Plot: What’s it about?
Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) is one of the world’s most skilled assassins, a man with no identity genetically engineered to thrive in his dangerous profession. Agent 47 has been able to neutralize targets no one else could, high profile marks in tense locations, no target escaped 47’s sights. His reputation has become infamous, but 47 himself is like a ghost, with a hidden past and no visible connections. Even the authorities have been unable to track down 47, as Interpol agent Mike Whittier (Dougray Scott) has spent over three years on his trail with no results. But 47 has been pushed into the spotlight now, as he is framed for the murder of the Russian president and assigned to take down the lone witness. In the course of his mission, 47 learns that the Russian president is alive and soon, a large scale conspiracy begins to unfold…
The Hitman video game franchise is brutal, but with a sharp, dark sense of humor. A potential movie held much promise, but as happens so often, the promise wouldn’t be realized. The filmmakers here seemed to want to shove as much plot in as possible, even at the cost of entertainment and rational thought. A simple story about 47 with some brief flashbacks would have worked wonders, probably even led to sequels, but this is too complex and incoherent. I don’t mind busy storylines, but so many loose ends are tossed out and so few are handled with any kind of skill, its hard to even care. Hitman does deliver in terms of violence however, as the action is blood soaked and brutal, just like in the video games. So when the action kicks in, Hitman is fun, but there’s nothing else to like here. I do think fans of the games will appreciate the violence however, so if you’re a genre fan, give Hitman a rental, but make sure you grab this Blu-ray edition.
Video: How does it look?
Hitman is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This might not be the reference level transfer I had expected, but Hitman still looks great in high definition. The print is pristine, which allows detail to be strong and the visuals to pop with that clarity we’ve all come to know and love. Olyphant’s bald head simply shines here, as detail is impressive and numerous scenes offer deep, razor sharp presence. But on the down side, the contrast leans toward the darker range, which means some scenes come off as murky and detail is obscured. There’s also more noise than I would have expected, but overall, Hitman looks quite good and provides some violent eye candy for fans.
Audio: How does it sound?
When the action heats up, this lossless DTS HD 5.1 option blows down the doors. The surrounds pulse and throw out some beyond impressive atmosphere. You will want to dodge the gunfire and outrace the explosions, as this is pure power and your home theater will rock. Now when the action isn’t so heated up…the audio falls apart. The focus was on action and when there’s no action, the mix turns lifeless. No real atmosphere or depth to speak of, but bland, but stable stuff. I do wish the sound design made more of the non action scenes, as they could use a boost. This disc also includes a Spanish language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Korean.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The first disc houses three featurettes, none of which warrant a look. These are promotional fluff and offer no real insight to speak of. The first disc also includes some deleted scenes, an outtakes reel, and the film’s theatrical trailer. The second disc is a standard DVD, with a digital copy of the film on deck. So you can transfer the movie to your computer, phone, iPod, or whatever you prefer.
