Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A former Secret Service agent grudgingly takes an assignment to protect a pop idol who's threatened by a crazed fan. At first, the safety-obsessed bodyguard and the self-indulgent diva totally clash. But before long, all that tension sparks fireworks of another sort, and the love-averse tough guy is torn between duty and romance.
The Bodyguard is a competent but formulaic romantic thriller whose plot follows a predictable bodyguard-falls-for-client arc with few surprises. Kevin Costner is stoic and serviceable while Whitney Houston commands the screen with natural charisma in her film debut, lifting the acting category. Cinematography is workmanlike and unremarkable, typical of early-90s Hollywood productions. Novelty is low — the premise is a well-worn genre exercise with little distinctive voice or conception, though Houston's star power gives it cultural weight. The ending is reasonably satisfying emotionally if not surprising, riding on the strength of Houston's iconic soundtrack performance. The film lives primarily in popular memory for 'I Will Always Love You' rather than its cinematic craft.