Normally movies based off of video games are really bad; in terms of being filmed, written and acted poorly. But Hitman hit the mark right on. It's not the greatest film in the world, but it's very entertaining. I'm a big fan of assassin films and this one caught my attention. I loved the actor they picked to play agent 47, he did a great job with his role. The filming was great and the lines weren't cheesy in anyway. The storyline was easy to follow and decently entertaining. I just wish they would have made the film longer!

As Agent 47 played by Timothy Olyphant aims his gun at Interpol's Mike Whittier (Dougray Scott),he asks, "How does a good man decide when to kill?" That is the paradox of Director Xavier Gens's slick "Hitman". The screenplay by Skip Woods is based on the video game "Hitman". I am unfamiliar with the game. Movie genesis from video games usually does not bode well. However, "Hitman" surprises with narrative and visual style, and the charismatic Olyphant as Agent 47. Olyphant (recently seen in "Live Free or Die Hard") has a decidedly dark air about him, and wisely underplays the role. Also a surprise is Olga Kurylenko who plays Nika, the woman 47 must protect in the enveloping conspiracy. Kurylenko is stunning naked, and surprisingly she is a genuine and compelling actress. She embodies vulnerability and smarts in what could have been a one dimensional victim. Analogous to "The Fugitive" narrative pretext, director Gens expediently overlays the origins of the mysterious 47 as a youth bred and trained to become the perfect assassin in the opening credits. Is he really a "good man"?

"Hitman" is puzzling in that the movie trailers appear more polished than the actual movie. Perhaps Gens was a music video director? Or "Hitman" is resourcefully produced on a medium budget? Some of the action sequences in "Hitman" are breathtaking. There is the automatic weapons orchestrated mayhem in the Russian night club. The deadly fight scene with 47 and assassins from his own Agency is an amazing martial arts display—knife fighting, joint locks, and close in boxing. Olyphant may not be a trained martial artist, though he is a graceful athlete. The slow motion and slick editing evoke the dramatic. On a very basic level "Hitman" delivers with its darkly powerful hero, beautiful women, spectacular action, and engaging story.

As played by Olyphant, 47 is the classic enigmatic hero—in the sense that we really don't know if he is really a villain from the start. 47's paying client hires him to assassinate Russian President Mikhail Belicoff (Ulrich Thomson). Belicoff is a merciless despot. 47 completes his mission; however, he has been set up. His employer informs 47 that there was a witness to the assassination attempt: the President's prostitute Nika (Kurylenko). She must be eliminated. Investigating the assassination coup is Interpol Agent Mike Whittier (Scott). Hindering the Interpol investigation is KGB Agent Yuri Marklov (effective Robert Knepper) claiming KGB jurisdiction. Whittier believes Belicoff's assassin is the "ghost" killer he has been tracking across the globe.

47 distinguishes the conspiracy and becomes the inadvertent protector of the vulnerable Nika. Their relationship reveals the more human side of 47. Humorously awkward and touchingly believable Olyphant and Kurylenko's partnership is an undeniable strength. They have a sublime chemistry that works. And 47 emerges as a hero and a man of honor.

"Hitman" is solid entertainment that benefits from Gens's stylish direction, and star-making performances from Timothy Olyphant and Olga Kurylenko. "Hitman" is a great hero story about an essentially good man vanquishing great evil and protecting the innocent. The movie is engaging fun.

Nobody: Me with the ladies... is the Hitman character played awesomely by Timothy Olyphant's style with the ladies, a nice touch by writer Skip Woods, who imo wrote a knock-out screenplay. I saw this film after the 2015 more recent "Hitman: Agent 47" of which I wasn't too impressed by the hack-job by the director and writers - including Woods, who now I realize the blame goes to his writing partner Michael Finch (who also wrote the upcoming "John Wick: Chapter 4" and better not mess that franchise up like he did this one),seeing how excellent Wood's screenplay was in this one. I mean Wood's screenplay here was pretty much flawless imo, with zero plot and technical issues.

I'm actually baffled how the critics and audience slammed this one, some even saying the second (sloppy and convoluted) film was better. Wood's screenplay was outstanding with minimal cliches and some nice surprises with excellent action and twists in this one. I'd even say this film is in my top 10 of all time hitman films. So I'm not sure what more the critics expected. Director Xavier Gens hit this one out of the ballpark, especially considering back in 2007 he was a newb filmmaker and this one was only his 2nd full length feature film. His action shots and choreography were excellent, and the suspense and tension he created made the 100 min runtime fly by, I actually wanted much more. No so in the sequel that was terribly directed by Aleksander Bach.

The cinematography, sets, locations and score were spot-on. The casting and performances were all-around excellent, especially the lovely and alluring Olga Kurylenko, and Timothy Olyphant, who was way more convincing than the Mr. Bean-like character played by Rupert Friend in the sequel. Even Dougray Scott stole the show compared to the sequel's, Spock's Zachary Quinto.

I'll definitely be watching this one again, and highly recommend this to the genre fans out there like me. Ignore the critics, this one is a gem. It's a well deserved 8.5 rounded up to a 9/10 from me.