Interview with a Hitman

Not sure what people's problem is with this film.

From the score you'd think it was terrible...

... but it certainly isn't.

It's moody, well-paced and plotted and well acted for the most part.

With some good twists...

I know Luke Goss isn't exactly Al Pacino but he's good in this part.

Well worth a watch - ignore the naysayers.

Is that ten lines yet? Good grief.

Way to force people to add superfluous text! All I wanted to say was "ignore the weirdly low score - it's a good movie".

The first impression for me, watching this movie was: What the hell - a surprise out of nowhere. The atmosphere is sometimes as cold as the mind of a hit-man must be. Although, one can easily feel sympathy for him. So that should be the real title for this movie - Sympathy for a hit-man.

There is no way to compare the older hit-man movie (which follows the the game series) with this one.'Interview' is much harder, much more direct. While the body count is lower, and the pacing is much slower, with the absence of explosions and machine guns dismembering buildings, it's intensity is several classes above the earlier 'big' movie's.

Violence erupts fast and lethal, man's life isn't worth a second thought. Hit-man Victor does his job disciplined, results-oriented and precise.

So it is some kind of 'film noir' of todays days, an exception I would put in a row with Old boy or Sin City. You may love or hate them both, but they are also undoubtedly outstanding movies of their own kind.

This movie's strengths do come mostly from the presence of Luke Gross, who perfectly depicts a thug soldier, slowly awakening from an early inner death to an imagination of some kind of a life.

After that, there is a compelling soundtrack, and then, last but not least, for a first timer, I must say, an unbelievable talented director (Perry Bhandal), a late starter from whom we should hear and see more, in the near future, i hope.

There is also a solid supporting cast of pure professionals, that should be said for those of us who are reading here some reviews where an amateur cast is guessed. That's definitively not the case, you won't see anyone who can't act - on the contrary, even the kids are playing their parts very well. And of course, the Romanian characters are looking like Romanians, even when played by Brits, because Romanians can look like Russians or Italians or even like well-styled Englishmen ;-)

The few small flaws shouldn't be suppressed: First, Romanians are speaking together with a slight accent, that's sometimes irritating, but maybe is a tribute to those cast members who do not natively speak English. Second, the story itself is a bit confusing, and is not that believable when it comes to its solution; Even the interview idea per se is IMO a bit too far-fetched. At last, I felt that the age difference between grown-up Hit-man Victor and his Romanian Mentor Sergej is not shown properly in terms of make-up styling. But be assured, these are minor weaknesses.

Overall I cannot give less than 8 stars for atmospheric tense, cinematography and character depiction. While I found most of the past movies focusing on professional killers boring, this one by no means, thanks to actors, the director/writer, and the soundtrack composer.

OK if you want a mega budget action film, big names, big affects....well then this is not for you. Its always hard to rate a low budget film as most have a bigger version out there (not always better mind) its hard to see past the poor locals or affects, long story short they look cheap. So we have Hit-man who relives his life, flash backs and the like, all that he has done told through his eyes. Acting wise Luke Goss is good, cold and cool, and the other cast.....well a few are good and a few bad (it tends to be accents that let actors down) The action is good at times, again the low budget keeps it to mainly gun/hand fights, both of which are not bad, its not flashy but it feels a little bit more real to life. The story is what it is, been there seen that, but it moves along well. The look of the film is lower budget.....but at times it looks very well shot. One thing that stood out for me was the soundtrack, simple and at times haunting, much better than most films of this type. I know I keep saying budget budget budget, but its what you have to think of when you look at these films, for me this is a good solid film for the budget, it makes me wonder just what Perry Bhandal(director, first film) could do if he was to get a bigger....OK last time BUDGET. I hope some studio has faith in Perry Bhandal and gives him more room to create.

All i can say imagine this first time director with a big Hollywood budget then you will see the true beauty of this film. I felt at times that i could feel David finchers atmospheric cinematography riding through this film and with the menacing soundtrack i think this film deserves much more of a user review score for a first time director.

The story is a child grows into a hit-man finds love thats it but inbetween there is so much more and i thought the ending was pleasing.

This isn't a popcorn flick and though the fight scenes and action sequences are good it is a slow paced melodrama but the script is good which in my opinion makes the film worth watching

The movie delivered in parts and mainly in the parts that matter. Generally the acting across the film showed some good performances and there were enough of these to hold the film together. For me it distances itself from other films in the 'hitman' space by not trying to masquerade as something it not. As with many low budget films it could be enhanced with investment time and resources, but we truly need these types of films within the industry. In fact, the challenge of not having the capital forces those involved to focus on the basics. This film delivers with a refreshing attempt to portray its characters and deal with a fast moving complex plot. The director has shown potential for delivering raw and hard hitting material. I'd like to say the film rocks, without making references to those who may have had alternative careers in the past. Seriously, a good film well made, with everything in place to make this an enjoyable watch.