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Not a biopic of Ricky Hatton (which would have been pretty good timing), or indeed wrestler Bret Hart, Hitman is instead an adaptation of the videogame of the same name. Being based on a videogame has been the kiss of death for many a film - though Silent Hill is underrated - as it has always seemed virtually impossible to transfer the excitement of playing a game to the excitement of watching a film dealing with the same subject matter. There are suggestions as to why this has been the case, including the argument that plots of games usually aren't the most original or interesting, and the fact that most games are heavily influenced by existing movies already. Well, as if to confirm the lack of plot argument, it is probably the weakest aspect of Hitman (the film). However, despite a troubled production - apparently, director Xavier Gens was fired before the editing stage - and contrary to a raft of scathing reviews, it's actually a very entertaining, if logically impaired, film.
Central to the film's surprising success is Timothy Olyphant, who played the forgettable bad guy in Die Hard 4.0. The role of Agent 47 seemed tailor made for the follicly challenged hard man Vin Diesel, and the Pacifier star was initially signed up to the role, but ultimately just takes an Executive Producer credit. The chrome-domed Olyphant, who seemed an odd choice at first, pulls off the task with aplomb, nailing the right balance between emotionlessness and dry humour. It's his performance, as well as the occasional sight gag (watch out for an appearance of the game on a TV), that stops Hitman from feeling like it's taking itself too seriously. Meanwhile Dougray Scott as Agent 47's Interpol pursuer is relatively bland but far from awful, and Olga Kurylenko, as the obligatory girl who implausibly tags along, is mainly memorable for showing more flesh than any Bond babe ever has.
Hitman's clear intentions to imitate the Bourne series are undermined by some gaps in believability and a few extremely far-fetched situations. The narrative also gets too convoluted at points, but this is compensated for by some excellent action scenes. The most impressive of these, and the only one that gives us something particularly new, is a face-off between 47 and three other trained hitmen in and around an empty train carriage. While it's an enjoyable and well-filmed sequence - refreshingly, Gens refrains from using too much close-up blur-o-vision - it also illustrates why it can't be taken seriously: using a bit of brain power, Jason Bourne would have avoided the fight entirely. Certainly, it is a shame that one of the game's main areas of appeal, the stealth aspect, is not used to as great a degree as it could be; 47 infiltrates a few places but the situation always culminates in a shoot-out (or, in the case of the aforementioned confrontation, a sword fight). Therefore, it's not as satisfying or suspenseful as it could have been, but remains resolutely enjoyable throughout.
The summary
An unexpectedly competent popcorn action flick, Hitman is good fun, especially considering its computer game origins.
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