What Do The Critics Say?

"I entered the screening for HITMAN cautiously, fearing another poorly made movie based on a video game; but my lack of knowledge of the game may have helped my appreciation for the movie, just like "Doom". There is never a lull and that is probably the film's best attribute. Writer Skip Woods, who penned the Fist of Fiore Award winner "Swordfish" with John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry, is in top form once again. The action sequences, for the most part, are well done." Fiore Mastracci OUTTAKES WITH FIORE "Hitman's performances outclass the film's video-game origins. These are credible characters, not video drones." John Wirt ADVOCATE "The movie is surprisingly well made for a vid game adaptation, featuring some amusing, if sparse, dialogue and cool characters. It delivers top-notch action, dazzling gunplay and lots of fireworks. What more could we ask for?" Pete Hammond MAXIM "Director Xavier Gens offers up some stylish sequences. Olyphant's brooding eyes are perfect for the role and he brings charm and menace to the part." Andrew Fenton ADELAIDE ADVERTISER REVIEW

"Hitman, which boasts Luc Besson as one of the producers and French-US lineage, doesn’t have any high aspirations. First-time feature film director Xavier Gens handles the action competently and at moments even provides some inspired action. It’s difficult to come down hard on a film for keeping its aspirations simple and delivering on them." Beth Accomando KPBS "Olyphant, best known as the villain in Die Hard 4.0, plays the mysterious Agent 47, a genetically-modified killer who’s been raised from birth to become the ultimate executioner. while never scaling the heights of similar movies such as "Leon", "Grosse Pointe Blank" or "The Matador", it’s a competent enough thriller. In fact, it might just be one of the best videogame adaptations ever made." DAILY MIRROR "Director Xavier Gens bucks the trend of hard-to-follow, quickly cut action scenes and allows us to follow the action. Timothy Olyphant is an actor specializing in a quality where he always seems ready to explode at a moment's notice but manages to keep a calm, stoic demeanor, and it's right here." Mark Dujsik MARKS MOVIE REVIEWS

