Comic book movies have come a long, long way from being the proverbial joke to gaining some respectability. Movie companies are looking towards comic books to find the next big blockbuster and build a reputable franchise in the same vein as Spider-Man and Batman. Video game movies, however, still haven’t been able to get out of the starting gate.

Anyone remember Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter or even Double Dragon? Some have tried to capitalize on the franchise such as Mortal Kombat, Tomb Raider and Resident Evil to mediocre success. The Final Fantasy series lost many fans with The Spirits Within but brought them back with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. The bottom line is that movies based on video games have not been nearly as successful as its comic book cousins. The question to ask is how Edios and IO Interactive’s Hitman movie, adapted from the video game, would fare on the big screen. To be perfectly honest, I was quite underwhelmed.

Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) is a hired assassin who always gets the job done. However, the tables are turned on him when he is caught in a political conspiracy and becomes the target himself. Everyone is after him after he is set up for a botched job, including the Russian FSB, Interpol, and even other hired hitmen. He needs to find out why this is the case and put a stop to it before his time runs out.

Throughout the whole film, I kept asking myself, “Is this a redo of The Bourne Identity”? The comparison between both films is uncanny. Hired assassins, political intrigue, cat-and-mouse game, and perfect fighting abilities are just some of the similarities. In a sense, this is the rated “R” version of The Bourne Identity and I really couldn’t get that notion out of my head.

I don’t know much about the video game (my video gaming ways have seen better days) but I do know that it’s a violent one. Surprising, I was expecting a lot more blood, guts and gore in this film and felt somewhat disappointed by the restraint that was shown.

Olyphnat plays Agent 47 in quite a wooden way. Some of his personality is trying to shine through, but the character isn’t supposed to show much emotion. Still, there are times when he can be a bit funny, charming and conflicted between giving into his carnal desire and staying professional to his job. The result can be a bit comedic in nature without ever intentionally being that way.

I did like Dougray Scott’s role as Interpol Agent Michael Whittier, the man out to capture and takedown Agent 47. His determination and knowledge of his adversary is greatly shown, but in a twisted way, he also has this strange fascination and respect for Agent 47. I guess chasing a man for three years will lead into some insights about the man’s techniques.

Hitman is a decent adaptation of the video game and should please both fans of this series and those who are experiencing it for the first time. If things progress in this manner, with solid scripts and execution, then perhaps one day I will finally see The Legend of Zelda appear on the big screen.



Recommended: Yes

Movie Mood: Action Movie