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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13959 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-03-31
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
It’s hard not to feel like one has entered a certain dimension of video-game logic while watching Hitman, a lightly enjoyable action-suspense movie indeed based on a popular and bloody game about a mysterious hired gun with a bar-code tattoo on his bald head and a number (47) in lieu of a name. Living like a chaste monk while slipping past borders to kill his targets, 47 (Timothy Olyphant of Deadwood) moves like a determined shark and speaks softly to his contact at the enigmatic "the Organization," which raises cast-off children to become well-paid assassins. Fruitlessly pursued by an Interpol cop (Dougray Scott) who can never get sovereign governments to cooperate, 47 has no trouble slipping in and out of countries to ply his trade. Until, that is, he’s set up to take a fall in Russia by shooting a national leader who is promptly replaced by a lookalike double. Suddenly on the run, 47 has to retrace his steps and formulate a lethal plan for extricating himself from a trap. Caught in the chaos is the lovely Nika (Olga Kurylenko), forced into sex slavery by 47’s new enemies and the one person who seems uniquely qualified to break through 47’s many personal barriers.

Directed by France’s Xavier Gens, Hitman features loads of bloody mayhem and unabashed moments of pulp absurdity, such as a scene in which 47 and three other Organization killers agree to fight one another respectfully, then proceed to pulverize each other with swords and fists. As fodder for gamers, however, Hitman is packed with visuals and dramatic moments that seem so odd on the big screen until one realizes they are basically placemarkers for the video-game edition. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com

Synopsis
Based on the popular Playstation 2 game, HITMAN chronicles the retribution-packed odyssey of Number 47 (Timothy Olyphant), a bald assassin raised from birth to be a killer and tattooed with a barcode on the back of his head. There's lots of BOURNE SUPREMACY-style flash-edits and superhuman stunt work as 47 seeks to find out why moderate Russian presidential nominee Belicoff (Ulrich Thomsen) was the client for his own assassination, a hit that 47 pulled off perfectly, except for one hitch: the target's still alive. For romantic interest we have Olga Kurylenko as a foxy Russian prostitute sold into slavery by the evil Belicoff. She and 47 wind up on the run together but they'll never be safe as long as Belicoff is still alive. Meanwhile, Interpol agent Mike Whittier (Dougray Scott) has been tracking 47 for years. He's on the scent and about to close in. Luc Besson was the producer on this, and fans of THE TRANSPORTER, LEON and LA FEMME NIKITA films will appreciate this film, as it has a similar narrative arc, vividly saturated colours, swooping camerawork, tightly choreographed fights, and lots of blood flying from the copious bullet wounds.

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Customer Reviews

Amazing
Yet another game to movie adaptation, but this one has a major difference. It's actually pretty damn cool.

Timothy Olyphant fits perfectly into the role of Agent 47, an orphan who is taken in and trained by an agency that trains children to be the most stealthy and deadly hitmen in the world. Agent 47 is the best of the best of all the Hitmen raised and trained by "The Organization." He is called in to perform on a hit on the Russian President Mikhail Belicoff, however the hit is a setup and 47 finds himself on the run from Interpol & The Russian Secret Police.
While on the run, 47 endeavours to get revenge and find the truth about who set him up and why. This unravels a tangled web of lies and deceipt as one by one he kills those who have done him wrong, including those who are also members of "The Organisation."
During his streak he comes across an unlikely companion in Nika Boronina who we come to see gives 47 emotions and feelings that he's never encountered before.

This is a really good movie and something that at times keeps so close to the game that you come to think this is a game in itself. Timothy Olyphant plays 47 incredibly and although 47 is conventionally an emotionless character but within the movie we are given emotion that is being held back. That may be a bit of an oxymoron but the way in which Olyphant portrays it is amazing as it's a character that has all this emotion built up inside but is trying to hold it back.
The action, dialogue and cinematography of this film I found to be incredibly intelligent. It has moments in it that you can identify to the game and there's one point in particular which the game itself is given a nod. 47 breaks through the window of a hotel room and it cuts to a vision of kids playing the video game hitman.

Overall this was a very, very good film which I have to admit I didn't really have high hopes for in the beginning. I am glad to say my preconceptions were changed within the first 5 minutes into the movie and I am sure to watch it again.

You should check it out whether you're a fan of the game or not, it's still a pretty special piece.

Surprising what Olyphant keeps in his trunk...
Critics were pretty sniffy about this movie on its release, and its true its no piece of art, but taken on its own hyper-kinetic action merits, it's actually not that bad.
Timothy Olyphant plays the Hitman - created, trained and indoctrinated as a consummate killer, known only by his number - 47. After a title introduction establishing his credentials, we see him as he goes on a job in Russia - but all does nto go as planned, and he has to question who is telling him the truth. His only clue is a young Russian woman, who he takes with him as he tries to unravel his predicament. Meanwhile, Dougray Scott is the Interpol officer out to track him down in a remarkably wooden performance. Olyphant himself performs adequately, in a role which requires him to reign in any charisma which is his stock in trade, and become for the most part emotionless.
There is undoubtedly a large suspension of belief required, as the worlds law agencies find it impossible to track a man who wanders around bald with a barcode on the back of his head.. but the action scenes are fun enough, and at least some plot has been inserted to help the unlikely transition from game to big screen. Olga Kurylenko (soon to be seen in the new Bond movie Quantum of Solace) is very easy on the eye in a variety of incredibly unlikely clothes which seem to only barely cover her - and not always that.
Best of all perhaps, are the locations - St Petersburg looks great, and Bulgaria filling in for Russia looks satisfyingly fresh and different to the norm.
All in all, this does not do enough to break the curse of game to big screen adaptations being disappointments, but it's better than most and for brainless and occasionally imaginative action is worth a watch.

Good action movie
This is a good action movie. Notice that the only negative user review is by someone who is a fan of the computer game of the same title. This happens regularly and I do not comprehend it. Judge the movie on the movie and not on some daft brainless computer game! Check out the reviews for Resident Evil Extinction and you will find exactly the same comments.

Hitman is a good movie. The action and effects are awesome. The Blu-Ray version has very good picture quality although not quite as crisp as some but you will need a very big screen (more than 50") or projector to even notice. It is far better than the aweful MPEG2 transfers that we sometimes suffer on BD titles like Commando for example. Why do those idiotic BD producers do that? It would be like putting a 1.3 litre engine in a Ferrari! Sound is DTS HD Master 5.1 and so is very good. Shame it is only 5.1 channels but then everything can't always be perfect!

All-in-all a very entertaining movie.