Hitman: Agent 47 - directed by Aleksander Bach
Starring: Rupert Friend, Angelababy, Charlene Beck, Ciaran Hinds, Jeremy Hoffman, Thomas Kretschmann, Jurgen Prochnow, Zachary Quinto
Running Time: 96 minutes
Rated: R16 - violence.
Here we go again.
Actually make that again, again.
Not only is "Hitman: Agent 47" a reboot of a previous less than successful first attempt but it is a movie based on a videogame.
And a first time feature director has shot it.
This could be a gloriously, wonderfully bad train wreck.
Honestly- that was my wish going in.
I certainly wasn't expecting it to be amazing and rather than a just okay movie I would much rather have a howlingly bad one.
But if watching lots of movies has taught me anything it is that you can just never tell.
Imagine a Mad Max movie being the best thing released in a year.
How about "Spy" and "Trainwreck" each being miles funnier than "Ted 2", "Minions" and "Get Hard" combined?
Yep- it has a been a year of both good and bad surprises.
Well here is one of the good ones.
I am not going to go so far as to claim that "Hitman: Agent 47" is the best videogame turned movie to date - admittedly not necessarily a huge claim anyway- but should someone else make the statement I imagine I would have a hard time convincing them that they are wrong.
This is a pretty damned decent movie.
Getting the finer details of the game universe out of the way via an opening voiceover we are good to go and hit the ground running.
The plot could hardly be simpler - a young woman feels compelled to find a missing man.
She doesn't know why and she has no idea why she avoids human contact.
In searching she attracts the attention of two men who also want to find this man.
And so we are off on a cat and mouse chase but the question is who are the cats and who are the mice?
Realistically this sort of film doesn't need a convoluted plot (and doesn't have one).
All that it needs is decent action and this it does have.
The first burst of action had me worried mind you.
A punch up on rail tracks seemed odd in that the titular Agent 47 seemed to be having trouble finishing off an opponent who seemed like an easy kill.
This is later explained satisfactorily however but nonetheless it had me rolling my eyes at the time.
Not for long though because a rather good and quite lengthy sequence beginning in an embassy building delivers in spades.
There is a little Bourne Ultimatum about it - nicely choreographed action and some zinger lines.
Director Aleksander Bach has shot a lot of commercials - Mercedes Benz, Chevrolet and Marlboro are some- and there is the flashiness of a commercials director on show here.
It is good flash though and the action and indeed the movie on the whole is nicely shot, well edited and frequently makes superb use of Marco Beltrami's score.
One sequence has a pristine white interior splattered with bright red blood as Agent 47- red tie flowing from out of his perfectly fitted black suit as he advances- puts round after round into their heads.
Beltrami's score pumps out and the scene takes on the feel of a music video. Or a commercial.
It is perfectly in keeping with the tone of the movie - it is slick but not for the sake of it.
Smartly a decent chunk of the film takes place in Singapore.
The stunning architecture is utilised to great effect and gives an almost science fiction feel to the scenes set there.
Whatever was wrong with the previous attempt at bringing the world of Hitman to the screen star Timothy Olyphant wasn't part of it.
He was good in the role.
Rupert Friend however is better.
Way, way better.
I have played several of the games and his take on the character feels right to me.
He plays it straight and without a hint of condescension. I didn't ever get the feeling that the role was beneath him.
Hannah Ware I am not familiar with but she has a bit of Rhona Mitra about her.
I love what she does with her character Katya.
The chemistry between Ware and Friend is evident. As we learn more about Katya and what she is capable of it pays off nicely.
In fact that goes for the film on the whole. It builds very well to a satisfying conclusion that suggests a sequel was always the intention.
I hope so - I would like to see more.
(stick around for a mid credit sequence - there is just the one brief one then you can leave the cinema)
A better villain would be top of my wishlist should we get a sequel.
Zachary Quinto is fine with what he is given but the character that he plays needs a little more. He is little more than a cardboard cutout.
Some more detail about who he is and what he is capable of would have been good.
The effects also could do with a tad more love but for the money spent they succeed well enough.
Regardless I enjoyed "Hitman: Agent 47" quite a lot.
It is a good movie!
The dire history of videogame movies makes me want to stress this one more time because honestly- I am genuinely surprised.
Leads Rupert Friend and Hannah Ware are very, very good and given that their supporting cast includes Thomas Kretschsmann, Ciaran Hinds and Jurgen Prochnow there is nothing at all wrong with the performances in total.
The production values are great and the movie on the whole looks terrific.
The real credit has to go to director Bach.
For the second time in a week I find myself hoping that a good rather than great movie defis the odds so that we may have a sequel.
Movie franchises like tv shows sometimes need an episode or two to find their groove.
As with last weeks "The Man From UNCLE" I suspect that "Hitman: Agent 47" could grow into something really good if it gets the opportunity.
