The Hitman video game series is over two decades old. With 10 games under its belt, Hitman revolutionized the industry when it comes to stealth games. Or, you could always go guns blazing and get your job done.
Square Enix has developed the game series for the past decade.
Hitman’s gameplay and atmosphere allowed for it to be considered for the big screen. And that’s exactly what Square Enix thought.
There have been two Hitman movies so far. There’s also a Hitman TV series in the works.
Let’s delve into what these have to offer to fans of the games and moviegoers alike.
Everything About Hitman (2007) Movie Adaptation
Production, Release Date, and Reception
Between the 6-year dry period of Hitman games, a Hitman movie adaptation was released.
Hitman is an action film that was released in the US and UK in late November 2007 and France on December 26, 2007.
The movie was directed by Xavier Gens. The Hitman film tries to capture the exact atmosphere and action from the games.
Hitman Movie Trailer
The talks for a Hitman film began back in February 2003, when Hitman was developed by Eidos (now Square Enix Europe). 20th Century Fox got the rights to make the movie. The studio hired Skip Woods, who would take care of the scenario, and Vin Diesel as an executive producer.
Hitman was far from a classic, receiving mostly negative reviews. But, it was financially successful, with a box office of $101 million to the $24 million budget.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has a 15% approval rating from the critics, with an average of 3.75/10. On Metacritic, Hitman secured an average score of 35/100.
Cast & Characters
- Timothy Olyphant (Agent 47)
- Borislav Parvanov (Young Agent 47)
- Dougray Scott (Mike Whittier)
- Robert Knepper (Yuri Marklov)
- Olga Kurylenko (Nika Boronina)
- Ulrich Thomsen (Mikhail Belicoff)
- Henry Ian Cusick (Udre Belicoff)
- Michael Offei (Jenkins)
- James Faulkner (Carlton Smith)
- Eriq Ebouaney (Bwana Ovie)
- Emil Abossolo-Mbo (General Ajunwa)
- Lisa Jacobs (Diana Burnwood)
- Sabine Crossen (June)
- Susan White (Mia)
- Assen Blatechki (FSB Driver)
- Vladimir Kolev (HRT Guy)
Plot/Synopsis
The movie revolves around Agent 47, an expert assassin, who was created for that purpose by “The Organization”. Mike Whittier, an Interpol agent, is after “The Organization” for years.
The Organization has been training young boys to become professional hitmen. From weapons to unarmed combat, strength, stamina The Organization aims to make the perfect hitmen.
Mike cooperates with FSB officer Yuri Marklov, who is in search of Agent 47. Agent 47 was hired to kill Mike, to have a double in his place.
The story is told through 47’s flashbacks, while he’s holding Mike at gunpoint. Throughout these flashbacks, 47 kills hordes of enemies, while showing his human nature.
Review and Opinions
The film is far from great. While there’s attention to detail when it comes to 47’s brutality and cold-blooded killing. And while the protagonist does his best to portray Agent 47, the script just doesn’t work.
The worst thing about Hitman is the cheesy love interest, that’s unrealistic to 47. As fans of the games, we know that 47 doesn’t have any emotions, so it’s really weird seeing him express these throughout the movie.
If you’re just looking for a violent film, then this might be for you. Otherwise, stay away from it.
Richard Roeper:“As far as it being a video game, I was in the theater and I was trying to work the remote control to close the curtains and turn the sound down.”
Tim Grieson: “Though stylish shot and occasionally exciting in its frenetically-edited action sequences, this adaptation of the popular video game can only go so far with its mindless violence until cardboard characters and a dull plot snuff out the momentum.”
Everything About Agent 47 (2015) Movie Adaptation
Production, Release Date, and Reception
Hitman: Agent 47 is the second try at a Hitman movie. The film was released on August 21, 2015. During that time, the video game series saw a change in its gameplay approach.
Hitman: Agent 47 was written by Skip Woods, who wrote the first Hitman film. It was directed by Aleksander Bach. In fact, it was Bach’s first-ever movie.
Agent 47 (2015) Trailer
The film tries to excel where the first one flopped, with an entirely new cast and a new approach. In fact, Paul Walker was initially cast as Agent 47, before his unfortunate fatal accident in 2013.
The movie was in the works from February 5, 2013, as was reported by 20th Century Fox.
Hitman: Agent 47 wasn’t what the production team expected, though. While it was a box office success, grossing $47 million in profit, the film received negative reviews.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Hitman: Agent 47 got a lower approval rating than the original, with only a 9% and an average of 3.7/10. The same was true for Metacritic, scoring only 28/100.
Cast & Characters
- Rupert Friend (Agent 47 / Agent 48)
- Jesse Hergt (Young Agent 47)
- Hannah Ware (Katia van Dees)
- Helena Pieske (Young Katia)
- Zachary Quinto (John Smith)
- Ciarán Hinds (Dr. Piotr Aaronovich Litvenko)
- Johannes Suhm (Young Piotr Litvenko)
- Thomas Kretschmann (Antoine Le Clerq)
- Angelababy (Diana Burnwood)
- Dan Bakkedah (Sanders)
- Emilio Rivera (Fabian)
- Jürgen Prochnow (Tobias)
- Rolf Kanies (Dr. Albert Delriego / The Hunter)
- Jerry Hoffmann (Franco)
Plot/Synopsis
Hitman: Agent 47 revolves around Agent 47, a genetically engineered killer, considered the perfect hitman. Nobody knows his name, only knowing the last two digits located on the back of his head. He is the 47th Agent clone. 47 has unmatched speed, stamina, and strength.
His current target? A huge corporation that aims to unlock 47’s past. Their plan? Well, they want to create a battalion of the perfect killers, who can even beat 47 himself.
Agent 47 teams up with a woman who will help him get the better of his enemies. 47 proceeds to have a battle with the corporation, in order to save himself.
Review and Opinions
Hitman: Agent 47 had the foundation to become great. Great camera work, an awesome cast that performed amazingly, and good editing. Yet, it still is far from good.
The film is just an action-filled one. Nothing more nothing less. There’s no character development. No why, who, how, where.
And while the movie is 8 years younger than its predecessor, it fails to capitalize on it. So, avoid this movie if you’re looking for something more than continuous action.
Geoffrey Macnab : “Some of the set-pieces — chases through airports, fights on train tracks, car crashes or helicopters hurtling into skyscrapers — are very niftily choreographed but you can’t help thinking this would be more fun as an interactive game.”
Chris Stuckmann: “The only actor in this movie that I felt actually brought his A-game was probably Rupert Friend… He was good as the character, but it was a boring, boring character.”
Everything About Hitman (2021) TV Series
Back in 2017, Hulu announced a Hitman TV series. The man behind John Wick, Derek Kolstad, was chosen to be in charge of it. While there’s still not much to be said about the series, it has created more buzz than the movies that preceded it.
This happened because Kolstad decided to change Agent 47’s appearance… by giving him hair. While this isn’t what fans of the series are used to, it will supposedly help in the series’ narrative.
That’s all the info we have for the series as of now.
