Alright, this movie might have 2 different ratings whether you're seeing this because you're a fan of the game or if you're a casual viewer of action movies.
This is a review from a fan of the game series, therefore the negative vote. If I was to watch this without any connection to the original material I would probably be more entertained.
This is really my problem with this movie (and many other adaptations). I'd rather if any other name was used (my suggestion: Agent Hairless Bourne) because this movie is just a big 100-min-long cliché that tries to profit from Hit-man's fan-base at the same time with just enough game references. I prayed this wouldn't be another "Doom - The Movie" but it wasn't too far off.
As I said before, if you're not into the games and just want to watch a Jason Bourne clone, then this is your movie.
Now if you're a series fan, read on. When I heard an adaptation was under development I wasn't too excited, but I had some hope. Hope because there could be something new that could be done in the movie industry. Now, what's new about 47 that could make him a whole new animal than all other cold blooded killers and secret agents out there? What makes that character, 47, different?
1st: He's a clone. The result of a gene enhancing research program that turned on his creator and became a professional freelance hit-man. They've scrapped all that and rewritten his origins completely. Now how can they still call him by the same name after that? I mean, if someone asks me what's the story behind this character, I will now have to answer with another question: "Which one? The movie hit-man or the game's hit-man?" The "adaptation" dies right there in my opinion.
2nd: Agent 47 is the result of a genetic experiment and post training, aimed at creating a superior human being, in strength and mind, with no conscience. That's exactly what he is in the games, but as I feared it would get (knowing how filmmakers tend to think of what people want to see on-screen) he shows too much of a conscience in the movie with an all-too-expected female role that he shows affection to, that he even promises to visit after they part on the train.
3rd: One big difference of the Hit-man games, from other action games, is the fact that agent 47 is rewarded for being as silent as possible, a ghost as he's referred to in the movie. A big gun fight in a crowded room is a big no-no, leaving witnesses alive is not his thing too and usually, targets tend to die from strange accidents rather than in a bathroom filled with bodyguards with bullets on their heads. The movie tells a story of a whole different character... I mean, what's up with that scene to kill Udre? I will go see a Rambo movie if I want to, I will not go watch a Hit-man-branded movie to see that overused matrix-cliché royal mess. Oh, and the countless female witnesses that survived that scene? That would be called a "restart mission" in my book.
4th: Another distinctive mark of the Hit-man game brand is his proficiency to disguise of all types of people after he properly disposes of their bodies in the course of each mission. I remember him doing this once in the end of the movie. I can't be bothered to watch it again so I might be wrong on the number of times he's done this but the fact that I can't remember that happening is a good indication of how overlooked that "feature" was.
So this is what made me hate this movie. Not because the movie is bad in essence, but because of this horrible trend of people trying to profit from a well-developed brand with well-developed characters, and rewrite everything that makes them what they are. Had this movie been given a different name, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
Other slightly bad points: 1) Realism. This one I start to overlook on these movies... as much as it pisses me off, it's so common, that my expectations are lower right off the bat. The scene with the 4 hit-men is a good example of that. Why on earth would those cold-blooded killing machines decrease their chances of completing their contracts by holding fire, closing in on each other and then just stand there, to successfully stare at each others ugly faces for all that time until agent 47 breaks the ice? And why on earth were those agents pointing their weapons at each other instead of completing their assignment by ventilating 47? If it was argued that they were rivals between themselves, then why didn't they kill each other with the blades too? But that's OK, it's a scene made to look good and stylish (and mindless). Now just wait until someone figures out that a scene can look good, stylish AND make sense at the same time! 2) Olyphant. Looks too young and not so ruthless as the game model. His voice isn't anywhere near David Bateson's (47's game voice) coldness and low-tone power. The acting wasn't bad though, it probably wasn't a very demanding role emotionally, but still, he delivered what it would take for his role. The problem is that, even though he did well, I feel that the choice could have been much closer to what the game offers.
So, this is it, the score of 3 represents the view of a huge series fan that had his expectations higher than the casual action movie fan. 3 is for the satisfying acting performances and the action scenes that would probably result in a higher score from someone unaware of the original material.
