Hitman

Wilsford's Review
Thumb: Up

Notable Characters:
Timothy Olyphant – Agent 47
Olga Kurylenko – Nika Boronina
Ulrich Thomsen – Mikhail Belicoff

Plot (contains spoilers): Agent 47 has been bred to be an assassin. Employed by a mystical corporation, he travels the world killing people. His next assignment is Russian President Mikhail Belicoff. Upon completion, he is told that there was a witness that needed to be dispatched, Nika. When he approaches he realizes that she has no idea who he is, deduces that it is a trap, and rescues her from danger. We discover that Nika is Mikhail’s girlfriend and that she was being used to bring Agent 47 out into the open. From there we follow Agent 47 as he unravels this mystery and kills a good number while doing so.

Reason why I didn’t like it:
• The movie was a little hokey but what should one expect from a video game movie.

Reasons why I liked it:
• Mr. Olyphant was really good. He plays the part of a man with no soul and a little heart perfectly.
• It was what I expected. This was a movie based off a video game, which means that it is not trying to win Oscars, it is trying to be entertaining and it did the job.

Final Notes: While entertaining and probably most kids have played the game and therefore want to see the movie, I would caution this. It is rated R for good reason. If you are looking for a movie to just sit in front of and be entertained, this is it.

Young's Review

When I sat down to write this review, I had no idea what to say about 'Hitman'. It is not exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but is entertaining. Every review I have read about the movie has been extremely negative, but I feel that opinion is unfair.

That's when I talked to James about the difficulty I was having about which way my thumb should go for this movie. He said something that made a lot of sense to me. James said (and I am paraphrasing here) that you have to judge a movie based on what it's trying to be. In other words, a movie like 'Hitman' (which is based on a video game) is not trying to win any Oscars. It is trying to be an entertaining hour and a half for fans of the action genre. It is this reasoning that caused me to give the movie a 'thumbs up'.

A covert anti-terror organization (creatively called The Agency) trains and sends out assassins all over the world. These hired guns are given numbers instead of names, and this movie focuses on Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant). 47 is sent by a client to assassinate Russian president Mikhail Belicoff (Ulrich Thomsen). What he doesn't know is that he is being set up and the man he is sent to kill is actually the president's body double. After the shooting, 47 finds himself on the run from an Interpol agent named Mike Whittier (Dougray Scott) and the Russian police. The rest of the film is a cornucopia of guns, swords, general debauchery. Oh, and there's a pretty girl too.

Olyphant is a fine thespian, and a surprising choice for the role of 47. Most movies based on video games choose far less talented actor to play the lead role. Despite the fact he walks around with a permanent smirk on his face, Olyphant's performance is spot on. 47 is cold and calculated, refusing to become attatched to anyone. That includes Nika (Olga Kurylenko), a Russian prostitute who finds herself on the wrong side of the manhunt for 47. Despite Nika's constant attempts to throw herself at him, 47 resists her advances. He is trying to do one thing and one thing only: keep himself and Nika alive.

There are two supporting performances from actors who also appear in popular television shows. Robert Knepper, who plays the despicable Theodore (T-Bag) Bagwell on 'Prison Break', is corrupt detective Yuri Marklov. Knepper impressively handles the role as well a Russian accent. Henry Ian Cusick, aka Desmond on 'Lost', does not fare as well in the role of Belicoff's brother Udre. Cusick's performance is overplayed and difficult to understand.

While director Xavier Gens keeps things moving in a timely fashion, screenwriter Skip Woods (Swordfish) does not dally in pretense. There is no elaborate plot to get lost in. This movie is going to be watched mostly by men who want nonstop action, lots of guns and explosions and a pretty girl. If you're looking for brilliant filmmaking, look elsewhere. If it's a action-packed thrill ride you seek, then look no further.