The first Hitman movie had, at the very least, Timothy Olyphant going for it, a rare starring role for a man whose charisma and acting chops have generally been better appreciated by the TV industry. Now the bald-headed contract killer at the heart of the Hitman series is being played by Rupert Friend and... well, any comparison isn't fair, I suppose. Here's the first trailer for Hitman: Agent 47, establishing a new set-up for the series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HELfuiarPpo That escape scene at the start is as absolutely, flat out ridiculous as anything in, say, the Transporter sequels. I was amazed to see the trailer only get more preposterous from there on out. But it looks like Zachary Quinto's villain might get to do a little scene-stealing here, and that's no bad thing. Better than scenes get stolen than they just sit, going stale on the shelf, right? I do feel sorry for Quinto, though, having to deliver lines like, "They're called Agents... your father started the Agent Program. He knows their weakness. You're the key to finding your father." And I won't have any excuse about expecting too much from a video game adaptation. We should have some standards, and especially now that video games themselves - The Walking Dead, The Last of Us, Life is Strange - manage narratives that clearly outstrip even the wildest ambition on display in this movie trailer. Hitman: Agent 47 might just deliver some dumber-than-bricks action when it comes along later this year, but I think this one might have been better off sticking to its original February release date and not the more competitive slot on August 28th that it has now.
Brendon Connelly has been a film writer since the early 90s, with time on the staff of Orbit Magazine, Slashfilm, Bleeding Cool, Den of Geek and many more. He's a long time teacher of film studies and practical filmmaking classes, and has directed music videos, commercials, short films and more. His favourite film is Terry Gilliam's Brazil, his favourite food is pancakes or crepes, and he tries to live his life by the teachings of Kermit the Frog.
