This is not a bad action movie, but it is not a hitman movie. Its not about a sneaky hitman. And rupert does not get the part right... This is not living up to the first hitman movie that was awesome
259 Reviews
This is not a hitman movie
zathan-3284814 October 2019
Agent 47
0U1 March 2020
There seems to have been a great opportunity here to do something very Bourne-esque with the premise, but alas, it's just another average Hollywood action movie where everything is very silly, totally unbelievable and lacking depth. Still, if you just want to watch something with some action, then this is as good of a time-killer as anything else, maybe even more so if you're a fan of the video games that it's based on, although I suppose that would depend on just how faithful they've been to the source material. There's been better and there's been worse.
Unfortunately, only an action movie
Maleplatypus28 October 2015
Despite good casting, very good performances, more than a correct direction, camera work, sfx, editing and music, this movie is not excellent. It has no soul, as previous version (with Timothy Olyphant, 2007) did. Comparison is inevitable. This is only an action movie: a good bunch of action scenes and essentially a mindless fun. However, no character development or an explanation who, why, where, when and so on. Previous version had it all and if someone planned sequels (or a franchise), they should have done it eight years ago. Then it would make sense. Don't get me wrong here. This movie is not a bad one and the cast gave it all to make it entertaining. But for me that is just not enough, considering the template (video game) and possibilities to develop a good idea into a more complex and challenging story. This movie returns all to the level of the video game (maybe even below that). I think that these characters deserve more. So do we. Recommended for "set-brains-to-off" fun on a weekend afternoon.
It has nothing to do with Agent 47
ozcosmin26 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
If you have played one of the video games for at least 45 minutes you know that Agent 47 is all about discretion. DISCRETION!
It's all about how he blends in, how he hides in the shadows. If you have to physically engage guards or any other people except your target you feel like you did something wrong.
This movie was just an action movie that tries to get some of the video-game franchise fans to pay for the ticket. Bu that's about it. So instead of discretion, finesse, elegance... you have speed, force, super-intelligence... Not bad but NOT AGENT 47.
Looking forward for a real Hit-man movie.
It's all about how he blends in, how he hides in the shadows. If you have to physically engage guards or any other people except your target you feel like you did something wrong.
This movie was just an action movie that tries to get some of the video-game franchise fans to pay for the ticket. Bu that's about it. So instead of discretion, finesse, elegance... you have speed, force, super-intelligence... Not bad but NOT AGENT 47.
Looking forward for a real Hit-man movie.
Hits the mark
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews27 August 2015
An assassin teams up with a woman to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry. ...no, really, that's it. Well, there are twists, and it doesn't do everything you think it might. But much like the IOI games, this has little plot, focusing instead on extensive backstory. And at least it isn't the overly complicated mess of the '07 film, which this handily beats in all respects, keeping a few elements from it.
This has a surprising amount of character moments. Interactions and when they're alone. 47(Friend, detached from what he does feel, in control of the situation and not shy about it. He pulls off the baldness without it looking chemo and his face is "plain", not Hollywood, so he could disappear into a crowd. Or could, if he had hair), is entirely by himself. By necessity. And desire? Katia(Ware, keeping her distance, owning her anxiety and using what it to comes from to her advantage) may have been abandoned, and is driven to find out why, yet is a strong, independent woman. They compliment each other, rather than her being towed along. The others, I shouldn't give away. The genetic tampering allows bringing up the old determinism vs. free will debate, and the ethics of the practice itself. Is this too dumb to take those on? Otherwise, yes. And it owns it.
The action is elegant, choreographed, often OTT and ridiculous. A stronger, faster and smarter human, trained from childhood to kill, creatively taking on dozens of literally faceless goons? That is exactly the direction to go with it! She has incredible memory, instincts, intuition and senses. He's in his red tie, black suit, white shirt, and uses his R93 Blaser sniper, his dual silver .45s, his knives, melee and tactics. And it is glorious. The first third of this feels like The Terminator, with our titular hero as the T800! This is stylish, slick and badass.
There is a ton of bloody, violent and disturbing content, a little gore and strong language. I recommend this to anyone who wants to turn their brain off, and I mean, fully off, and enjoy themselves. Fan or not of the decade and a half old franchise? You'll grin through it either way. Doesn't matter whether you know the material, or not even like it. 8/10
This has a surprising amount of character moments. Interactions and when they're alone. 47(Friend, detached from what he does feel, in control of the situation and not shy about it. He pulls off the baldness without it looking chemo and his face is "plain", not Hollywood, so he could disappear into a crowd. Or could, if he had hair), is entirely by himself. By necessity. And desire? Katia(Ware, keeping her distance, owning her anxiety and using what it to comes from to her advantage) may have been abandoned, and is driven to find out why, yet is a strong, independent woman. They compliment each other, rather than her being towed along. The others, I shouldn't give away. The genetic tampering allows bringing up the old determinism vs. free will debate, and the ethics of the practice itself. Is this too dumb to take those on? Otherwise, yes. And it owns it.
The action is elegant, choreographed, often OTT and ridiculous. A stronger, faster and smarter human, trained from childhood to kill, creatively taking on dozens of literally faceless goons? That is exactly the direction to go with it! She has incredible memory, instincts, intuition and senses. He's in his red tie, black suit, white shirt, and uses his R93 Blaser sniper, his dual silver .45s, his knives, melee and tactics. And it is glorious. The first third of this feels like The Terminator, with our titular hero as the T800! This is stylish, slick and badass.
There is a ton of bloody, violent and disturbing content, a little gore and strong language. I recommend this to anyone who wants to turn their brain off, and I mean, fully off, and enjoy themselves. Fan or not of the decade and a half old franchise? You'll grin through it either way. Doesn't matter whether you know the material, or not even like it. 8/10
I liked it for what it was
DarkVulcan2924 August 2015
The video game based plot comes to the big screen for the second time in a reboot, the first one that came out in 2007, which was okay. I'll admit I never played the game.