The Inside Story "Hitman" began its journey from game console to big screen when producers Charles Gordon and Adrian Askarieh, along with co-producer Daniel Alter, brought the property to Twentieth Century Fox. EuropaCorp, whose partners include filmmaker Luc Besson ("The Professional" & "La Femme Nikita".) and producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, later joined the project. At the time, EuropaCorp was in post-production on "Frontier(s)", from young French director Xavier Gens. Besson and Le Pogam were so impressed by Gens’ debut feature that they suggested that Fox executives take a look at some scenes from the film. "At the end of the screening," recalls Le Pogam, "the Fox executives said, 'Done! Deal! He’s the director'." In addition to Gens’ work on "Frontier(s)", which had its North American premiere at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, the producers and the studio were impressed by Gens’ extensive experience in many other production capacities, from runner to first assistant director, on several large-scale action films. Moreover, Gens has a genuine and contagious enthusiasm for films and filmmaking. "Xavier is totally passionate about movies," says Le Pogam ("Tell No One" & "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada"). "He is in love with all of the tangible elements of filmmaking and with getting the best from actors. He’s interested in the journey of a character from start to finish. Like other very talented people, he also has a gift for attracting a team of equally creative people in every department to work with him." Timothy Olyphant credits Gens with his decision to take the title role in "Hitman". "Xavier is a real cinephile," says Olyphant. "Sitting down and talking to him about his ideas and what kind of movie he thought this could be was the closer for me. He got me very excited about the project." In addition to his passion for films, Gens is an avid gamer, and he was thrilled to be asked to direct a film based on one of his favorite games from Eidos Interactive. "We wanted the motion picture "Hitman" to tell an original and exciting story," says Gens, "and not just turn the game into a movie. Our goal was to make something 'real' out of an imaginary universe while respecting all of the iconic aspects of the game, which has a lot of devoted fans." To that end, Gens and screenwriter Skip Woods retained much of the game’s mythology and imagery, including 47’s elaborate weaponry, sartorial choices, and trademark fleur-de-lis. "Skip wrote a great script from the source material," says Le Pogam. "It’s a totally different approach but he kept all the beauty and the basic elements of the videogame and its main character: black suit, white shirt, red tie, bald, and barcode." Gens says he drew his inspiration from other films far removed from the computer game genre. "What attracted me to "Hitman" was the originality of the different characters and the atmosphere; the graphic universe in which the movie is sets. I thought I could make something really dark, a combination thriller and action movie." After seeing actor Timothy Olyphant’s performance as villian Thomas Gabriel in "Live Free or Die Hard", the filmmakers knew they had found the man to fill the well-polished shoes of Agent 47. "When I met Tim, it was a real revelation," says Gens. "He has something interesting going on; he’s a really nice guy, very cool, but he also has a ‘dark’ quality. I thought he could really pull off 47’s search for his own humanity. The actor playing 47 had to possess physical strength, intensity, grace and elegance. On the first day of shooting when Tim arrived on set, he was exactly the character everybody had been dreaming about." Before taking on the role, Olyphant spent six weeks in a gym with a personal trainer, whose attitude Olyphant describes as, "Let’s bring Tim into the gym for an hour and a half and see if we can’t make him throw up." Olyphant also practiced with automatic weapons on a firing range. The finishing touch in turning Olyphant into Agent 47 was shaving his head and applying a barcode transfer before each days shooting. So how did Olyphant handle losing his hair? "I’ll be honest," he says. "I thought the costumes were cool but the haircut, not so much. The day they shaved my head, my first thought was, If only I could do this job with my hair." Of his character, Olyphant says: "There is something very violent and cold-blooded about 47 but at the core, he’s a guy who’s doing his job, day in and day out. It seems like a rather lonely existence and he’s emotionally detached from his work. I guess you’d have to be detached to do that job." Agent 47’s hyper-orderly life and clear mind are unexpectedly complicated when he meets Nika Boronina, a Russian prostitute who stirs Agent 47’s conscience and makes him begin to question the nature of his line of work. Actress Olga Kurylenko says the role helps elevate "Hitman" beyond typical action movie fare. "I like emotion, and the film delivers that along with great action," Kurylenko says. "Nika is a catalyst in 47’s internal struggle," says Le Pogam. "He’s in the middle of all this political turmoil, embroiled in external conflicts, and dealing with people he needs to kill and with those who want to kill him. In the middle of all that, Nika appears. She is beautiful, tough and charming, and she cares about him. But he's not used to that at all. Nobody told him that people could have natural relationships, and that turns his life upside down." Further complicating 47’s mission is the relentless pursuit by Interpol agent Mike Whittier, who has been tracking the assassin for years. Like 47, Mike is a multi-layered character that Dougray Scott, the actor who plays him, thinks helps bring another dimension to the film."It’s always to the benefit of any action movie when you have well-rounded characters," says Scott. "It helps the film because it creates a sense of believability about the world the characters occupy. Anything that goes towards realism within the confines of the genre is a great thing. It’s very easy just to sit back and say that because it’s an action movie, it’s all about the action. But it’s not. Xavier understands that and all the actors understand that as well." "Dougray is a really intense actor, he has something deep inside," says Gens. "When we first met, I spoke to him about the character of Mike in terms of his family. Mike is a real family man but he’s also obsessed with catching Agent 47. The hunt for 47 is like a disease for him because it’s a quest to catch the devil in himself. Dougray found interesting ways to add nuances to his character." Joining the cast is Robert Knepper, best known for his role as the villainous Theodore Bagwell on the hit FOX series "Prison Break". "On paper, some of the characters, including mine, do terrible things," says Knepper, who plays the role of a devious Russian agent. "Either you’re the Hitman and you kill people, or you’re the guy going after the Hitman who is also corrupt and kills people. And then you find the humanity of these characters and you realize that no one is all good, no one’s all bad." Also taking on a key 'role' is the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, which stood in for the story’s Russian locations. "We decided to shoot in Bulgaria because we had a lot of sets in the studio and locations with which to make a rich and imaginative world," says Gens. "The story mostly takes place in and around St Petersburg but we wanted something with more of a 1950s or '60s Soviet spy movie feel; something cold and dark." To provide added richness and texture, the producers sent a second unit under the direction of Olivier Megaton to shoot a big action scene in South Africa. "We wanted to make a dark, edgy movie which was beautifully shot, with well-drawn characters and a uniquely graphic look and feel," says Le Pogam. "Sofia has beautiful locations, including a cathedral, law courts, universities, and a train station. We put these very modern characters against architecture from different centuries to provide the film with the dark side we were looking for." As he put the finishing touches on "Hitman", Gens reflected on his hopes for the film. "I want the gamers to be happy but I also want the audience to experience the movie as a kind of modern Western, something gothic but with a bit of poetry. There’s a lot of emotion and there’s some really strong action. Agent 47 is a violent man, but also a man searching his conscience. It’s a story of redemption for him; a chance to find his own humanity and start a new life. Of course, whether 47 will achieve this is a key element of the story." Hitman's behind the scenes team includes "Frontier(s)" cinematographer Laurent Barès and Oscar ® nominated production designer Jacques Bufnoir ("Indochine"). "Hitman" was filmed during 12 weeks on location in Sofia and at Boyana Film Studios in Bulgaria, with a second unit shooting in South Africa, Istanbul, St Petersburg and London. Synopsis

