Hitman (2007 film)
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''Hitman'' is a 2007
action-thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
directed by
Xavier Gens Xavier Gens (born on in Dunkirk, France) is a French film director. Filmography Director *''Lights Out'' (TBA) *''Vanikoro'' (TBA) *'' Gangs of London'' (2020) Season 1 Episodes 6, 7 and 8 *''Budapest'' (2018) *'' Cold Skin'' (2017) *''The Cru ...
and based on the video game series of the same name. The story revolves around
Agent 47 Agent 47 is a fictional character, the protagonist and the player character of the Hitman (franchise), ''Hitman'' video game franchise, developed by IO Interactive. He has been featured in all games of the series, as well as various spin-off medi ...
, a professional
hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
, who was engineered to be an assassin by the group known as "ICA" (International Contract Agency). He becomes ensnared in a political conspiracy and finds himself pursued by both Interpol and the FSB. The film stars
Timothy Olyphant Timothy David Olyphant ( ; born May 20, 1968) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in 1995, in ''The Monogamist'', and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris' ''Th ...
,
Dougray Scott Stephen Dougray Scott (born 25 November 1965) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared in the films ''Ever After'' (1998), '' Mission: Impossible 2'' (2000), ''Enigma'' (2001), ''Hitman'' (2007), and ''My Week with Marilyn'' (2011). Early life Sc ...
and
Olga Kurylenko Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...
. It was released on November 21, 2007, in the United States; November 30, 2007, in the United Kingdom; and December 26, 2007, in France. Though critically not well received, it was a financial success, grossing $101.3 million against a $24 million budget. A
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
was canceled during the production, but it was followed by a reboot titled '' Hitman: Agent 47'' starring
Rupert Friend Rupert William Anthony Friend (born 9 October 1981) is an English actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in '' The Libertine'' (2004) and '' Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' (2005), both of which won him awards for best newcomer. He port ...
as Agent 47 and written again by Skip Woods, released on August 21, 2015.


