November 25, 1992 | At one point in The Bodyguard, a slick and savvy romantic thriller featuring Kevin Costner as the title character, our hero takes his latest client to a revival screening of Yojimbo, Akira Kurosawa's classic adventure story about a crafty samurai.

Frank Farmer (Costner) says he's seen the movie many times before, and, somehow, that revelation doesn't come as a great surprise. He also says that he greatly admires the samurai's approach to danger -– “He doesn't want to die, but he's not afraid of death!” -- and that, too, isn't surprising.

In fact, there are no great surprises to be found anywhere in The Bodyguard, unless you count the pleasant shock that anything so predictable and formulaic could be so entertaining.

Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay nearly 20 years ago, long before writing and directing The Big Chill and Grand Canyon, intending the melodrama as a vehicle for Steve McQueen. Appropriately enough, Costner plays the lead role with close-cropped hair, ultra-cool control and a steely-eyed authority that would impress even a hard-bitten samurai. It's a classic performance of a classic stereotype, and it's doubtful that McQueen himself -- or even Clint Eastwood, who starred in the unauthorized remake of Yojimbo, A Fistful of Dollars -- could have done any better.

Farmer, an ex-Secret Service agent, is still bummed out that someone took a shot at President Reagan on Farmer's day off. Actually, Farmer was away at his mother's funeral on the day John Hinckley opened fire, but in Farmer's view, that's no excuse. (Hey, we're talking professionalism here, folks.) Now active in the private sector as a security specialist, Farmer never lets his guard down, never lets anything escape his vigilance, and never, never gets personally involved with a client.

What, never? Well, hardly ever. When he's hired to protect Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston), a superstar singer-actress who's receiving some very threatening letters, Farmer is determined to stick to his eyes-open, hands-off approach as he camps out at Marron's palatial mansion. But Marron -- who, truth to tell, is as much a control freak as Farmer -- has other ideas.

Even though it's easy to spot early on just who wishes Marron harm, and who wishes her even worse than harm, The Bodyguard generates considerable suspense under the understated direction of Mick Jackson (L.A. Story) . Clocking in at more than two hours, the movie unarguably is too long for complete comfort. But give Jackson credit: He spends more time than most thriller directors on character development. If these are stereotypes, then at least they are stereotypes with slightly more depth than is usual in this type of movie.

Houston, an exceptionally popular pop star making her film debut, is perfectly cast as the mercurial Marron. Granted, the jury's still out on the question of whether she can really act. But there's no denying that, within the confines of this particular role, she is never less than persuasive.

(Incidentally, the moviemakers are refreshingly casual about the racial element in the relationship between Farmer and Marron. In fact, nobody in the entire movie ever mentions race.)

Things get far-fetched in the climactic scenes, where Farmer has to guard against an attempt on Marron's life at the Academy Awards. (The Oscar show looks pretty tacky here -- more like the Golden Globes, really.) But the actors always manage to stay just this side of the frankly incredible. Among the standouts in the supporting cast: Gary Kemp (the British rock musician last seen in The Krays) as Marron's ruthless publicist; Michele Lamar Richards as Marron's devoted sister and assistant; Ralph Waite -- yes, Pa Walton himself -- as Farmer's crusty but lovable father; and 8-year-old Devaughn Nixon as Marron's son, who instinctively recognizes that Farmer is some kind of hero. Smart kid.