The plot seems nearly similar to Wanted(2008), action scenes are pretty well done, the film is shot in a film noir like style. Rupert Friend plays Hit-man Agent 47 as basically a human terminator, he does play it well I must say. Everybody else plays there parts pretty well. There are some surprises in some corners. But the film itself is enjoyable for it's action and nothing more. In a film like this you have to suspend a little dis believe, I never take it seriously, I liked it better then the last Hit-man movie.
The plot seems nearly similar to Wanted(2008), action scenes are pretty well done, the film is shot in a film noir like style. Rupert Friend plays Hit-man Agent 47 as basically a human terminator, he does play it well I must say. Everybody else plays there parts pretty well. There are some surprises in some corners. But the film itself is enjoyable for it's action and nothing more. In a film like this you have to suspend a little dis believe, I never take it seriously, I liked it better then the last Hit-man movie.
You should watch the other one, seriously
jatsi00118 January 2016
This is a great, big, steaming pile of tripe on your plate, so make of it what you will. If you like it, I won't hold it against you. Personally, I thought it was insultingly stupid at times, at least when it wasn't completely screwing the original character over. When they started harpooning cars, I just threw my hands up and said: "I give up!" Please, no more of this. It. Was. Awful.
Mr. Friend, Mr. Kretschmann or Mr. Hinds aren't to blame. They delivered their parts with their usual professionalism. Mr. Quinto was okay too.
If you want to see a decent movie about Agent 47, watch "Hitman", starring Timothy Olyphant. That movie is much better and much 'closer to home', so to speak.
47 is an assassin, not a superhero, or even a hero, for that matter.
Just an assassin.
Mr. Friend, Mr. Kretschmann or Mr. Hinds aren't to blame. They delivered their parts with their usual professionalism. Mr. Quinto was okay too.
If you want to see a decent movie about Agent 47, watch "Hitman", starring Timothy Olyphant. That movie is much better and much 'closer to home', so to speak.
47 is an assassin, not a superhero, or even a hero, for that matter.
Just an assassin.
Loud, dumb but executed with enough flair and momentum not to bore, this 'Hitman' reboot is a passable diversion
moviexclusive19 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Anyone who's ever harboured the dream of seeing Singapore feature prominently in a Hollywood movie will certainly be pleased with 'Hitman: Agent 47", which features iconic landmarks such as Gardens by the Bay and Marina South in their full glory. A pivotal supporting character is seen admiring the orchids in the Gardens' Cloud Forest dome, before taking a stroll along the OCBC Skyway. The headquarters of a sinister group known as the Syndicate Organisation is situated right in the heart of Marina South, against the backdrop of the Marina Bay Financial Centre and Asia Square towers. And last but not least, there is even a full-scale shootout in broad daylight along downtown Robinson Road, which probably has never seen and will never see as many Comfort taxis at the same time.
We're not sure what it took to convince the producers and filmmakers of this video game adaptation to bring part of the production here, but hey it is one of the few thrills in an otherwise loud and dumb action thriller. To be frank, we weren't expecting much from this reboot of the earlier EuropaCorp film starring Timothy Olyphant in the titular role of a chrome-domed, genetically engineered, emotionless contract killer from not so far back in 2007; after all, if there is one demographic that it would try to please, it is the video-gamers who adore stepping into the shoes of the cold-blooded assassin to kill off his enemies while wrecking maximum carnage in the process, which was probably in the one-line brief that Fox gave to veteran commercials director Aleksander Bach here.
Hamstrung by a muddled script by Skip Woods (who also wrote the earlier 'Hitman' movie) and Michael Finch, Bach falls back on a breakneck pacing and flashy visuals to gloss over the film's obvious storytelling flaws. Yes, despite an intriguing first half-hour that teases the characters' motivations, the rest of the film is unfortunately as straight-forward as it gets in plotting the cat- and-mouse game between Katia (Hannah Ware) and a certain John Smith (Zachary Quinto) dispatched by Syndicate HQ. Katia is the crucial link to the Agent programme's lead scientist Dr. Litvenko (Ciaran Hinds), whom the Syndicate's head honcho Le Clerq (Thomas Kretschmann) needs to restart the programme. Another organisation however has sent Rupert Friend's Agent 47 to prevent Katia from falling into the hands of the Syndicate, though it isn't quite clear what they want from her.
The less you think about the plot, the more you are likely to enjoy the visceral pleasures that the film offers. True to the spirit of its source material, the action here is brutal and pulsating, with heads blown off, bodies sucked into giant jet engines, limbs slashed and blood basically splattering everywhere (and for those who are wondering, much of the bloodletting takes place in interiors rather than exteriors, so don't get your hopes up about seeing all that happening along our streets). Bach choreographs and executes the action with gory flair, and fans of the IO Interactive game will be glad to know that he makes the effort to retain its aesthetics.
Yet no matter how diverting the shootouts or fisticuffs may be, there is no hiding the fact that the characters are under-written. Though Friend makes for a surprisingly good Agent 47 - and we are not just talking about his looks - the actor best known for his supporting part in 'Homeland' is shortchanged by the script's reluctance to develop fully the theme of choice versus blind obedience. Ware makes a sufficiently harried female protagonist, but Quinto is utterly wasted in a role that doesn't quite know what to do with him after it is revealed that he is actually working for the Syndicate. Veterans Hinds and Kretschmann have even more limited roles, but their natural gravitas elevates their presence just ever so slightly.
Of course, you'll probably should not expect a film like 'Hitman: Agent 47' to be moulded on an intricate plot or deep characters, and true enough, it isn't. Rather, it takes its action seriously, which is what its target demographic is likely to assess it on anyways - and in that regard, it succeeds as a fast-paced thrill ride all right, even though it is equally mind-numbing. That said, there is greater relish watching some of the action unfold in our very own backyard, no matter that the reasoning for re-locating the action from Berlin to Singapore midway through the film is tenuous at best, and the novelty in watching the sights we are familiar with within a big-budget Hollywood action thriller makes it slightly more enjoyable.