Plot

Inside a heavily guarded facility, a group of young boys are given tattoos of
bar codes A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly referred to as linear or o ...
on the backs of their shaved heads and are then trained in weapons, demolitions, unarmed combat, stamina, and strength to become professionally trained
hitmen Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
who operate around the globe. In the present day,
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
agent Mike Whittier (
Dougray Scott Stephen Dougray Scott (born 25 November 1965) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared in the films ''Ever After'' (1998), '' Mission: Impossible 2'' (2000), ''Enigma'' (2001), ''Hitman'' (2007), and ''My Week with Marilyn'' (2011). Early life Sc ...
) arrives home and is met at gunpoint by
Agent 47 Agent 47 is a fictional character, the protagonist and the player character of the Hitman (franchise), ''Hitman'' video game franchise, developed by IO Interactive. He has been featured in all games of the series, as well as various spin-off medi ...
. The two talk about 47's life as a professional hitman, raised and trained by a clandestine group known simply as the Organization. Three months prior, 47 (
Timothy Olyphant Timothy David Olyphant ( ; born May 20, 1968) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in 1995, in ''The Monogamist'', and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris' ''Th ...
) is completing a hit on a Nigerian warlord named Bwana Ovie, force-feeding a captured soldier with
plastic explosive Plastic explosive is a soft and hand-moldable solid form of explosive material. Within the field of explosives engineering, plastic explosives are also known as putty explosives or blastics. Plastic explosives are especially suited for explos ...
s and using him as a human bomb to kill Ovie. In a subsequent change of plans, 47 is told by his Organization handler, Diana Burnwood, that he is to kill his next target,
Russian President The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...
Mikhail Belicoff (
Ulrich Thomsen Ulrich Thomsen (born 6 December 1963) is a Danish actor and filmmaker, known for his role of Kai Proctor in the Cinemax original series ''Banshee'' (2013-2016). Biography Ulrich Thomsen was born in (Næsby) Odense, Denmark and graduated from th ...
), publicly instead of privately. Agent 47 completes his mission by shooting the man in the head, but before he can leave
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, he is contacted by his superiors. He is mystified when told the hit was a failure and that Belicoff survived the attack on his life. The Organization notifies him of a witness to the assassination and orders him to intercept and kill her. However, when 47 realizes she has never seen him before, he does not shoot her; instead, he narrowly avoids an assassination attempt on himself by another agent and realizes he is being set up. His employers send his location and identity to the FSB, but Diana secretly calls 47 and tips him off, revealing that Belicoff himself had ordered the hit. After escaping from his hotel, 47 intercepts Nika (
Olga Kurylenko Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...
), Belicoff's mistress and the woman who supposedly witnessed his hit. He interrogates her and discovers that Belicoff had a
double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...
, who ordered the hit on the real Belicoff in order to take his place as the president of Russia. The Organization, hoping to gain influence with the new government, ordered 47 to kill Nika and then set him up to be erased and thus cover their tracks. Nika and 47, attempting to leave Russia by train, are pursued by Organization agents, whom 47 subdues in
hand to hand combat Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...
and kills. Whittier then attempts to arrest 47 himself, only to be easily overpowered. Nika persuades 47 to let Whittier go free, and Whittier is forced to leave Russia by FSB officer Yuri Marklov (
Robert Knepper Robert Lyle Knepper (born July 8, 1959) is an American actor best known for his role as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the Fox drama series '' Prison Break'' (2005–2009, 2017), Samuel Sullivan in the final season of the NBC series ''Heroes'' (2 ...
), who is overseeing the manhunt, for interfering. 47 contacts his associate,
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
officer Carlton Smith, to offer him a deal: 47 will kill Udre Belicoff (Mikhail's brother and a wealthy
arms dealer The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and servi ...
and
human trafficker Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extracti ...
) in exchange for a favour. Smith informs 47 that Udre had been planning something with a German gunrunner named Price. 47 and Nika travel to
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, where 47 abducts Price, poses as him to meet Udre at a club, and kills him, forcing Belicoff's double to attend Udre's public funeral. 47 kidnaps Marklov and forces him to order his own agents to disrupt the funeral and create a distraction while 47, disguised as a soldier, deals with the imposter's bodyguards and kills him before Whittier arrives with backup from Interpol to take him into custody. Smith delivers on his end of the deal and has his operatives intercept the convoy that is transporting 47 to the airport, allowing the hitman to escape. Back in Whittier's home, 47 suggests Whittier go along with his plan: to notify the police that he has killed (a fake) Agent 47, implying that Whittier will not survive if he refuses, and leaves. Nika is seen picking up an envelope containing the deed to a vineyard, a dream of hers to own. Agent 47 is watching her from afar, through the scope of a sniper rifle. Looking at the corpse of another agent lying at his feet, he muses that he had warned him (meaning the Organization) not to touch her, and then walks away.


