If you give me a movie about a highly trained assassin who can walk into a room, assess the danger in seconds and take down several armed men without breaking a sweat, I'm already interested. Having recently watched Hitman (2007) based on a video game about a professional assassin, I learned there is a reboot of the same movie in 2015 and immediately streamed it to watch.
Unlike the previous film, Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) based on the same video game by IO Interactive is written by Skip Woods who also wrote the 2007 movie and directed by Aleksandr Bach. It stars Rupert Friend as the genetically engineered Agent 47 alongside Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto, Ciarán Hinds and other supporting actors.
The movie follows Agent 47 as he goes on a search for his creator's daughter, Katia van Dees (Hannah Ware) and gets a lead from some mercenaries looking to also create a genetically engineered soldier. Katia is searching for answers about her identity, her father and connection to a powerful organisation involved in genetic experiments. Before long, she finds herself caught between several dangerous forces including Agent 47 and another group determined to get to her first.
Agent 47 proves to her that he's there to help find her father. He teaches her how to use her heightened strength in combat, revealing that she bears similarities to him. As the mercenaries draw closer to finding them, Agent 47 must choose between obeying his handler's orders or saving Katia as they move from one location to another, leaving plenty of destruction behind them. Who is Katie's father and will they find him before the dangerous people do?
My Review And Rating
Though a reboot, this movie seems like an upgrade to the 2007 film since it delves further into genetic experiments making it much more interesting. This action thriller is built around guns, chase scenes, secret organisations and a man who seems almost impossible to kill. Unlike the previous film, this one is fast paced, the stakes are higher (making more genetically engineered agents), and the action scenes gave me an adrenaline rush all through.
Rupert Friend's performance in this movie is outstanding. I have always loved him in films ever since watching him play consort to a monarch in Young Victoria. In this film, he gives Agent 47 a cold and controlled personality without making him completely lifeless. It's entertaining to watch the way he treats every dangerous situation like a routine task. Or maybe it's his genetic makeup. He rarely panics, studies his environment, calculates his next move and gets on with it like a robot but one with a bit of human side and reasoning.
The plot is solid and thought-provoking and focused on what happens when science tries to manufacture the perfect human being. Whether that is possible is debatable but this movie gives the impression that it is possible through Agent 47. He's the result of genetic engineering designed to be stronger, faster and more intelligent than an ordinary human being. And it was interesting to watch how the concept played out.
But the action scenes are the main attraction for me. Rupert Friend and Hannah Ware were fantastic together as a fighting duo. There are shootouts, hand combats, car chases, explosions and some cool moments where Agent 47 appears to be several steps ahead of everyone else.
There are some flaws I noted in the previous film that I see repeated in this reboot, most probably because the same person wrote scripts for the two movies. I have no complaints about the fast pace of this film but I wish the characters are given more room to breathe. Some of the supporting characters feel underdeveloped and the dialogues are sometimes predictable. There are scenes where the movie is more concerned with looking cool than making things believable.
The cinematography is sleek and impressive. The visuals and transitions are smooth giving the movie a polished feel. I don't expect anything less from a film that depicts a world where genetic engineering is advanced and we can have the perfect human being.
Rating this movie, I'd give it 8 out of 10 stars. It's a fast-paced, entertaining action thriller with plenty of action and a lead actor who fits the role of a cool headed assassin. I prefer this reboot to the previous movie that stars Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47. Fans of action thrillers and video game players will enjoy this one.
All images above are screenshots from the movie
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Rating: 80/100