We're not sure what it took to convince the producers and filmmakers of this video game adaptation to bring part of the production here, but hey it is one of the few thrills in an otherwise loud and dumb action thriller. To be frank, we weren't expecting much from this reboot of the earlier EuropaCorp film starring Timothy Olyphant in the titular role of a chrome-domed, genetically engineered, emotionless contract killer from not so far back in 2007; after all, if there is one demographic that it would try to please, it is the video-gamers who adore stepping into the shoes of the cold-blooded assassin to kill off his enemies while wrecking maximum carnage in the process, which was probably in the one-line brief that Fox gave to veteran commercials director Aleksander Bach here.
Hamstrung by a muddled script by Skip Woods (who also wrote the earlier 'Hitman' movie) and Michael Finch, Bach falls back on a breakneck pacing and flashy visuals to gloss over the film's obvious storytelling flaws. Yes, despite an intriguing first half-hour that teases the characters' motivations, the rest of the film is unfortunately as straight-forward as it gets in plotting the cat- and-mouse game between Katia (Hannah Ware) and a certain John Smith (Zachary Quinto) dispatched by Syndicate HQ. Katia is the crucial link to the Agent programme's lead scientist Dr. Litvenko (Ciaran Hinds), whom the Syndicate's head honcho Le Clerq (Thomas Kretschmann) needs to restart the programme. Another organisation however has sent Rupert Friend's Agent 47 to prevent Katia from falling into the hands of the Syndicate, though it isn't quite clear what they want from her.
The less you think about the plot, the more you are likely to enjoy the visceral pleasures that the film offers. True to the spirit of its source material, the action here is brutal and pulsating, with heads blown off, bodies sucked into giant jet engines, limbs slashed and blood basically splattering everywhere (and for those who are wondering, much of the bloodletting takes place in interiors rather than exteriors, so don't get your hopes up about seeing all that happening along our streets). Bach choreographs and executes the action with gory flair, and fans of the IO Interactive game will be glad to know that he makes the effort to retain its aesthetics.
Yet no matter how diverting the shootouts or fisticuffs may be, there is no hiding the fact that the characters are under-written. Though Friend makes for a surprisingly good Agent 47 - and we are not just talking about his looks - the actor best known for his supporting part in 'Homeland' is shortchanged by the script's reluctance to develop fully the theme of choice versus blind obedience. Ware makes a sufficiently harried female protagonist, but Quinto is utterly wasted in a role that doesn't quite know what to do with him after it is revealed that he is actually working for the Syndicate. Veterans Hinds and Kretschmann have even more limited roles, but their natural gravitas elevates their presence just ever so slightly.
Of course, you'll probably should not expect a film like 'Hitman: Agent 47' to be moulded on an intricate plot or deep characters, and true enough, it isn't. Rather, it takes its action seriously, which is what its target demographic is likely to assess it on anyways - and in that regard, it succeeds as a fast-paced thrill ride all right, even though it is equally mind-numbing. That said, there is greater relish watching some of the action unfold in our very own backyard, no matter that the reasoning for re-locating the action from Berlin to Singapore midway through the film is tenuous at best, and the novelty in watching the sights we are familiar with within a big-budget Hollywood action thriller makes it slightly more enjoyable.
I have not played the game. I still didn't like the movie.
siderite11 December 2015
It felt like the team that made the Resident Evil films- another failed attempt to turn a game into a movie - has worked on this as well. It is an Apple-style, gun kata, Matrix derived, James Bond cloning, CGI filled, Resident Evil sequel.
I wanted to watch it because I like Rupert Friend in Homeland. He did not disappoint, but neither did he blow my mind. It is clear that he needs better direction than the one time director Aleksander Bach could provide. Zachary Quinto does a decent job as well, considering the script. Hannah Ware is... cute and has a British accent. That's about it.
I could waste time telling you about the story, but it is rather silly and obvious. Even the twists, you see them coming from miles away. I think one thing only explains the film better than any review: Jürgen Prochnow gets less screen time than Angelababy in this movie. Yeah, I had to google her, too.
I wanted to watch it because I like Rupert Friend in Homeland. He did not disappoint, but neither did he blow my mind. It is clear that he needs better direction than the one time director Aleksander Bach could provide. Zachary Quinto does a decent job as well, considering the script. Hannah Ware is... cute and has a British accent. That's about it.
I could waste time telling you about the story, but it is rather silly and obvious. Even the twists, you see them coming from miles away. I think one thing only explains the film better than any review: Jürgen Prochnow gets less screen time than Angelababy in this movie. Yeah, I had to google her, too.
panache and elan
A_Different_Drummer31 October 2015
What's with the haters? Were you expecting Lord of the Rings? As luck would have it, I caught this film just after revisiting Guy Ritchie's lamentable MAN FROM UNCLE.
As I watched Hit-man 47 I could not help but notice that every single goal that Ritchie had failed at in UNCLE, Bach nailed here.
The story was fast-paced. full of clever tropes. the characters were engaging and the cinematography was breath-taking.
I can understand perhaps why reviewers comparing it to the original might get frustrated -- Olyphant is such a strong presence that he commands the screen where here Bach had to work harder and better to hold attention. And he does.
Quinto is solid but I am concerned at the arc his career is taking. In HEROES, he was mesmerizing. In Star Trek, he nailed young Spock. Here he is merely solid and competent.
Would recommend.
As I watched Hit-man 47 I could not help but notice that every single goal that Ritchie had failed at in UNCLE, Bach nailed here.
The story was fast-paced. full of clever tropes. the characters were engaging and the cinematography was breath-taking.
I can understand perhaps why reviewers comparing it to the original might get frustrated -- Olyphant is such a strong presence that he commands the screen where here Bach had to work harder and better to hold attention. And he does.
