The Man From Toronto (2022) Movie Review

Netflix’s “The Man From Toronto” follows the story of Teddy, played by Kevin Hart, who is an annoying, underachieving, and motormouthed character that would test anyone's patience. Director Patrick Hughes’ latest work is a 112-minute movie that combines multiple genres, such as dark comedy, hitman thriller, loser underdog flick, stand-up comedy vanity project, mistaken identity, and violent actioner, making it an obnoxious cinematic collage. It appears that many Netflix films are created solely to be played in the background while viewers fold laundry or vacuum cat hair from their IKEA furniture. Viewers could leave the movie every ten minutes without missing much.

Baldheaded Woody Harrelson plays the titular character, a notorious hitman known for his vicious reputation for torture, in the movie. The Man From Toronto uses various cutlery to extract information by any means necessary, as he monologues his origin story. He had witnessed a grizzly bear attack that had left his grandfather dead when he was a young boy. The hitman shows no mercy to his victims, and any empathy he may have had died that day.

The Man From Toronto takes orders from a woman known as the “Handler,” and she has other men working in different locations worldwide. The Handler calls on them when she thinks her Toronto man has gone rogue. These men have massive egos and live in the shadow of their Canadian coworker. The Miami guy, played by Pierson Fode, has a pre-existing beef with Toronto’s hitman that keeps him turning up now and then.

Teddy’s story forms the underachiever element of the movie. His wife, Lori, uses his name to describe a person who botches things up. Teddy’s latest pitch to his boxing ring boss, Marty, is to promote “no-contact” boxing, a cardio workout where people throw punches but no one gets hit. Marty thinks it's the dumbest idea he has ever heard, but Lori sees potential in it. However, Teddy’s incompetence leads to him misidentifying the address of the cabin he rented for Lori’s birthday excursion. He ends up at the one cabin in Onancock, Virginia, which The Man From Toronto was supposed to torture someone. The hitmen mistake Teddy for the person they hired, leading to chaos when the real deal shows up.

Through Roger Ebert’s Idiot Plot theory, The Man From Toronto is stuck with Teddy, who manoeuvres his way through the hitman story. The FBI is also pressuring Teddy to put himself in harm’s way, and Lori is distracted by a sexy male agent, who is acting on Teddy’s behalf. The screenplay by Robbie Fox and Chris Bremner has Teddy saying and doing things that are far beyond what anyone in his position would do, making it all the more unbelievable. Hart’s stand-up skills are not enough to make this dialogue work, and the violent actioner section does not make up for the plot's shortcomings.

The manly fashion over beers and the shared experience of fending off an army of goons. The climactic showdown takes place at a party thrown by the Handler, where Teddy must use his no-contact boxing skills to take down the bad guys and save the day.

In the end, "The Man From Toronto" is a forgettable mishmash of tired tropes and half-baked ideas. Despite the talent of its cast and crew, the film fails to rise above its formulaic roots and ends up feeling like a cheap knock-off of better movies. If you're looking for mindless entertainment to pass the time while folding laundry or vacuuming cat hair, you could do worse. But if you're hoping for something with substance or originality, you'll be sorely disappointed.