Hitman

Being a big fan of the Hit-man games, I was fairly worried when I heard that they were going to make a movie based on it because movies based on video games don't tend to be very good movies...

But after seeing it last night, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually quite a good movie. It may not win an Oscar or anything, but it's amazing to see Agent 47 up on the big screen. Timothy Olyphant does a surprisingly good job of portraying him too.

The love interest is a bit awkward to anyone who knows Agent 47's nearly complete lack of emotion in that department, but despite what the trailer may lead you to expect, it really doesn't go very far outside of what you've come to know in the games (and what happens when she tries to seduce him is absolutely hilarious and very much in the Agent 47 tradition).

It is indeed a violent movie, and 47 is as cold-blooded as you'd expect him to be. Seeing it tends to make me wish other movie heroes had the same level of guts, just to shoot the bad guy in the face instead of letting him live or anything silly like that. The fight scenes with the other assassins from the Agency are also very well done and quite a treat to see.

All in all, it's quite a good movie. Definitely worth paying to see in the theaters. Hopefully there'll be another one!

My first big question is: - Was this movie originally produced in French? It seemed to me that the Lip-sync was totally English, although I was told that it was produced in French. Technology has improved so much, so please let me know. The action scenes were fantastic. Very interesting storyline, but it was funny how they all dropped their guns and fought with their hands. I liked Olyphant for Agent 47, but I think he could have showed more action. He was a bit laughable at times. However, it was fun looking at the film. I did not expect too much when I started looking at the movie, but I must say that the action was placed at the right time, so it kept me interested. I also liked very much the girl, Nika, if I did, then I am sure she was a favourite.

Normally movies based off of video games are really bad; in terms of being filmed, written and acted poorly. But Hitman hit the mark right on. It's not the greatest film in the world, but it's very entertaining. I'm a big fan of assassin films and this one caught my attention. I loved the actor they picked to play agent 47, he did a great job with his role. The filming was great and the lines weren't cheesy in anyway. The storyline was easy to follow and decently entertaining. I just wish they would have made the film longer!

Watching the new film "Hitman," an adaptation of the highly successful Eidos video game series (which I have never played), you get the feeling right from the opening credits that this will be a hit-or-miss-type of movie. Like a pistol that's loaded, cocked and ready to rock & roll, "Hitman" succeeds by remaining true to its source material (even if only in a few instances) and becoming a stand-alone picture in its own right. That's where the hits mostly come from.

But the misses are mostly in the screenplay and frenzied direction of Xavier Gens. In a plot that mixes the assassin looking to rediscover his humanity, the hooker with a heart of gold, the video game adaptation, shady politics and the frenetic direction of European action movies, "Hitman" should be an action fan's wildest dreams come true. While skilled in these areas, the problems arise in trying to bring it together as a wholesome film and trying to tell a coherent story.

"Hitman" centers on the mysterious and world-renowned assassin Agent 47 (a perfectly stoic Timothy Olyphant), who becomes embroiled in a political conspiracy in St. Petersburg, Russia, following a failed hit on the Russian president. Hunted by a determined Interpol agent named Mike Whittier (Dougray Scott), his men, the Russian military and other assassins, Agent 47's only key to clearing his name is the tragic hooker Nika (Olga Kurylenko), who may have been a witness to the attempted killing. Of course because Nika is sexy as hell, the film allows her two topless scenes, and one attempt at trying to bed Agent 47, though sadly, her character is way underdeveloped, so all we care about are her T + A.

"Hitman" establishes itself nicely in the beginning but loses itself in murky political intrigue that I myself had a lot of difficult trying to sift through. If the script by Skip Woods had taken its time in developing the plot a little bit more, then maybe I wouldn't have been so lost at trying to figure things out. Of course where the film mostly succeeds at, is its bloody action sequences. Where most action films today don't even bother in the way of bloody violence, "Hitman" loses itself in these stylish action scenes. Issues abound though with the extremely hyper and tripped-out editing, which tends to take away from the action.

The bald-headed, bar-code-tattooed Timothy Olyphant fills his shoes nicely as Agent 47, the man who was literally born to kill, though I honestly thought that the role should have gone to someone a little bit older or more experienced in the realm of action films; of course the actor I would have chosen for Agent 47 would have been Billy Zane, though I'm not sure anyone knows where he is right now so Olyphant will have to do. Olyphant seems to handle himself nicely in the film's frequent blood-lettings, including a four-way shootout that devolves into a brutal hand-to-hand combat encounter within the claustrophobic confines of a rail-car.

"Hitman" is the latest video game adaptation to hit the screens so far and like most entries, it's a hit & miss vehicle. My generic approach to these movies is clear and as follows: "Mortal Kombat" (1995) remains the best adaptation of a video game yet, followed by last year's "Silent Hill" (2006). Others, like "Doom" (2005), and the "Resident Evil" films and "Tomb Raider" movies, are also above-average efforts, so "Hitman," with its hits & misses, fits right in perfectly.

6/10

First, I've heard mostly mixed comments about this movie. But, I'm glad that for the first time in a long time, an "action" movie has had an in-depth plot. Not to mention, they captured the personality of 47 near perfectly. When I went to see this, I didn't think I would like it because Timothy Olyphant played such a convincing geek in Die Hard 4, but he did an incredible job of changing roles. The basis behind the movie is that the hit-man is sent to assassinate someone, but it goes bad, which results in him picking up Olga Kurylenko. Now, they tried to add some jokes in, and he does do some things that are completely out of character (such as smiling), but for the most part, he plays the part very well. Now, the hit-man games aren't known for the best plot of all time, but, since the movie focused more on plot then on actual action, it feels a bit refreshing since the games are basically "Target, Money, Kill". I'd like to see the next Hit-man game focus more on the plot.

Anyway, it's got a great story, 47 is for the most part, played as he should be, and there is enough action to keep you from getting bored.

Ranking wise, it's definitely no "Die Hard 3" or "Big Fish", but it is probably one of the best video-game to movie transitions thats been done in a long time.