Quinto is solid but I am concerned at the arc his career is taking. In HEROES, he was mesmerizing. In Star Trek, he nailed young Spock. Here he is merely solid and competent.
Would recommend.
I liked it!!
media-10416 February 2016
A straight forward Action Movie
I don't understand the low rating.. Honestly..
A postmodern bulk action movie, with a rather cold (cool) edge. With a lot of stock actors (redshirts), tons of bullets, car chases and a straightforward story.. Would make a great TV Show. Good entertainment with agreeable acting. Rupert Friend is a believable fighting machine.. All in all a straightforward, no frill action with no higher aspiration..
I did enjoy this compact gem..
Therefor I give it a solid 8/10.
I don't understand the low rating.. Honestly..
A postmodern bulk action movie, with a rather cold (cool) edge. With a lot of stock actors (redshirts), tons of bullets, car chases and a straightforward story.. Would make a great TV Show. Good entertainment with agreeable acting. Rupert Friend is a believable fighting machine.. All in all a straightforward, no frill action with no higher aspiration..
I did enjoy this compact gem..
Therefor I give it a solid 8/10.
Not really worth a rental, but it wouldn't be a awful rental
KineticSeoul23 December 2015
Although it ain't saying much but the 2007 version is better than this one. And it's not only because you get to see Olga Kurylenko topless either. It seemed like they actually put some effort into the 2007 version of "Hitman" the movie. This one just seemed like a cheap attempt. Just about every potential in this movie is wasted, such as Zachary Quinto. The whole thing suffers from Paul W. S. Anderson's direction when it comes to video game to movie form. Except it doesn't stray that far from the source material. Audiences that doesn't know about "Hitman" video games will find this movie odd for negative reasons. And the gamers that know about this video game franchise will be left disappointed. Because the actor that plays Agent 47 does not resemble 47 besides the shaved head. And the way Agent 47 does things in the video game is very very different. Kind of like how Paul W. S. Anderson took a survival horror game into a straight up kung-fu action movie with bullet time and people pulling off "The Matrix" maneuvers. Watching this was like watching a crappy version of "The Terminator". On a positive note, maybe it's because this movie is just 1 hour and 30 minutes but the characters weren't really annoying but they are still easily forgettable. The hand to hand fight choreography was choppy but alright as well. However I was just checking my watch throughout this whole mess of a film, even though I try to give it a shot and see the positive aspects of it. I have just seen way way better action movies over this one. The whole premise and direction is lame and for a movie that actually made it to theaters, the CGI in this is really bad. Especially for a movie that made it to theaters in 2015. It's not really worth a rental, but it wouldn't be a awful rental.
4/10
4/10
Makes the 2007 Hit-man film look like a masterpiece!
alex-christian21 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I never expected anything more of this film than run of the mill action with the Hit-man flavor. I was sorely disappointed. Firstly I felt like the first hour or so of the film was a take on "The Terminator" with a bit of a "Leon: The Professional" vibe too. There was even an antagonist who had rejuvenating body armour like a Terminator cyborg. He got shot plenty of times to kill him and even electrocuted but wouldn't die. Agent 47 was basically reduced to a supporting character and the "sixth sense" nonsense where the female protagonist learns to harness her own Hit-man skills is laughable. Throw in the old "you're brother and sister" and you've got your classic 1am made-for-TV b-movie. However my greatest disappointment was at the end when they take the HQ down and do all of this "in-sync" shooting with one another, crossing arms etc... it was so cringe worthy. The only cool part of the film for me was when I accepted she had a sixth sense of a sort and at the very end where the female protagonist anticipated a powerful army or special ops team of sorts coming up the stairs to get them, when in fact it was Agent 48. Then the film ended. It was kind of cool. I love Hit-man but was very disappointed although I do feel if they ever make another one they need to have an actor who is essentially a no-name because 47 is so blank in the face if you had a famous person playing the character I feel you would lose your suspension of disbelief. No disrespect to The Late Paul Walker who was in talks to play the iconic video game character. Lastly I feel that what the Hit-man games are about; stealth and creative ways to execute contracts is not what an action films wants which is full on shoot-outs. In the game Hit-man if you carried on the way they did in this film (or the last to be honest) then you would lose so many points for not being a "silent assassin" as he "goes loud" almost every time in this. The need to go Nolan-Batman, dark themed if they were to translate this into a successful film franchise.
An explosive action movie from start to end...
paul_haakonsen11 November 2016
I enjoyed the games back in the day, and I also enjoyed the first "Hitman" movie from 2007. I was aware of this movie, but never really got around to watch it before I happened to come across it by sheer luck and then took the time to watch it.
And I was blown away. I had really been missing out on an action movie of high caliber here. "Hitman: Agent 47" kicks up into high gear from the very beginning and it doesn't slow down.
The story was good, albeit it is quite simplistic. Agent 47 teams up with a woman to find her father and thus finding out about her story and background.
"Hitman: Agent 47" just pounds you with everything it got, and it is a thrill to sit through it all. Especially because director Aleksander Bach really punched the movie into explosive gear and just kept assaulting the audience with one impressive scene after another.
There is so much action in this movie, that even us who grew up with the movies of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Van Damme, and the likes can't help to be impressed. I was blown away by the overload of action and adrenaline that this movie has. And it was all choreographed so nicely and equally so executed on the screen. It was a pure pleasure to sit through this explosive movie.
At first I was a bit hesitant about how Rupert Friend would handle the role of Agent 47. But he put my hesitation to shame early on in the movie. He was so right for this role and he was an excellent choice for Agent 47. I dare actually say that he played the part much better than Timothy Olyphant did back in 2007.
"Hitman: Agent 47" really took me by surprise, and this is definitely a movie that you can watch more than once. If you enjoy action movies and haven't gotten around to watching "Hitman: Agent 47" yet, I can only encourage you to get around to doing it, because you are really missing out on an explosive movie.
