense of humor. Immediately. 'Detective Pikachu' was loved and adored. Not just because it was "finally a Pokemon movie", but also because of Reynold's classic and impeccable dialogue delivery and comic timing.
'The Hitman's Bodyguard gave had Salma Hayek and Samuel L Jackson as perfect partners and was a flick worth watching. It was not just thigh-slapping comedy, but also some high-octane action. Such was the success that a sequel is currently in the works. Reynolds has been reigning supreme in the comedy plus action department for four years straight alongside the MCU heavyweights and can rightfully be called a bankable action-comedy star.
'6 Underground' sees him as a man leading a team, but the fun element is out there for the world to see. It's big, loud, fast, vibrant, cheeky, and all of that again (Well, you get the hint). Reynolds, in an interview with Empire, explains what it is: "This is certainly an old-school Michael Bay spectacle film – it’s just action upon action upon more action. I was excited to work with Michael on more of an old-school version of a Michael Bay movie: no giant robots chasing anybody, no Transformers or Decepticons. But it’s still very f*****g crazy. We joked a lot [on set] that no explosions were harmed in the making of this movie. There were a lot of explosions."
For now, it has been a smooth ride for Reynolds in this department and '6 Underground' is another opportunity to cement his action-comedy status. Can he do it? Gut says yes.