Review: Hitman

Mr Clean?!?!??!

HITMAN

* WARNING: Do not read this review if you haven't seen it because I am about to build it up and you will probably end up disappointed when you do watch it. Critics have absolutely slammed this movie so keep that in mind...plus I'm not most critics!

Directed by: Xavier Gens

Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott

The Gist: Based on the popular PC game...A gun-for-hire known only as Agent 47 is ensnared in a political conspiracy, which finds him pursued by both Interpol and the Russian military as he treks across Eastern Europe hired by a group known as "The Agency" to kill targets for cash. (imdb.com)

____________________________________________

Where do I start? I'll begin with the part where I forgot that I was sitting in a cinema and trembled slightly due to the realism of a very personal murder....no perhaps that's too late into it. Maybe I need to go right back to the beginning...when after the credits, about 10 minutes into the movie, I realised that this was no Tomb Raider and it certainly was no Doom.

I've seen a lot of action movies...sometimes I feel like I've seen them all. I can say without hesitation that Hitman is different. From the sneakily well written script to the incredibly choreographed fight scenes to the shots that make you think you're not watching an unnecessary violent video game adaptation, this movie will surprise you.

Obviously there are (almost too realistic) gory scenes of brains being blown out, exposed breasts, brutal killing and greasy underworld type bad guys. There are also the intimate moments of a killer who is learning to care, of cracks in his robotic like features, of a detective (Scott) who is tireless and haggard and real. There is a symphony to this film...a music that is unlike any actioner I've seen. It's almost impossible to describe how this was achieved. This movie is anything but formulaic.

I may be romanticizing it because I have just come from the cinema, but Timothy Olyphant made this movie his and the director and writer used him to create a truly unique and stunning adaptation. It's not all roses... a couple of shoddy actors, one or two dodgy lines and of course the game references are thrown in for your average Joe, but what lies beneath is a complex story of a tortured soul, a cold hard killer, a man.

I was so amazed by this film and realised that Timothy Olyphant is no flash in the pan...he's here to stay and I wouldn't be surprised if he went to the Oscars in a few years with a nomination...hopefully that road instead of one like other action stars (Jason Stratham anyone?) You should also keep an eye on the gorgeous former model, Olga Kurylenko, who plays a prostitute Olyphant picks up along the way. Their chemistry, her eyes, and the fact I wasn't offended by her nudity, go a long way to making this girl one to watch in my eyes. She so needs to be a Bond girl...calling Mr. Craig...Mr. Daniel Craig...

Don't go to Hitman expecting an academy award type movie...watch this film thinking of what Olyphant will become, and leave your brain at home. Hitman does pack heart, and heat. I loved every single extreme blood gushing brutal moment. (Be warned, this film is VERY GRAPHIC!)


4/5 Bullets!