And I was blown away. I had really been missing out on an action movie of high caliber here. "Hitman: Agent 47" kicks up into high gear from the very beginning and it doesn't slow down.
The story was good, albeit it is quite simplistic. Agent 47 teams up with a woman to find her father and thus finding out about her story and background.
"Hitman: Agent 47" just pounds you with everything it got, and it is a thrill to sit through it all. Especially because director Aleksander Bach really punched the movie into explosive gear and just kept assaulting the audience with one impressive scene after another.
There is so much action in this movie, that even us who grew up with the movies of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Van Damme, and the likes can't help to be impressed. I was blown away by the overload of action and adrenaline that this movie has. And it was all choreographed so nicely and equally so executed on the screen. It was a pure pleasure to sit through this explosive movie.
At first I was a bit hesitant about how Rupert Friend would handle the role of Agent 47. But he put my hesitation to shame early on in the movie. He was so right for this role and he was an excellent choice for Agent 47. I dare actually say that he played the part much better than Timothy Olyphant did back in 2007.
"Hitman: Agent 47" really took me by surprise, and this is definitely a movie that you can watch more than once. If you enjoy action movies and haven't gotten around to watching "Hitman: Agent 47" yet, I can only encourage you to get around to doing it, because you are really missing out on an explosive movie.
Fantastic From Fade-In to Fade-Out!!!
zardoz-136 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
No, I've never played any of the many versions of the "Hitman" video games that either Eidos Interactive or Eidos Interactive or Square Enix have marketed since 2000. The first cinematic adaptation of the stealth video game series about a genetically-engineered, skin-headed assassin with a bar code stamped on the back of his head and designated as Agent 47 appeared in 2007 with "Justified" star Timothy Olyphant. Sources indicate that the $25-million budgeted actioneer raked in about $150-million at the box office. Mind you, Hollywood has produced sequels from less successful originals so it seems mysterious that Twentieth Century Fox has stalled a sequel for so long. Actually, I thought director Xavier Gens's fast-paced but formulaic "Hitman" qualified as bottom-of-the-barrel abysmal. Despite its strong cast and slick production values, the unrated DVD/Blu-ray "Hitman" release has done nothing to alter my sentiments. Consequently, I approached director Aleksander Bach's sequel "Hitman: Agent 47" with dread. Reportedly, "Fast and Furious" star Paul Walker had been attached to star in this shoot'em up saga before he died in a fiery car crash. British thespian Rupert Friend of "Homeland" fame takes over the role from Timothy Olyphant. Friend adopts the skin-head look and delivers a performance every bit as imperturbable as Olyphant. Surprisingly enough, however, "Hitman: Agent 47" turned out a 100 times better than its lackluster predecessor. As far as pistol-packing suspense thrillers go, "Hitman: Agent 47" (**** OUT OF ****) ranks as one of the preeminent summer actioneers. I found myself entirely caught off guard by this sensational shoot'em up. Stunning Berlin and Singapore scenery, spontaneous combat sequences, a double-digit body count, and story surprises galore distinguish this lean, mean, 97 minute, R-rated, bullet-riddled bloodbath about a daughter searching for her long-lost father. Granted, movies about cloned, super-assassins have become a dime-a-dozen, but "Hitman: Agent 47" looms above all others with its imaginative Skip Woods and Michael Finch script and Bach's ambitiously, outlandish showdowns. If you love stimulating action movies, you'll appreciate this gripping movie that co-stars Ciarán Hinds, Thomas Kretschmann, Zachary Quinto, and Jürgen Prochnow.
Ridiculous
wybe-212 November 2015
I'm very much a fan of the Hit-man games and was (again) shocked by the sheer ignorance in this film. Obvious mistakes and plot holes were apparent from the first minute; things like reloading guns only when it looks cool, guards with their backs to the elevator, contradictions in speech. Lack of a credibility of the entire storyline can be forgiven, since it's still a dystopian video game and don't we all love a dame in distress. The disrespect director Bach shows in ignoring the very nature of the games (stealth) and treating the audience as idiots is culpable. Most of the shots seem to have been made just to look good. CGI was not too good but unlike the rest of the film, functional.
Not that bad
misha_kerogazov31 July 2020
Hitman: Agent 47 is a pretty decent thriller/action movie. It was probably not as cool as I expected after watching the trailer, but I still enjoyed it.
The story of course has wholes, inconsistencies and illogical moments, but if you just want to see some action and let it flow, then you will enjoy it as well. The main characters deliver and my rather small complaint would that neither of them are actual martial artists and as there are a lot of hand-to-hand combat, sometimes it was not as smooth as it was supposed to be, but still very watchable.
Recommended for action movie nights.
The story of course has wholes, inconsistencies and illogical moments, but if you just want to see some action and let it flow, then you will enjoy it as well. The main characters deliver and my rather small complaint would that neither of them are actual martial artists and as there are a lot of hand-to-hand combat, sometimes it was not as smooth as it was supposed to be, but still very watchable.
Recommended for action movie nights.
Underneath the disguise of flashy cinematic and noise effects, Hit-man: Agent 47 is sadly, still a misfire of corny script and abysmal plot.
quincytheodore21 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
As an action flick, it's certainly brimming with cool choreography as characters partially dance and partially John Woo dive their way through hail of bullet. Unfortunately, the plot is nonsensical and inconsistent. It's understandable that the team wanted to create larger than life plot, but the process needs more delicacy than taking small scenes of the game and throws a bunch of popular gimmicks from Terminator to Minority Report, then hopes it would work or audience would suspend their belief.
Story is the typical enhanced soldier theme. Granted, the video games used same narrative, but then it gets ridiculously over-the-top and even borderline supernatural. It follows Agent 47 (Rupert Friend) as he tries to find the scientist who pioneered the super soldier program by finding his daughter Katia (Hannah Ware).
The movie revolves around finding this scientist and shady organization trying to revive the program. For a stoic character such as 47, the movie pairs him with female lead for more interaction, otherwise it'd be just all business and murder. It doesn't help that Katia is one dimensional and honestly equally stiff, the chemistry between them is hardly engaging.
