Video game adaptations are notoriously tricky to make – and as a result of that, they’re often quite bad. There have been a few decent entries in the action subgenre (Resident Evil comes to mind), but typically, the films are marred by subpar acting and ludicrous plotting. 2007’s Hitman, which starred Timothy Olyphant as the titular assassin, wasn’t one of the worst video game movies, to be sure, but it suffered from an overly convoluted story. It also seems like an unlikely title to make a sequel to – and yet here we are today, with Hitman: Agent 47 on the way from 20th Century Fox.
Whether the studio had good reason to revisit the stealth video game series or not remains to be seen. But early signs for Agent 47 are promising. The flick stars Rupert Friend (Showtime’s Homeland) in the title role and finds Hannah Ware (Starz’s Boss, Shame) playing his love interest Katia van Dees.
We don’t know much about the plot outside of that the search for Katia’s parentage brings both her and Agent 47 up against many enemies, but the script hails from Kyle Ward (Machete Kills), Michael Finch (Predators) and Skip Woods (Sabotage), a trio of writers very familiar with the action genre. Aleksander Bach will be making his directorial debut on the pic.
The most exciting thing about Agent 47, in my mind at least, is the stellar supporting cast. In addition to Friend and Ware, the film stars Zachary Quinto, Thomas Kretschmann, Dan Bakkedahl, Ciarán Hinds and Emilio Rivera. That lineup should ensure that the acting isn’t stiff, a problem that plagues many video game adaptations. I’m tentatively excited for this flick. It could be bad, yes, but the actors are great and the concept is cool. And sometimes, that’s enough.
Hitman: Agent 47 arrives on February 27th, 2015.
Based on the top-selling, award-winning videogame franchise, “Hitman: Agent 47” is an all-new motion picture about an elite and genetically engineered assassin, known only by the last two digits – 47 – of a barcode tattooed on the back of his neck.
