Hitman

I've played Hit-man and have really been excited to see the movie. At first I was wondering how will they ever pull off the Hit-man movie but after watching it, its one of the few games to movie adaptations that I really liked. Not a perfect adaptation, but the best so far compared to others out there. Though Jason Statham was my initial bet, Timothy Olyphant did a good job with portraying Agent 47.

Aspects of the game was incorporated in the movie and they didn't overkill with stupid ideas. Action was pretty good and I like the fight scenes. Agent 47 in the movie does live up to his cold killer reputation in spite of a girl being introduced. Its a good thing they keep it nice and cold.

The only thing I noticed is that Timothy looks too pretty cute to be Agent 47. Other than that, its good.

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!

Hitman (2007) tells the story of Agent 47, a hitman with a barcode on the back of his neck. Watching the film today, it feels old but not bad. It has an engaging atmosphere, decent-to-good action scenes, and occasional slow pacing that gives the audience time to breathe instead of keeping them in constant high tension - these are the things the film does well. However, what it doesn't do well keeps it from becoming a classic. The script is mediocre - not terrible, but far from great. Although the ending is unpredictable, there are moments when the story doesn't make you curious about what comes next. The action scenes are generally good, but sometimes the gunfights look like the shooters don't know how to use guns, which rarely but noticeably breaks the immersion. Overall, it's a good movie, but one that's best watched just once.

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.

Viewers unfamiliar with the video game won't be disappointed - this is a well rounded action movie in its own right. Those who have played the video games from which the film characters are derived should enjoy the way Olyphant brings the anti-hero to life on the big screen.

In places the movie skirts on the borders of the usual action movie clichés: our ice-cold protagonist appears to thaw due to good-hearted "victim of society" hooker, for example. However, this is reasonably well handled in this movie and thankfully we don't get a serving of love interest cheese.

Dougray Scott's detective in pursuit character is another overused "good cop against the establishment" device, although again this is handled in a way that doesn't unduly distract. The fact that Dougray repeatedly pulls out a cigarette that he never once lights does become slightly distracting. If Dougray is an ardent non-smoker, why bother with the cigarette prop at all? Hard cops don't have to be smokers.

As with all movies of this genre, realism gives way to visual impact. If it bothers you that someone can emerge victorious but unscathed from a 10-against-1 firefight, this may not be the movie for you. For the rest of us, put your brains into neutral and enjoy the show!