It's also odd that the multi-million organization and legendary assassins treats Katia as though she holds all the secret. The plot actually hinges entirely on her, and at times she even depicts as having clairvoyance skill. Script uses a lot of flamboyant one-liners, almost as in gibberish cat poster.
With all of these quirky narrative and plot discrepancy, it's really hard to take the movie seriously. Story feels like a pretense to push the pace to next grand set pieces. To its credit, it does have plenty of stylish cinematography. Using all sorts of nifty choreography, dual wielding gunslinger combat in exotic places, it has ample bombastic action.
Note that one of Hit-man games actually titled Silent Assassin and it's also the highest rank in game. The cerebral or tactical approach is used sparsely, and those don't even appear natural. In fact, without the suit and Hit-man on the title you wouldn't even recognize it as Hit-man movie, probably some Universal Soldier spin-off.
It's definitely an explosive spectacle, but sadly also a mindless one. If this is how video game is, still, translated to silver screen, it doesn't convey the game's core story, or any presentable story in general.
Story is the typical enhanced soldier theme. Granted, the video games used same narrative, but then it gets ridiculously over-the-top and even borderline supernatural. It follows Agent 47 (Rupert Friend) as he tries to find the scientist who pioneered the super soldier program by finding his daughter Katia (Hannah Ware).
The movie revolves around finding this scientist and shady organization trying to revive the program. For a stoic character such as 47, the movie pairs him with female lead for more interaction, otherwise it'd be just all business and murder. It doesn't help that Katia is one dimensional and honestly equally stiff, the chemistry between them is hardly engaging.
It's also odd that the multi-million organization and legendary assassins treats Katia as though she holds all the secret. The plot actually hinges entirely on her, and at times she even depicts as having clairvoyance skill. Script uses a lot of flamboyant one-liners, almost as in gibberish cat poster.
With all of these quirky narrative and plot discrepancy, it's really hard to take the movie seriously. Story feels like a pretense to push the pace to next grand set pieces. To its credit, it does have plenty of stylish cinematography. Using all sorts of nifty choreography, dual wielding gunslinger combat in exotic places, it has ample bombastic action.
Note that one of Hit-man games actually titled Silent Assassin and it's also the highest rank in game. The cerebral or tactical approach is used sparsely, and those don't even appear natural. In fact, without the suit and Hit-man on the title you wouldn't even recognize it as Hit-man movie, probably some Universal Soldier spin-off.
It's definitely an explosive spectacle, but sadly also a mindless one. If this is how video game is, still, translated to silver screen, it doesn't convey the game's core story, or any presentable story in general.
Complete garbage
andrew-hill51529 January 2021
Style over substance...
s327616924 October 2015
Hit-man: Agent 47 is an exercise in style over substance. Its reminiscent of a long running commercial with lots of highly stylized elements, glitzy cars, flashy guns, designer clothes. Indeed, even the bad guys headquarters looks like it was decorated by the sort of people who might outfit an Apple store.
The sad fact, however, is this is "almost" all that's on offer here. Lots of mind rotting eye candy and some predictable, formulaic action sequences. To be fair, some of the action is well executed but its not enough on its own to carry this film. The storyline is too simplistic and shallow and the characters of the one dimensional, cardboard variety.
My advice, if you like flashy commercials for, say, exotic cars, phones, computers, watches and other unnecessarily expensive consumables watch them instead. At least they are free (unless, of course, you succumb to the advertisers marketing ploys). Three out of ten from me.
The sad fact, however, is this is "almost" all that's on offer here. Lots of mind rotting eye candy and some predictable, formulaic action sequences. To be fair, some of the action is well executed but its not enough on its own to carry this film. The storyline is too simplistic and shallow and the characters of the one dimensional, cardboard variety.
My advice, if you like flashy commercials for, say, exotic cars, phones, computers, watches and other unnecessarily expensive consumables watch them instead. At least they are free (unless, of course, you succumb to the advertisers marketing ploys). Three out of ten from me.
Mindless Action/Little Plot
stevendbeard21 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I saw "Hit-man:Agent 47", starring Rupert Friend-Homeland_tv, Pride & Prejudice; Hannah Ware-Oldboy, Cop Out; Zachary Quinto-Spock in the new Star Trek movies, Heroes_tv and Ciaran Hinds-Game of Thrones_tv, Road to Perdition.
This is a re-boot of the 2007 Hit-man movie that is also based on a video game. Rupert plays the Hit-man:Agent 47,the 47th assassin created by Ciaran, a genetics scientist that worked on splicing the genes of fear and love out of his human experimental volunteers and increased their strength, speed and aggression to make a super soldier. After he made about 43 more of these assassins-the count got up to 90-he decided that he had a change of heart and abandoned the program, going into hiding, taking his research with him. Hannah plays Ciaran's daughter that is searching for him and being pursued by just about everyone else that thinks she can lead them to her father-some people want to restart the program. Zachery plays a man that tries to help Hannah avoid all these people looking for her, plus, he has a few secrets himself. The action is amped up with lots of hand to hand fights, gun battles and car/motorcycle chases but the plot could have used a little more effort to balance it out; sometimes, it just seemed like it would go from one battle or chase to another, without an explanation of who was after who or even why. It's rated "R" for violence and language and has a running time of 1 hour & 36 minutes. If you are in the mood for some mindless action that is light on plot then this one is for you. I enjoyed it enough that I would buy it on DVD.