Cast

*
Timothy Olyphant Timothy David Olyphant ( ; born May 20, 1968) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in 1995, in ''The Monogamist'', and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris' ''Th ...
as
Agent 47 Agent 47 is a fictional character, the protagonist and the player character of the Hitman (franchise), ''Hitman'' video game franchise, developed by IO Interactive. He has been featured in all games of the series, as well as various spin-off medi ...
: An orphaned child, taken in and trained by the Organization to become a professionally trained, internationally operating
hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
for hire. ** Borislav Parvanov as Young Agent 47 *
Dougray Scott Stephen Dougray Scott (born 25 November 1965) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared in the films ''Ever After'' (1998), '' Mission: Impossible 2'' (2000), ''Enigma'' (2001), ''Hitman'' (2007), and ''My Week with Marilyn'' (2011). Early life Sc ...
as Mike Whittier: An
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
agent who has been tracking Agent 47 for quite some time and finally confronts his mysterious target. *
Robert Knepper Robert Lyle Knepper (born July 8, 1959) is an American actor best known for his role as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the Fox drama series '' Prison Break'' (2005–2009, 2017), Samuel Sullivan in the final season of the NBC series ''Heroes'' (2 ...
as Yuri Marklov: Lead agent of an FSB force. He joins in the chase to capture Agent 47. *
Olga Kurylenko Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...
as Nika Boronina: Mikhail Belicoff's mistress who is swept into companionship with Agent 47 as events unfold. *
Ulrich Thomsen Ulrich Thomsen (born 6 December 1963) is a Danish actor and filmmaker, known for his role of Kai Proctor in the Cinemax original series ''Banshee'' (2013-2016). Biography Ulrich Thomsen was born in (Næsby) Odense, Denmark and graduated from th ...
as Mikhail Belicoff and Belicoff's body double: The President of Russia. He is targeted by Agent 47 as a mark early on in the film. *
Henry Ian Cusick Henry Ian Cusick (born 17 April 1967) is a Peruvian-Scottish actor of television, film, and theatre and a television director. He is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in the ABC television series ''Lost'', for which he received a Primet ...
as Udre Belicoff: An international criminal wanted by the CIA and the FSB, while protected by his brother Mikhail Belicoff, who is President of Russia. *
Michael Offei Michael Shaun Offei (born 4 October 1966) is an English actor. He is best known for starring in the CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the br ...
as Jenkins: Whittier's right-hand man at Interpol. * James Faulkner as Carlton Smith: A
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
agent who helps Agent 47 evade Interpol. *
Eriq Ebouaney Eriq Ebouaney (born 3 October 1967) is a French actor. He is best known for his portrayal as the Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in the 2000 film '' Lumumba'', as "Blacktie" in Brian De Palma's ''Femme Fatale'' and as "Ice" in the 2008 ...
as Bwana Ovie *
Emil Abossolo-Mbo Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *''Emil and the Detective ...
as General Ajunwa * Lisa Jacobs as Diana Burnwood *
Sabine Crossen Sabine Crossen is a French American actress and director. Early life Born in Béthune, Hauts-de-France, France, to an American father and a French mother, Sabine Crossen grew up in New Zealand before settling at age 20 in Paris, France where ...
as June: A young woman who tries to seduce Agent 47 at a bar. * Susan White as Mia *
Asen Blatechki Assen Emilov Blatechki ( bg, Асен Емилов Блатечки; born 22 March 1971) is a Bulgarian actor. Acting and television career Blatechki appeared in a number of Bulgarian films including ''Steps in the Sand"'' (Bulgarian: ''Стъ ...
as FSB Driver *
Vladimir Kolev Vladimir Kolev ( bg, Владимир Колев, born April 18, 1954) is a retired boxer from Bulgaria and Olympic bronze medalist. He also works as an actor, and has appeared in many American films. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montr ...
as HRT Guy * Desislava Bakardzhieva as Female News Reporter


Production


Development

In February 2003, ''Hitman'' makers
Eidos Eidos may refer to: * Eidos (philosophy), a Greek term meaning "form" "essence", "type" or "species". See Plato's theory of forms and Aristotle's theory of universals * Eidos plc, a British software company, which created video game publisher Eido ...
and
IO Interactive IO Interactive A/S (IOI) is a Danish video game developer based in Copenhagen, best known for creating and developing the ''Hitman'' and '' Kane and Lynch'' franchises. IO Interactive's most recent game is '' Hitman 3'', which was released in J ...
entered negotiations with Hollywood production companies to adapt the video game to film.
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
eventually acquired the rights and hired screenwriter
Skip Woods Skip Woods (born December 4, 1969) is an American filmmaker. He has primarily worked in the action genre as the writer of the films ''Swordfish'' (2001), ''Hitman'' (2007), and ''A Good Day to Die Hard'' (2013), in addition to co-writing '' X-M ...
to pen the screenplay, with actor
Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Diesel began audition ...
executive producing and starring in the film.


