Review of The Bodyguard (1992) by Andrew G — 11 Dec 2009

It was originally intended to make this movie in the seventies with Steve McQueen and Diana Ross in the leading roles, but that the movie never got made because it was "too controversial". The cause of the controversy was presumably the mixed-race love-affair between Frank Farmer and Rachel Marron, as there is little else in the script that might upset anyone.

There is a respectable performance from Kevin Costner as Frank Farmer, a man who on the surface seems cold and detached but who hides his emotions under the surface. Whitney Houston is a beautiful woman, with a beautiful voice which was shown off to good advantage in this movie.

Her character is supposed to be an actress as well as a singer - the finale actually takes place as she receives a "Best Actress" award at the Oscars. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Whitney Houston will ever emulate her alter ego in this respect, as her acting is certainly not in the same class as her voice.

She seems to have too small an emotional range, and it is no surprise that her subsequent film career has been so patchy. The Bodyguard is a perfectly adequate thriller-romance, if at times too slow-moving, but I felt that it might have been better with a more commanding female lead.