Back in the year 2000 the world was introduced to the world's greatest assassin — a man who has never been caught, never been identified, and is a favorite employee of the rich and powerful in need of a kill. Despite his ability to blend in, never get caught, and never be identified, he is easy to pick out of a crowd, what with his ever-present black suit, bald head, and bar code tattoo (easily viewed on the back of his skull).
What makes him so good at his job? Why, you do, of course, for he is the playable character in a series of popular video games called, creatively enough, Hitman. He has starred in a series of games, but now he has leapt from the 3D rendered console screens into flesh and blood on the big screen. I have never played the game, but have seen the film, in R-rated form on the big screen and now in unrated form on the small. The easiest way to sum the experience up is to say that what works on the computer screen under your control does not always translate well to the passive experience of the theater, or even your favorite easy chair.
The plot of the film is simple. Agent 47, the titular hitman played by Timothy Olyphant, is hired to assassinate a high-ranking Russian official. Following the hit, he becomes a target himself, the subject of a double-cross to clean up potential loose ends. So, 47 grabs his target's girlfriend (new Bond girl Olga Kurylenko) and takes off, with the goal of remaining alive for the rest of the film. He is pursued by a good number of other hitmen, all clad in black suits with bald heads and barcode tattoos. 47 is also pursued by an Interpol agent, Mike Whittier (Dougray Scott), a man obsessed with catching the uncatchable assassin, whose attempts are slowed by interference from Russian police officer Yuri Marklov (Prison Break's Robert Knepper). That's about it. It is simpler than it seems.
Quite simply, the film is not very good. I think the biggest problem is that the lead character is not terribly sympathetic. There is no reason to like the guy, or root for him. He is a killer for hire, no remorse, no regret. Why should I cheer for him? Yes, I can understand the appeal of living vicariously through the character in a game, but it does not translate to the passive film medium. I identified more with Whittier, who is presented as someone to root against, someone only hampering the "hero's" attempts to escape.
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