Hitman: Agent 47 is the latest in a long line of videogame adaptations; movies that should by all accounts deliver, given they start life with an already established fan base. To date there hasn't been one that has set the bar at any reasonable height, but it hasn't stopped studios from continuing to plan for more.
This particular franchise has already been brought to life onscreen, back in 2007 with the very forgettable Hitman. Unfortunately, the same problems that presented themselves then have filtered through to this reboot, and Hitman: Agent 47 is another example of a videogame movie that is severely lacking in most departments.
Rupert Friend replaces Timothy Olyphant as the bald, tattooed, nameless assassin and from the moment he appears in front of the camera the whole thing becomes one long, badly worn cliche. Having left the facility where he was cloned, Agent 47 sets out to put a stop to the shady organisation who want to resurrect the program fr nefarious purposes. Along the way there's a mysterious woman named Katia, a man pursuing them both named John Smith, some flashbacks and a whole lot of slow-mo and violence.
In fact, what Hitman: Agent 47 lacks in any kind of an interesting plot, it attempts to make up for in bodycount. There is a tonne of shootouts in the film, but the problem is without any context of who exactly we should be rooting for, they start to blend into one another and become repetitive and dull.
Fans of the games will no doubt enjoy the attention to detail of the character, such as his favoured twin hardballer pistols, and the quick disguise changes, but there's little else to like about this film. Rupert Friend is a better fit for the assassin than Olyphant was, and Zachary Quinto is a capable adversary as John Smith, but neither of them are given anything even resembling some decent dialogue and find themselves as two of the best examples of poorly written characters you'll see all year.
Hitman: Agent 47 is pure cinematic trash - a cheap cash-in rather than an attempt to craft something credible and sadly it offers nothing for anyone other than die-hard fans of the game. Save your cash because even by videogame adaptations, this reboot is a poor clone of a bad original.
Rupert Friend replaces Timothy Olyphant as the bald, tattooed, nameless assassin and from the moment he appears in front of the camera the whole thing becomes one long, badly worn cliche. Having left the facility where he was cloned, Agent 47 sets out to put a stop to the shady organisation who want to resurrect the program fr nefarious purposes. Along the way there's a mysterious woman named Katia, a man pursuing them both named John Smith, some flashbacks and a whole lot of slow-mo and violence.
In fact, what Hitman: Agent 47 lacks in any kind of an interesting plot, it attempts to make up for in bodycount. There is a tonne of shootouts in the film, but the problem is without any context of who exactly we should be rooting for, they start to blend into one another and become repetitive and dull.
Fans of the games will no doubt enjoy the attention to detail of the character, such as his favoured twin hardballer pistols, and the quick disguise changes, but there's little else to like about this film. Rupert Friend is a better fit for the assassin than Olyphant was, and Zachary Quinto is a capable adversary as John Smith, but neither of them are given anything even resembling some decent dialogue and find themselves as two of the best examples of poorly written characters you'll see all year.
Hitman: Agent 47 is pure cinematic trash - a cheap cash-in rather than an attempt to craft something credible and sadly it offers nothing for anyone other than die-hard fans of the game. Save your cash because even by videogame adaptations, this reboot is a poor clone of a bad original.