Casting

In December 2006, Diesel stepped down from the role. In January 2007, Olyphant was cast as the lead with director
Xavier Gens Xavier Gens (born on in Dunkirk, France) is a French film director. Filmography Director *''Lights Out'' (TBA) *''Vanikoro'' (TBA) *'' Gangs of London'' (2020) Season 1 Episodes 6, 7 and 8 *''Budapest'' (2018) *'' Cold Skin'' (2017) *''The Cru ...
at the helm. In March, actor
Dougray Scott Stephen Dougray Scott (born 25 November 1965) is a Scottish actor. He has appeared in the films ''Ever After'' (1998), '' Mission: Impossible 2'' (2000), ''Enigma'' (2001), ''Hitman'' (2007), and ''My Week with Marilyn'' (2011). Early life Sc ...
was cast as Agent 47's nemesis, with
Olga Kurylenko Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...
,
Robert Knepper Robert Lyle Knepper (born July 8, 1959) is an American actor best known for his role as Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell in the Fox drama series '' Prison Break'' (2005–2009, 2017), Samuel Sullivan in the final season of the NBC series ''Heroes'' (2 ...
,
Ulrich Thomsen Ulrich Thomsen (born 6 December 1963) is a Danish actor and filmmaker, known for his role of Kai Proctor in the Cinemax original series ''Banshee'' (2013-2016). Biography Ulrich Thomsen was born in (Næsby) Odense, Denmark and graduated from th ...
, and Michael Offei also joining the cast.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began the week of March 27, 2007 in
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
,
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
and lasted 12 weeks. A
second unit Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...
also shot in locations including
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
,
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, and
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
. The release of the film was set back a few months to allow for the re-shooting of several scenes. These included a sword fight between four assassins in a train car, which replaced the original train platform sequence where
Agent 47 Agent 47 is a fictional character, the protagonist and the player character of the Hitman (franchise), ''Hitman'' video game franchise, developed by IO Interactive. He has been featured in all games of the series, as well as various spin-off medi ...
fought only one assassin. Reports before the film's release confirmed that not only were reshoots taking place, but that Fox had fired Gens and denied him final cut.
Nicolas de Toth Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...
was brought in at this stage to soften the edit and cut down material. 47's origins were also changed at this stage, with a decision to add footage from the TV series '' Dark Angel'', which was also owned by Fox, in an effort to save money. Gens told an interviewer that whilst they are not directly dealing with the clone storyline, one scene (the original train station sequence) showing a bald, barcoded assassin (Jean-Marc Bellu) following Agent 47 (Olyphant), another bald, barcoded assassin, is very explicit and showed his intention to keep him as a clone. The detail was likely changed to accommodate for the casting of actors of multiple races during reshoots, making it impossible for them to be clones (or at least clones of the same person).
Olga Kurylenko Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko ( uk, Ольга Костянтинівна Куриленко; born 14 November 1979) is a Ukrainian and French actress and model. She started her acting career in 2005, and first found success as an actress for ...
revealed she refused to have a body double for her sex scenes.


Release


Box office

''Hitman'' was originally stated to be released on October 12, 2007, in the United States and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, but the film's release was postponed to November 21, 2007. ''Hitman'' opened in 2,458 theaters in the United States and Canada, grossing $13,180,769 in its opening weekend, ranking fourth at the box office. The following weekend, ''Hitman'' opened in 12 markets, having the following highlights: $150,355 in 38 theaters in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, $224,449 in 37 theaters in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. and $244,329 in 32 theaters in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. In
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, the film opened in fourth place with approximately $100,000. The film also performed weakly in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
with $19,321 in 6 theaters. As of March 13, 2008, the film has grossed $39,687,694 in the United States and Canada and $60,278,098 in other territories for a worldwide total of $99,965,792, exceeding its estimated $24 million budget. The DVD sales equal $27,858,148 in the US alone, putting the total gross for ''Hitman'' at around $128 million, not counting television airing rights.


Critical response

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "''Hitman'' features the unfortunate combination of excessive violence, incoherent plot, and inane dialogue." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, it has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Critics found fault with several aspects of the film, including a weak and often confusing plot, dry acting, and extreme violence.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
notably gave it a positive, three-stars-out-of-four review, and said "''Hitman'' stands right on the threshold between video games and art. On the wrong side of the threshold, but still, give it credit". In 2008, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' listed the film on their list of top ten worst video game movies. Despite ''Hitman''s negative reception, Slovenian philosopher and film theorist
Slavoj Žižek Slavoj Žižek (, ; ; born 21 March 1949) is a Slovenian philosopher, cultural theorist and public intellectual. He is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New Y ...
included the film in his personal list of 10 greatest films in a 2012 poll conducted by the ''
Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...
'' magazine. Commenting on his picks, he said the list contains "only 'guilty pleasures and he made "no compromises for high quality or good taste".


