Hitman

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

Being a badass isn't so simple for this genetically engineered assassin who kills a lot but feels bad about it in the morning. Sure it's his job, but he's got a conscience and a desire to keep the peace to go along with that impressive arsenal of Silverballers, Walther WA 2000s, and Tactical MP5s. Hitman, based on the popular video game series, has been brought to the screen with all the hallmarks of its hero intact: bald head, nice duds, and a tattooed bar code on the back of his head that ends in the digits 47. The filmmakers depart from the game, however, in creating a fairly credible story line reminiscent of a cold war '60s spy film that sees Mr. 47 (Timothy Olyphant, snagging the role away from Vin Diesel and Jason Statham) pursued all over Eastern Europe by agents from Interpol and Russia trying to stop him from his own unique brand of bounty hunting. Along the way he gets tripped up by a beautiful hooker named Nika (Olga Kurylenko) who sparks emotions in him he never realized he had, although her attempts at sexually awakening him sometimes go limp. The movie is surprisingly well made for a vid game adaptation, featuring some amusing, if sparse, dialogue and cool characters. Fans of the game may wish they were playing instead of watching; but if they give it half a chance, they shouldn't be disappointed. Hitman delivers top-notch action, dazzling gunplay, and lots of fireworks. What more could we ask for?