Hitman Agent 47 review: A pointless addition to a movie series that shouldn’t have been revived. Dull and drab from the off.
Hitman Agent 47 review
The Hitman video game series was created in the year 2000 by Danish company IO Interactive. Since its conception there have been eight different games released on various platforms, a bunch of Hitman novels and that memorable first film adaptation in 2007, which saw Timothy Olyphant in the lead role, alongside Olga Kurylenko and Dougray Scott. The film got a critical mauling but did well in terms of dollars taken around the world, and more than doubled its initial budget.
Fast-forward to 2015 and 20th Century Fox decided to give us another movie. Hitman: Agent 47 revolves around the same assassin, though is this time Rupert Friend appearing with the shaved cranium with a bar code tattooed on his bonce. His mission this time is to take down a corporation that plans to unlock the secret of his past to create an army of killers even more powerful than him. Along the way he picks up a target named Katia, played by Hannah Ware (Oldboy), who holds the key to that hidden secret. Out to stop him is the mysterious John Smith, played by Zachary Quinto, an agent working for the company, and pawn to corporate head Le Clerq (Thomas Kretschmann).
Hitman Agent 47 review
It’s hard to understand why Hitman: Agent 47 exists; well, apart from the commercial appeal, and secondly, if that is the sole reason; why have we waited eight years for it to arrive (though we have read that Paul Walker was originally attached to star)? The film is a very dull, paint-by-numbers affair filled with ropey dialogue from Skip Woods‘ script (he also wrote the first movie), and CGI-heavy action set pieces that are extremely repetitive and ever so boring. Rupert Friend is relatively okay in his lead role, but Zachary Quinto seems lost as hero/villain (whatever he is) Agent Smith. Even the mighty Northern Irish actor Ciarán Hinds can’t save the day with any kind of heavyweight acting gravitas for this pointless sequel in a film series that we didn’t ask for in the first place.
It’s comparison to another floppy franchise from earlier on this summer is inevitable, and this is secured only more by a post-credits scene that seemingly promises more. Please, please, please, let’s not go there.
Hitman Agent 47 review by Paul Heath, August 2015.
Hitman Agent 47 is released in UK cinemas from August 27th, 2015.