Help it along - go and see it.
Honestly- it is good.
RATING: 70/ 100
CONCLUSION: Okay, so it isn't amazing but "Hitman: Agent 47" is damned good and a bucket of fun. Rupert Friend and Hannah Ware are spot on and so much about this movie works generally that whatever flaws it does have really don't matter.
Running Time: 96 minutes
Rated: R16 - violence.
Here we go again.
Actually make that again, again.
Not only is "Hitman: Agent 47" a reboot of a previous less than successful first attempt but it is a movie based on a videogame.
And a first time feature director has shot it.
This could be a gloriously, wonderfully bad train wreck.
Honestly- that was my wish going in.
I certainly wasn't expecting it to be amazing and rather than a just okay movie I would much rather have a howlingly bad one.
But if watching lots of movies has taught me anything it is that you can just never tell.
Imagine a Mad Max movie being the best thing released in a year.
How about "Spy" and "Trainwreck" each being miles funnier than "Ted 2", "Minions" and "Get Hard" combined?
Yep- it has a been a year of both good and bad surprises.
Well here is one of the good ones.
I am not going to go so far as to claim that "Hitman: Agent 47" is the best videogame turned movie to date - admittedly not necessarily a huge claim anyway- but should someone else make the statement I imagine I would have a hard time convincing them that they are wrong.
This is a pretty damned decent movie.
Getting the finer details of the game universe out of the way via an opening voiceover we are good to go and hit the ground running.
 |
| Hannah Ware as Katya |
She doesn't know why and she has no idea why she avoids human contact.
In searching she attracts the attention of two men who also want to find this man.
And so we are off on a cat and mouse chase but the question is who are the cats and who are the mice?
Realistically this sort of film doesn't need a convoluted plot (and doesn't have one).
All that it needs is decent action and this it does have.
The first burst of action had me worried mind you.
A punch up on rail tracks seemed odd in that the titular Agent 47 seemed to be having trouble finishing off an opponent who seemed like an easy kill.
This is later explained satisfactorily however but nonetheless it had me rolling my eyes at the time.
Not for long though because a rather good and quite lengthy sequence beginning in an embassy building delivers in spades.
There is a little Bourne Ultimatum about it - nicely choreographed action and some zinger lines.
Director Aleksander Bach has shot a lot of commercials - Mercedes Benz, Chevrolet and Marlboro are some- and there is the flashiness of a commercials director on show here.
It is good flash though and the action and indeed the movie on the whole is nicely shot, well edited and frequently makes superb use of Marco Beltrami's score.
One sequence has a pristine white interior splattered with bright red blood as Agent 47- red tie flowing from out of his perfectly fitted black suit as he advances- puts round after round into their heads.
Beltrami's score pumps out and the scene takes on the feel of a music video. Or a commercial.
It is perfectly in keeping with the tone of the movie - it is slick but not for the sake of it.
Smartly a decent chunk of the film takes place in Singapore.
The stunning architecture is utilised to great effect and gives an almost science fiction feel to the scenes set there.
 |
| Rupert Friend as Agent 47 - a great take on the character |
He was good in the role.
Rupert Friend however is better.
Way, way better.
I have played several of the games and his take on the character feels right to me.
He plays it straight and without a hint of condescension. I didn't ever get the feeling that the role was beneath him.
Hannah Ware I am not familiar with but she has a bit of Rhona Mitra about her.
I love what she does with her character Katya.
The chemistry between Ware and Friend is evident. As we learn more about Katya and what she is capable of it pays off nicely.
In fact that goes for the film on the whole. It builds very well to a satisfying conclusion that suggests a sequel was always the intention.
I hope so - I would like to see more.
(stick around for a mid credit sequence - there is just the one brief one then you can leave the cinema)
A better villain would be top of my wishlist should we get a sequel.
Zachary Quinto is fine with what he is given but the character that he plays needs a little more. He is little more than a cardboard cutout.
Some more detail about who he is and what he is capable of would have been good.
The effects also could do with a tad more love but for the money spent they succeed well enough.
 |
| Zachary Quinto as John Smith |
It is a good movie!
The dire history of videogame movies makes me want to stress this one more time because honestly- I am genuinely surprised.
Leads Rupert Friend and Hannah Ware are very, very good and given that their supporting cast includes Thomas Kretschsmann, Ciaran Hinds and Jurgen Prochnow there is nothing at all wrong with the performances in total.
The production values are great and the movie on the whole looks terrific.
The real credit has to go to director Bach.
For the second time in a week I find myself hoping that a good rather than great movie defis the odds so that we may have a sequel.
Movie franchises like tv shows sometimes need an episode or two to find their groove.
As with last weeks "The Man From UNCLE" I suspect that "Hitman: Agent 47" could grow into something really good if it gets the opportunity.
Help it along - go and see it.
Honestly- it is good.
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