This is a re-boot of the 2007 Hit-man movie that is also based on a video game. Rupert plays the Hit-man:Agent 47,the 47th assassin created by Ciaran, a genetics scientist that worked on splicing the genes of fear and love out of his human experimental volunteers and increased their strength, speed and aggression to make a super soldier. After he made about 43 more of these assassins-the count got up to 90-he decided that he had a change of heart and abandoned the program, going into hiding, taking his research with him. Hannah plays Ciaran's daughter that is searching for him and being pursued by just about everyone else that thinks she can lead them to her father-some people want to restart the program. Zachery plays a man that tries to help Hannah avoid all these people looking for her, plus, he has a few secrets himself. The action is amped up with lots of hand to hand fights, gun battles and car/motorcycle chases but the plot could have used a little more effort to balance it out; sometimes, it just seemed like it would go from one battle or chase to another, without an explanation of who was after who or even why. It's rated "R" for violence and language and has a running time of 1 hour & 36 minutes. If you are in the mood for some mindless action that is light on plot then this one is for you. I enjoyed it enough that I would buy it on DVD.
A Better Attempt But Not Quite There
nick-sultana23 August 2015
When it comes to movies based on popular videogames, a majority of them intend to fail and get the fanboys of the game source to rave and rant on what's wrong with it and question why it was made. In this scenario, Hit-man: Agent 47 does stand somewhere near there, but it does improve on its 2nd attempt to bring the 'silent assassin' on screen in the best way possible.
The film follows an assassin known only as Agent 47 (played by a great and bald Rupert Friend) who seems to team up with a woman named Hanna (Hannah Ware) to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry. Together, they aim to take down the leader of Syndicate International, a terrorist group who is aiming to discover and create more deadly hit-man that process Hannah's unique ability and are more deadly than the assassin himself.
What makes Agent 47 so redeemable is the fact that it tries to improve on its plot and following the game source material than what the 2007 adaptation did (not to mention that the casting of Timothy Olyphant is mixed for me), it may not have done its 100% faithfulness to be label how game-to-movies are made but it's better than what most people say. The plot itself stays simple and is a no brainer to follow what's happening, but I did feel that the movie itself ran smoothly and kept pace in strong hold but the 96 minute running time is still considered short for my tastes (hopefully in future there will be an extended cut of the film that could help bring the film longer).
The casting range here may or may not seem recognisable but the cast do put on their best performance roles, Rupert Friend (from TV's Homeland) suits better as Agent 47 than what Olyphant's take did. Agent 47 is pretty much an emotionless, ruthless and yet cunning like in the game and Friend sticks close to that with good results. Ware makes a good impression as the female lead, playing a character that is searching for not only her past but embracing the future ahead as she learns more about her 'unique' side. Zachary Quninto plays a decent role as well though other reviewers say that his role was wasted, I won't give away too much but he does give his best on-screen role that's not a waste.
Pros: + Better plot than the previous film + Great performances from Friend, Ware and Quinto + Fun and well-set action pieces that are structured much well better than the first film
Cons: - Short running time, I would have loved to seen the film go longer and see itself expand into something unique- CGI may be clearly noticeable in some of the action set pieces
OVERALL: Hit-man: Agent 47 is a better but not yet best game to movie adaptation to surface in years, Arming itself with a great choice of casting, direction, plot and action, the film is a worthy watch on a lazy afternoon and it's a 'leave the brain at the door' so you can't take it to be full-on serious.
The film follows an assassin known only as Agent 47 (played by a great and bald Rupert Friend) who seems to team up with a woman named Hanna (Hannah Ware) to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry. Together, they aim to take down the leader of Syndicate International, a terrorist group who is aiming to discover and create more deadly hit-man that process Hannah's unique ability and are more deadly than the assassin himself.
What makes Agent 47 so redeemable is the fact that it tries to improve on its plot and following the game source material than what the 2007 adaptation did (not to mention that the casting of Timothy Olyphant is mixed for me), it may not have done its 100% faithfulness to be label how game-to-movies are made but it's better than what most people say. The plot itself stays simple and is a no brainer to follow what's happening, but I did feel that the movie itself ran smoothly and kept pace in strong hold but the 96 minute running time is still considered short for my tastes (hopefully in future there will be an extended cut of the film that could help bring the film longer).
The casting range here may or may not seem recognisable but the cast do put on their best performance roles, Rupert Friend (from TV's Homeland) suits better as Agent 47 than what Olyphant's take did. Agent 47 is pretty much an emotionless, ruthless and yet cunning like in the game and Friend sticks close to that with good results. Ware makes a good impression as the female lead, playing a character that is searching for not only her past but embracing the future ahead as she learns more about her 'unique' side. Zachary Quninto plays a decent role as well though other reviewers say that his role was wasted, I won't give away too much but he does give his best on-screen role that's not a waste.
Pros: + Better plot than the previous film + Great performances from Friend, Ware and Quinto + Fun and well-set action pieces that are structured much well better than the first film
Cons: - Short running time, I would have loved to seen the film go longer and see itself expand into something unique- CGI may be clearly noticeable in some of the action set pieces
OVERALL: Hit-man: Agent 47 is a better but not yet best game to movie adaptation to surface in years, Arming itself with a great choice of casting, direction, plot and action, the film is a worthy watch on a lazy afternoon and it's a 'leave the brain at the door' so you can't take it to be full-on serious.
They just made it up as they went along !
adabsiz23 October 2019
Changi Airport must have the worst security system in the world ! To be able to smuggle guns and knives seems to be dead easy .. No one had a meal, or ran out of weapons or ammunition throughout this joke of a film. Passports and visas ? Nah, no need ... the director takes care of that. The father, at long last was a damp squid with a strange East German accent ! I fell asleep before the end knowing I wasn't going to miss ANYTHING ... Oh, and in case you didn't know, it seems that all the cars in Singapore are left-hand drive !
tgchan says NO~!!! / www.tgchan.pl
tgchan22 November 2015
5.8/10 from 28,215 users, I know it will be bad
but I cannot help it
I have to watch it~! I have grew up with the love for the original game. Unfortunately, some people like to take advantage of the fame of good games, and make bad films, pulling many original fans into a pitfall. I feel like a moth flying towards a fire
will I get burnt?
