Hitman: Agent 47 Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

A soulless adaptation that misunderstands everything the Hitman franchise stands for. This remake is lifeless and overpowered, trading stealth for clumsy action.

Genre: Action / Mystery / Thriller

Director: Aleksander Bach

Cast: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto, Thomas Kretschmann, Dan Bakkedahl, Emilio Rivera, Jerry Hoffmann, Jürgen Prochnow, Angelbaby & Ciarán Hinds. 

Run Time: 92 min.

US Release: 21 August 2015

UK Release: 27 August 2015

German Release: 27 August 2015

As someone who has been a fan of the Hitman games since the first title in 2000, I was genuinely excited when Hitman: Agent 47 was announced. Having played every instalment up to Absolution, I was hoping for a faithful adaptation that captured the cold precision, stealth, and dark atmosphere of the source material. Unfortunately, what we received was a movie that not only misunderstands its own premise, but feels like a parody of the franchise it’s supposed to honour.

Hitman: Agent 47 is a distant clone of the game. In fact, it departs so far from the established lore that it could be mistaken for any other generic action flick. The first Hitman movie, back in 2007, wasn’t a masterpiece either, but at least it had some charm and tension. So, one has to wonder: why remake it if there was nothing substantial to add? The answer seems simple because studios like FOX still think that by slapping a familiar name onto a shiny, action-heavy package, fans will run to theatres. Unfortunately, this remake proves them wrong in spectacular fashion.

Rupert Friend takes on the role of Agent 47, and while he certainly looks the part, with his clean-shaven head, tailored suit, and barcode tattoo, he completely misses the essence of the character. Agent 47 is meant to be stoic, calculating, and chillingly efficient, but Friend’s performance crosses the line from “emotionless” to “lifeless.” Stoic doesn’t need to mean bland: just look at Keanu Reeves’ John Wick for comparison. Reeves radiates quiet intensity; Friend, on the other hand, has the emotional range of a brick wall. His dialogue delivery is flat, his expressions robotic, and not in the good, genetically-engineered-assassin kind of way.

To make things worse, the action sequences, which could have at least redeemed the film, are so absurdly overpowered that they border on self-parody. Instead of tension-filled stealth missions reminiscent of the games, we get wild shootouts, explosions, and car chases that feel more like a Fast & Furious script. Agent 47 comes off as an indestructible superhero rather than a methodical killer who uses intelligence and planning to eliminate his targets.

The story doesn’t help either. It’s a mess of conspiracies, pseudo-science, and overcomplicated exposition that makes absolutely no sense, even for a movie about cloned assassins. The narrative follows 47 as he hunts down a young woman named Katia (Hannah Ware), who turns out to have ties to his past. Together, they must evade yet another shady organisation trying to exploit their genetic origins. It’s a recycled plot with all the emotional depth of a cutscene from an early 2000s game. The problem isn’t just the cliché writing, but how little it respects the source material. The Hitman games are about subtlety, patience, and the art of the perfect kill. This movie, however, trades all of that for bullets and one-liners.

The dialogue is equally atrocious. Conversations sound inorganic, with supposedly emotional moments falling completely flat. There’s one particular scene that tries to humanise 47, but instead ends up feeling like an awkward acting exercise. I didn’t buy a single emotional beat in this film. It’s as if the screenwriters tried to add sentiment but forgot that empathy requires development.

Cinematography-wise, Hitman: Agent 47 is all over the place. The film tries to replicate that sleek, high-tech espionage look, but feels rather cheap and erratic. The editing is particularly bad, filled with smash cuts, unnecessary slow motion, and random montages that destroy any sense of pacing. The CGI, too, is glaringly obvious, especially during explosions and action scenes, giving the whole production an absolutely artificial look. Even the soundtrack fails to leave an impression, which is a shame considering how much atmosphere good music could have added to this otherwise hollow experience.

It’s also worth mentioning that Zachary Quinto, who plays the supposed villain John Smith, feels just as misused. Quinto has charisma and range, but his character is written like a comic-book cliché; another bulletproof bad guy with no motivation other than to serve the narrative. The confrontation between him and 47 could have been interesting if it weren’t so laughably over-the-top.

At the end of the day, Hitman: Agent 47 is a perfect example of how not to adapt a video game. It ignores what made the games so iconic (atmosphere, stealth, and moral ambiguity) in favour of generic Hollywood explosions. There’s a difference between creative interpretation and outright disregard, and this flick crosses that line.

If there’s one positive thing I can say, it’s that some of the action choreography, especially in the Berlin sequence, is mildly entertaining. The camera occasionally captures a slick moment or two, but these glimpses of competence are drowned out by the film’s relentless noise and lack of soul.

---

Verdict: Hitman: Agent 47 is a lifeless, poorly executed remake that completely misunderstands its source material. Rupert Friend looks the part but brings no depth or charisma to the character, and the overblown action turns the infamous assassin into an unintentional parody of himself. This is one of the worst video game adaptations I have seen in recent years, and one of the most pointless remakes in modern cinema. Apart from one or two entertaining scenes, this movie is an absolute disaster. I give it a 3.0 out of 10.

My recommendation: avoid this at any cost! Thank you for reading & if you are interested, check out my upcoming review this Sunday for Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes.