Hitman on DVD (2007)

Can't Wait!

A customer from London , 02/11/2007

I love the PC games and cannot wait for this fantastic looking feature film!!!

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Cracking stuff

aneurin from Oxford [Highly rated reviewer] , 07/12/2007

When I went to see this there wasn’t a single woman in the cinema. To pinch a phrase, ‘Hitman – it’s not for girls’. With no exaggeration, this was 100 minutes of stylized violence interspersed with gratuitous nudity. Timothy Olyphant, liberated from the necessity to act, is rather good. While it would have been nice to make his character less likeable (I should not have found myself warming to an emotionless contract killer), this was not Olyphant’s fault, but almost certainly the studio’s.

‘Hitman’ knows it is an action film and thankfully never gets ideas above its station. Olyphant’s job is to kill people elaborately, his enemies are expected to die obediently and the girl is meant to get naked frequently. In fact, very frequently. And for no apparent reason. It is possible that Olga Kurylenko is a very good actress. It is also possible that she got the part because 1) she’s Russian 2) she’s a model 3) she was willing to undress on camera. Director Xavier Gens seems aware of the former possibility, and yet after a (no doubt lengthy) struggle with his action thriller conscience he decided to just let her parade round in a thong for the sake of it.

The plot, predictably, is implausible. I cannot fathom why so much of it was shot in Russia, nor why Agent 47 was given Russian Orthodox affiliations. So far as I know (= according to Wikipedia) there is no precedent for either in the original videogame. Why this was introduced, why an action thriller spends such an inordinate amount of time in one country (very unBond, a clear influence throughout), only a tight budget can explain.

Overall, this is exceedingly watchable. It could have been aimed just at the fans with a slew of subtle references that would have mystified the rest of us. Instead, it is an excellent action film in its own right, and while it (sadly) lacks the depth and intelligence of a truly great action film such as ‘Casino Royale’ (whose aesthetic it clearly emulates), this still ranks extremely high. Action films are above all about two things – irony value and getting the pulse racing. This does both.

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Mmmm less positive than other reviews

A customer from Maidstone, Kent , 29/01/2008

I watched this with two guys who have both finished the game, I've never played it myself. One of them fell asleep at the cinema and the other, my husband, was put off by the love interest - an unecessary distraction for both of us - and didn't see the lead as a great piece of casting for the hitman. Had we no experience/preconceptions, it might have been a good film nothwithstanding the giraffe-like girl with a serious eating disorder (quote the boys) and slightly icky forays into the hitman's softer side (what ???). Anyway, not a great transfer onto film for game players nor a good film in its own right for film lovers.

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Such a sexy Hitman!

A customer from SW London , 01/12/2007

I had never realised how good Oliphant could be as a hitman, they really couldn't have got a better actor for the part. I've never played the game, but I know of it and I was impressed with the 'feel' of film.I had read 2 really bad reviews about the film, but decided to see it anyway, and REALLY enjoyed it. I think you will too. Oliphant brings the hitman only known as 47 to life and he manages to come across as unbelievably sexy in the process, and he's not someone I would ever consider attractive! Watch out for the leading lady newcomer, who smoked up the screen! H.O.T! A good watch, don't miss out!

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Average

A customer from Manchester , 27/04/2008

Average film acting a bit ropey.

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Hmmmmm:

PeacefulTech from Chesterfield , 21/07/2008

Just OK not horendously terrible, thankfully I didn't play any of the games so didn't feel connected to the film or that it had to meet any expectations.

I did feel some parts a little pointless, ie the love interest - was this put in to draw a more diverse crowd who knows.

i won't compare the film as others have eg. to the Bourne films as they are very different and came from different backgrounds, i'm glad i didn't go to the cinema to watch it as i would have been gutted to have spent money on pop-corn.

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