6 minutes – terrible not even one game had such ridiculous action going on + 47 doesn't even remotely look like the original
8 minutes – another scene looks like a copy of John Wick (2014) but it is much more cringe-worthy
15 minutes – WTF is this s*** Aleksander Bach should be banned from the film industry the guy has no clue
51 minutes – I have decided to watch this film despite of the negative ratings, in hope that I can say something good for a change but I really cannot. It feels like a mixture of Terminator/Resident Evil/Matrix films, but only when you take everything what is bad from them
1h 10minutes – the main character is quite likable, even when he doesn't have much in common with 47
If I would rate it solely, on how truthfully they have presented agent 47 from the games, the rating would be -4 /10 Terrible from the beginning to the very end, avoid like a poo.
tgchan's rating: 4 /10
6 minutes – terrible not even one game had such ridiculous action going on + 47 doesn't even remotely look like the original
8 minutes – another scene looks like a copy of John Wick (2014) but it is much more cringe-worthy
15 minutes – WTF is this s*** Aleksander Bach should be banned from the film industry the guy has no clue
51 minutes – I have decided to watch this film despite of the negative ratings, in hope that I can say something good for a change but I really cannot. It feels like a mixture of Terminator/Resident Evil/Matrix films, but only when you take everything what is bad from them
1h 10minutes – the main character is quite likable, even when he doesn't have much in common with 47
If I would rate it solely, on how truthfully they have presented agent 47 from the games, the rating would be -4 /10 Terrible from the beginning to the very end, avoid like a poo.
tgchan's rating: 4 /10
Go see it for yourself you might be surprise
Terryfan5 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I went and saw Hit-man: Agent 47 in theaters this afternoon mostly out of boredom and I haven't been to the movies for a while so why not have some fun and it is the weekend after all.
While I do know that the film is inspired by Hit-man the video game series I don't know much about the game in terms of it's characters or the story line but I do know about the games.
Normally movies based on video games are often times mix results some are good some are bad some are so bad it's good however some are just awful.
But Hit-man: Agent 47 does present itself with more than enough to make it watchable.
The films stars Rupert Friend as Agent 47, Hannah Ware as Katia van Dees,Zachary Quinto as John Smith, Ciarán Hinds as Dr.Litvenko, Thomas Kretschmann as Antoine LeClerq, Angelababy as Diana.
The plot of the films centers around Agent 47 an assassin must teams up with Katia to help not only unlock the mysteries of her past but to also find her father. However things are not what they appear to be as the story advances.
What I like best about this movie were the stunts which were pretty insane. It doesn't start off like that at first as we get a introduction about the Agents program but after that it's game on as we see how powerful Agent 47 is.
The character development is really good they took the time to give the characters time to develop so we could get to understand them more which is rare in action films
The fight and action scenes steal the show there were moments that I thought to myself "Oh you have got to be kidding me" And believe me there is a lot of those moments in this film.
I also love the music in the film, I hope they release a soundtrack for the music because it really matches the story of the film and it is very well done each piece of music works and helps brings the story and the characters out.
What also makes the movie different is that the protagonist's greatest threat is the mind which proved here to be the most powerful weapon of them all and it will make you go wow.
However this film does feature some very violent scenes that I don't suggest letting younger eyes see. Also the way the kills happen makes you go wow.
No wonder why this got a R Rating which allow for little limitation.
But this was actually a surprise film to watch at the theater and it did give me a enjoyable watch. Sure it's not a perfect film but it's based off a video game where you are suppose to have fun and that's what you get with Hit-man: Agent 47, a enjoyable action film that makes you go wow.
There are moments in the plots that make you not understand however it does also feature plenty of plot twists that make you go I didn't see that coming
SO with wild stunts, insane action scenes and unexpected plot twists there is something to make Hit-man: Agent 47 worth the trip to the movies.
I give Hit-man: Agent 47 an 7 out of 10
While I do know that the film is inspired by Hit-man the video game series I don't know much about the game in terms of it's characters or the story line but I do know about the games.
Normally movies based on video games are often times mix results some are good some are bad some are so bad it's good however some are just awful.
But Hit-man: Agent 47 does present itself with more than enough to make it watchable.
The films stars Rupert Friend as Agent 47, Hannah Ware as Katia van Dees,Zachary Quinto as John Smith, Ciarán Hinds as Dr.Litvenko, Thomas Kretschmann as Antoine LeClerq, Angelababy as Diana.
The plot of the films centers around Agent 47 an assassin must teams up with Katia to help not only unlock the mysteries of her past but to also find her father. However things are not what they appear to be as the story advances.
What I like best about this movie were the stunts which were pretty insane. It doesn't start off like that at first as we get a introduction about the Agents program but after that it's game on as we see how powerful Agent 47 is.
The character development is really good they took the time to give the characters time to develop so we could get to understand them more which is rare in action films
The fight and action scenes steal the show there were moments that I thought to myself "Oh you have got to be kidding me" And believe me there is a lot of those moments in this film.
I also love the music in the film, I hope they release a soundtrack for the music because it really matches the story of the film and it is very well done each piece of music works and helps brings the story and the characters out.
What also makes the movie different is that the protagonist's greatest threat is the mind which proved here to be the most powerful weapon of them all and it will make you go wow.
However this film does feature some very violent scenes that I don't suggest letting younger eyes see. Also the way the kills happen makes you go wow.
No wonder why this got a R Rating which allow for little limitation.
But this was actually a surprise film to watch at the theater and it did give me a enjoyable watch. Sure it's not a perfect film but it's based off a video game where you are suppose to have fun and that's what you get with Hit-man: Agent 47, a enjoyable action film that makes you go wow.
There are moments in the plots that make you not understand however it does also feature plenty of plot twists that make you go I didn't see that coming
SO with wild stunts, insane action scenes and unexpected plot twists there is something to make Hit-man: Agent 47 worth the trip to the movies.
I give Hit-man: Agent 47 an 7 out of 10
See also
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