Home video

An unrated version of ''Hitman'' was released in the high-definition Blu-ray format on March 11, 2008, and features extras including deleted scenes, an alternate ending and a gag reel. This version also features a special
digital copy A digital copy is a commercially distributed computer file containing a media product such as a film or music album. The term contrasts this computer file with the physical copy (typically a DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, or Ultra HD Blu-ray disc) with ...
of the film which can be transferred to a portable media device like an iPod. A standard-definition DVD was released on the same date in three versions. A single-disc theatrical version, a single-disc unrated version, and an unrated special edition including many extras, and the digital copy mentioned above. The unrated DVD is one minute longer than the theatrical cut and includes a few extended scenes with more blood. The UK version of the film was available on Blu-ray and DVD from 31 March 2008. The French Blu-ray version of the film came with 10 deleted scenes, accompanied with French audio commentary by Xavier Gens. Some of the scenes included are the original assassination, in which Ovie survives, is taken to hospital only to be killed via lethal injection by 47 disguised as a doctor; the alternate train platform sequence which features no sword fight, as well as showing the older assassin biting off his tongue to avoid giving answers to 47; and an extended departure sequence between 47 and Nika, which shows Yuri and his men stopping their train and boarding it to look for 47. An alternate ending in the special features of the DVD shows 47 watching Nika through his sniper scope as she opens the envelope. She then turns down a corner of a small street to be shot dead in a
drive-by A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrator(s) to quickly strike their target and flee the scene before ...
, possibly by men loyal to the organization behind the fake Belicoff, all while 47 watches.


Reboot

IESB had confirmed that
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
hired writer Kyle Ward to pen the script for the sequel to ''Hitman''. Adrian Askarieh, Daniel Alter and Chuck Gordon were to return as producers. American actor
David Hess David Alexander Hess (September 19, 1936 – October 7, 2011) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. He came to prominence for his portrayals of murderous villains and gruff characters in several films in the 1970s and 198 ...
, who died in October 2011, had been reported to have an as-yet-unnamed role. Daniel Benmayor had signed to direct the sequel. Olyphant stated on the
Nerdist Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast (The Nerdist Podcast) created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium conte ...
podcast that he had no interest in returning for a sequel and only did the original film in order to pay for his new house following the sudden cancellation of '' Deadwood''. On February 5, 2013, it was reported that the film would be rebooted with the title of the film being '' Hitman: Agent 47'', and would have starred
Paul Walker Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...
as Agent 47 prior to his death on November 30, 2013, with commercials director Aleksander Bach making his feature film debut helming the project. The screenplay was written by
Skip Woods Skip Woods (born December 4, 1969) is an American filmmaker. He has primarily worked in the action genre as the writer of the films ''Swordfish'' (2001), ''Hitman'' (2007), and ''A Good Day to Die Hard'' (2013), in addition to co-writing '' X-M ...
and Mike Finch. Shooting was expected to take place in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
in summer 2013. On January 9, 2014, actor
Rupert Friend Rupert William Anthony Friend (born 9 October 1981) is an English actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in '' The Libertine'' (2004) and '' Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' (2005), both of which won him awards for best newcomer. He port ...
was in talks to replace Walker as the character. On January 31, 2014, actor
Zachary Quinto Zachary John Quinto (; born June 2, 1977) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'' (2006–2010); Spock in th ...
was cast in an unnamed role. On February 6, 2014, actress
Hannah Ware Hannah Rose Ware''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005''; at ancestry.com (born 8 December 1982) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Emma Kane in the Starz political drama series ''Boss'' (2011–2012) ...
was cast in the female lead role. On February 19, 2014, production on film began filming with Friend as Agent 47.


See also

*
List of films based on video games This page is a list of film adaptations of video games. These include local, national, international, direct-to-video and TV releases, and (in certain cases) online releases. They include their scores on Rotten Tomatoes, the region in which they ...


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hitman (2007 Film) Hitman (franchise) films 2007 films 20th Century Fox films 2000s Russian-language films Serbo-Croatian-language films 2007 action thriller films French action thriller films American action thriller films Films about contract killing Films about Interpol Films about the Federal Security Service Live-action films based on video games Films directed by Xavier Gens Films with screenplays by Skip Woods Films produced by Charles Gordon Films produced by Luc Besson Films scored by Geoff Zanelli Films set in 2007 Films set in Africa Films set in Istanbul Films set in Moscow Films set in Russia Films set in Saint Petersburg Films shot in Turkey Films shot in Bulgaria Films shot in Moscow Dune Entertainment films Films shot in South Africa English-language French films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2000s French films