This is a review from a fan of the game series, therefore the negative vote. If I was to watch this without any connection to the original material I would probably be more entertained.
This is really my problem with this movie (and many other adaptations). I'd rather if any other name was used (my suggestion: Agent Hairless Bourne) because this movie is just a big 100-min-long cliché that tries to profit from Hit-man's fan-base at the same time with just enough game references. I prayed this wouldn't be another "Doom - The Movie" but it wasn't too far off.
As I said before, if you're not into the games and just want to watch a Jason Bourne clone, then this is your movie.
Now if you're a series fan, read on. When I heard an adaptation was under development I wasn't too excited, but I had some hope. Hope because there could be something new that could be done in the movie industry. Now, what's new about 47 that could make him a whole new animal than all other cold blooded killers and secret agents out there? What makes that character, 47, different?
1st: He's a clone. The result of a gene enhancing research program that turned on his creator and became a professional freelance hit-man. They've scrapped all that and rewritten his origins completely. Now how can they still call him by the same name after that? I mean, if someone asks me what's the story behind this character, I will now have to answer with another question: "Which one? The movie hit-man or the game's hit-man?" The "adaptation" dies right there in my opinion.
2nd: Agent 47 is the result of a genetic experiment and post training, aimed at creating a superior human being, in strength and mind, with no conscience. That's exactly what he is in the games, but as I feared it would get (knowing how filmmakers tend to think of what people want to see on-screen) he shows too much of a conscience in the movie with an all-too-expected female role that he shows affection to, that he even promises to visit after they part on the train.
3rd: One big difference of the Hit-man games, from other action games, is the fact that agent 47 is rewarded for being as silent as possible, a ghost as he's referred to in the movie. A big gun fight in a crowded room is a big no-no, leaving witnesses alive is not his thing too and usually, targets tend to die from strange accidents rather than in a bathroom filled with bodyguards with bullets on their heads. The movie tells a story of a whole different character... I mean, what's up with that scene to kill Udre? I will go see a Rambo movie if I want to, I will not go watch a Hit-man-branded movie to see that overused matrix-cliché royal mess. Oh, and the countless female witnesses that survived that scene? That would be called a "restart mission" in my book.
4th: Another distinctive mark of the Hit-man game brand is his proficiency to disguise of all types of people after he properly disposes of their bodies in the course of each mission. I remember him doing this once in the end of the movie. I can't be bothered to watch it again so I might be wrong on the number of times he's done this but the fact that I can't remember that happening is a good indication of how overlooked that "feature" was.
So this is what made me hate this movie. Not because the movie is bad in essence, but because of this horrible trend of people trying to profit from a well-developed brand with well-developed characters, and rewrite everything that makes them what they are. Had this movie been given a different name, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
Other slightly bad points: 1) Realism. This one I start to overlook on these movies... as much as it pisses me off, it's so common, that my expectations are lower right off the bat. The scene with the 4 hit-men is a good example of that. Why on earth would those cold-blooded killing machines decrease their chances of completing their contracts by holding fire, closing in on each other and then just stand there, to successfully stare at each others ugly faces for all that time until agent 47 breaks the ice? And why on earth were those agents pointing their weapons at each other instead of completing their assignment by ventilating 47? If it was argued that they were rivals between themselves, then why didn't they kill each other with the blades too? But that's OK, it's a scene made to look good and stylish (and mindless). Now just wait until someone figures out that a scene can look good, stylish AND make sense at the same time! 2) Olyphant. Looks too young and not so ruthless as the game model. His voice isn't anywhere near David Bateson's (47's game voice) coldness and low-tone power. The acting wasn't bad though, it probably wasn't a very demanding role emotionally, but still, he delivered what it would take for his role. The problem is that, even though he did well, I feel that the choice could have been much closer to what the game offers.
So, this is it, the score of 3 represents the view of a huge series fan that had his expectations higher than the casual action movie fan. 3 is for the satisfying acting performances and the action scenes that would probably result in a higher score from someone unaware of the original material.