Hitman: Agent 47

When it comes to movies based on popular videogames, a majority of them intend to fail and get the fanboys of the game source to rave and rant on what's wrong with it and question why it was made. In this scenario, Hit-man: Agent 47 does stand somewhere near there, but it does improve on its 2nd attempt to bring the 'silent assassin' on screen in the best way possible.

The film follows an assassin known only as Agent 47 (played by a great and bald Rupert Friend) who seems to team up with a woman named Hanna (Hannah Ware) to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry. Together, they aim to take down the leader of Syndicate International, a terrorist group who is aiming to discover and create more deadly hit-man that process Hannah's unique ability and are more deadly than the assassin himself.

What makes Agent 47 so redeemable is the fact that it tries to improve on its plot and following the game source material than what the 2007 adaptation did (not to mention that the casting of Timothy Olyphant is mixed for me), it may not have done its 100% faithfulness to be label how game-to-movies are made but it's better than what most people say. The plot itself stays simple and is a no brainer to follow what's happening, but I did feel that the movie itself ran smoothly and kept pace in strong hold but the 96 minute running time is still considered short for my tastes (hopefully in future there will be an extended cut of the film that could help bring the film longer).

The casting range here may or may not seem recognisable but the cast do put on their best performance roles, Rupert Friend (from TV's Homeland) suits better as Agent 47 than what Olyphant's take did. Agent 47 is pretty much an emotionless, ruthless and yet cunning like in the game and Friend sticks close to that with good results. Ware makes a good impression as the female lead, playing a character that is searching for not only her past but embracing the future ahead as she learns more about her 'unique' side. Zachary Quninto plays a decent role as well though other reviewers say that his role was wasted, I won't give away too much but he does give his best on-screen role that's not a waste.

Pros: + Better plot than the previous film + Great performances from Friend, Ware and Quinto + Fun and well-set action pieces that are structured much well better than the first film

Cons: - Short running time, I would have loved to seen the film go longer and see itself expand into something unique- CGI may be clearly noticeable in some of the action set pieces

OVERALL: Hit-man: Agent 47 is a better but not yet best game to movie adaptation to surface in years, Arming itself with a great choice of casting, direction, plot and action, the film is a worthy watch on a lazy afternoon and it's a 'leave the brain at the door' so you can't take it to be full-on serious.

This is not a bad action movie, but it is not a hitman movie. Its not about a sneaky hitman. And rupert does not get the part right... This is not living up to the first hitman movie that was awesome

Despite good casting, very good performances, more than a correct direction, camera work, sfx, editing and music, this movie is not excellent. It has no soul, as previous version (with Timothy Olyphant, 2007) did. Comparison is inevitable. This is only an action movie: a good bunch of action scenes and essentially a mindless fun. However, no character development or an explanation who, why, where, when and so on. Previous version had it all and if someone planned sequels (or a franchise), they should have done it eight years ago. Then it would make sense. Don't get me wrong here. This movie is not a bad one and the cast gave it all to make it entertaining. But for me that is just not enough, considering the template (video game) and possibilities to develop a good idea into a more complex and challenging story. This movie returns all to the level of the video game (maybe even below that). I think that these characters deserve more. So do we. Recommended for "set-brains-to-off" fun on a weekend afternoon.

It felt like the team that made the Resident Evil films- another failed attempt to turn a game into a movie - has worked on this as well. It is an Apple-style, gun kata, Matrix derived, James Bond cloning, CGI filled, Resident Evil sequel.

I wanted to watch it because I like Rupert Friend in Homeland. He did not disappoint, but neither did he blow my mind. It is clear that he needs better direction than the one time director Aleksander Bach could provide. Zachary Quinto does a decent job as well, considering the script. Hannah Ware is... cute and has a British accent. That's about it.

I could waste time telling you about the story, but it is rather silly and obvious. Even the twists, you see them coming from miles away. I think one thing only explains the film better than any review: Jürgen Prochnow gets less screen time than Angelababy in this movie. Yeah, I had to google her, too.

Hitman: Agent 47 is a pretty decent thriller/action movie. It was probably not as cool as I expected after watching the trailer, but I still enjoyed it.

The story of course has wholes, inconsistencies and illogical moments, but if you just want to see some action and let it flow, then you will enjoy it as well. The main characters deliver and my rather small complaint would that neither of them are actual martial artists and as there are a lot of hand-to-hand combat, sometimes it was not as smooth as it was supposed to be, but still very watchable.

Recommended for action movie nights.