WE FILM - Hitman

Release Date: November 21, 2007
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Xavier Gens
Screenwriter: Skip Woods
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Robert
Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen, Michael Offei
Genre: Action, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Hitmanmovie.com

Based on the top-selling, award-winning videogame franchise, the “Hitman” is a genetically engineered, elite assassin known only as Agent 47. His hallmarks are lethal grace and unwavering precision. Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) has been educated from birth to become a professional assassin for hire, whose most powerful weapons are his nerve and a resolute pride in his work. 47 is both the last two digits of the barcode tattooed on the nape of his neck, and his only name.

The hunter becomes the hunted when 47 gets caught up in a political takeover. Both Interpol and the Russian military chase the Hitman across Eastern Europe as he tries to find out who set him up and why they're trying to take him out of the game. But the greatest threat to 47's survival may be the stirrings of his conscience and the unfamiliar emotions aroused in him by a beautiful, damaged girl...

This film has drawn criticism from hardcore gamers. Rumours say the director submitted an "explicitly violent, very bloody cut of the film that apparently included a number of head shots and extreme gore moments that would have guaranteed the film a hard R rating". Although this comes as no surprise to anyone who’s played the game, it was to the studio, which opted for a toned down version for theatre release.

That being said, it’s unrealistic to expect the kind of over the top violence and bloodshed that you’ll find in a video game anywhere. It just won’t happen. “Hitman,” which is suspiciously similar to The Bourne Identity, delivers what most good action/thrillers do; plenty of kick ass action sequences, conspiracy theories and gratuitous violence. Throw in a sexy love interest and you’ve got the makings of a sequel.