He was bred from the world’s deadliest criminals, but raised by an exiled brotherhood of the Church. His very existence seems to be a sin, but he wages a quiet war to rid the world of evil. He’s brilliant, charismatic and charming, yet reveals little about himself, has no name, and is known only by the last two digits of a barcode tattooed on the back of his head. A genetically engineered, elite assassin known only as Agent 47, his hallmarks are a lethal grace, unwavering precision, and resolute pride in his work. But even 47 couldn't anticipate a "random equation" in his life: the unexpected stirrings of his conscience and the unfamiliar emotions aroused in him by a mysterious Russian woman he meets when he is called upon to eliminate a high ranking Russian politician. Ordered to kill the man in a public place, he believes his shot, taken from four kilometres away was true. It seems it wasn't.

The Verdict "Judging by the feedback I've received so far, I get the impression that audiences will have far more fun and get a whole lot more out of "Hitman" than most of the critics did. Yes, it is based on a computer game, but who cares, after all, "Pirates Of The Caribbean" was based on a theme park ride. And that doesn't mean I'm suggesting that "Hitman" is anywhere in the same league as the box office busting "P.O.T" trilogy, because it isn't. This action packed thriller features a reasonably good cast, an easy to follow storyline, a complete avoidance of sexual contact and like "The Bourne Identity", a final scene that leaves "Hitman" open for a sequel. Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Michael Offei, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepperand Ulrich Thomsen all give good enough performances to make this a worthwhile experience, even if no-one can figure out why Agent 47 doesn't cover up that barcode on the back of his shaven head! Recommended. 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "HITMAN" stars .......
2000 Young Hollywood Award winner Timothy Olyphant ["The First Wives Club", "Go", "The Safety Of Objects" and "Die Hard 4.0"]; Michael Offei ["Casino Royale"]; Olga Kurylenko ["Paris, je t'aime" and "Le Serpent"]; Robert Knepper ["Young Guns II", "Hostage" and "Good Night, and Good Luck"]; 2004 San Sebastián International Film Festival Award winner Ulrich Thomsen ["Mostly Martha", "Blueprint" and "Kingdom of Heaven"] and Dougray Scott ["Mission: Impossible II", "Enigma", "Dark Water" and "Perfect Creature"] as Mike Whittier.
"HITMAN" was .......
directed by Xavier Gens ["BTK - Born to Kast", "Au petit matin" and "Frontière(s)"]; screenplay by Skip Woods ["Thursday" and "Swordfish"]; art direction by Johann George ["Retour à la vie", "Fanfan la tulipe" and "Unleashed"]; costume design by Olivier Beriot ["The Libertine", "Unleashed", "Paris, je t'aime" and "Arthur and the Invisibles"]; EMMY Award winner production design by Jacques Bufnoir ["Shoot Me Angel", "Les Misérables", "Kiss Of The Dragon" and "Unleashed"]; edited by Carlo Rizzo ["Angie" and "Frontière(s)"] and Antoine Vareille ["Ride For Your Life", "Dead End" and "Big Nothing"]; director of photography Laurent Bares ["We Need a Vacation", "Vendetta" and "Frontière(s)"]; original music by EMMY Award winner Geoff Zanelli ["Feast", "Secret Window" and "Disturbia"]; set decoration by Véronique Melery ["Abracadabra", "The King's Daughters" and "Marie Antoinette"]. Who's Who?

Timothy Olyphant Dougray Scott Michael Offei Olga Kurylenko Robert Knepper Ulrich Thomsen Henry Ian Cusick Christian Erickson Eriq Ebouaney Joe Sheridan James Faulkner

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Agent 47 Mike Whittier Jenkins Nika Yuri Marklov Mikhail Belicoff Udre Belicoff General Kormarov Bwana Ovie Captain Gudnayev Smith Jamison

Run Time 93 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Twentieth Century Fox Films - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.