Agent 47 was brought up to kill. Taught to become an expert assassin for hire, 47 brings a whole lot of pride to his work never showing any sign of hesitation. Carrying out kills for his boss, only known as "˜The Agency,' 47 does what he is told and moves on. However, when he gets caught up in a political takeover the hunter becomes the hunted as 47 is chased across the country as he tries to uncover who wants to take him out of the game. In an intense action packed chase, 47's lone flaw could be an unfamiliar emotion that is aroused by a beautiful young woman.
Though the film is violent and fun; Hitman fails to captivate its audience as both its acting and story are subpar, feeling more like a failed attempt at a James Bond remake than anything else.
The main item that the film suffers from is its acting. Timothy Olyphant is one of the worst actors of his prestige. In Live Free or Die Hard he played an intelligent villain to utter disappointment and he continues his streak of emotionless characters here; unfortunately Bruce Willis isn't around to save the film from it. Throughout the film Olyphant plays the murderous 47 as an emotionless, intelligent killer who knows nothing else. This portrayal handicaps the audience from getting to know 47, relating to him, understanding him and in the end gives them no reason to root for him. Unlike James Bond, who carries a smart-ass enjoy life personality, Agent 47 never connects with his audience causing them to almost wish for his capture.
The rest of the cast did alright, though many of their accents were off and the chemistry was never quite right they all looked brilliant in front of the overpaid Olyphant. Although I found it interesting how Olga Kerylenko, a high profile Russian model, speaks her native tongue to perfection in her opening scene only to immediately switch to English for the remainder of the film. Weird? I'd say so. All in all the casting was disappointing; holding back a film full of potential to nothing more than a mediocre B rated spy thriller.
Another main flow to the film is its story which is both generic and spotty. When it comes to special agent films the stories are few and far between; however, Hitman plays all the wrong cards as the dialogue is awkward, there is no character development and worst of all no twists or surprises. In short, the film does everything it is suppose to do, but goes about it in a straight line, providing no unique fighting sequences and unfortunately no twist or turn, giving the film no intellectual stamina.
In the end Hitman is not a bad movie. However it doesn't classify as a good film either. Plagued by a horrible performance from its lead and unsupportive supporting members, and a bland, uneventful story, Hitman misses the mark and offers only violence and blood to its awaiting viewers.
