Ben Kingsley and Sofia Boutella also star in the R-rated tale of a veteran hitman who orders a contract for his own murder after receiving a mistaken terminal diagnosis.

As a general rule, hitmen should probably steer clear of doctors. In the movies, at least, it never leads to anything good. For example, Michael Keaton’s title character recently received a devastating dementia diagnosis in Knox Goes Away, barely managing to get his affairs in order and clear his son of a murder rap before losing his mind.

Not long after, Joe receives a series of frantic text messages from his doctor saying that the lab mixed up his test results with someone else’s and that he’s fine (don’t you hate when that happens?). The only problem is that now he has every hired killer in Europe after him.

Screenwriters Rand Ravich and James Coyne, adapting a book by Jay R. Bonansinga, strain mightily for a quirky black humor that succeeds only sporadically. Taking their orders from the mysterious Antoinette (the always excellent Pom Klementieff of the Guardians of the Galaxy series), who’s all too happy to accept Joe’s money because she holds a grudge against him, the assassins are a comically exotic lot. They include a French killer who weaves flamenco dance moves into his murders, a pair of lethal Scottish brothers whose unintelligible dialogue has to be subtitled and a physically imposing pro (Terry Crews) who’s annoyingly saddled with an inept assistant.

Much of the comedy stems from Joe’s loving relationship with his handler Zvi Rabinowitz (a very funny Ben Kingsley, clearly relishing the opportunity to unveil one of his many accents) and Zvi’s exuberant wife (Alex Kingston), who treat Joe like the son they never had. Their barb-filled banter could easily be taking place on a bench in Boca Raton, with Zvi frequently spouting an aphorism about how to leave their profession: “You walk away clean, or you go out on your back.”

The picture benefits greatly from its beautiful European locations, especially Budapest, whose opera house is the setting for the elaborate opening action sequence. And the love story improbably works, with Bautista looking like a besotted Shrek when he scoops up the lithe Boutella in his arms and displays the wide smile that makes him look lovable rather than menacing. The actor’s decidedly offbeat screen presence, plus of course his formidable physicality, make him a perfect fit for the character.