Artificial Cheese

I noticed that FOX is planning to release a movie based on the video game, Hitman: Codename 47. I’ve said on more than one occasion (in my head) that Hitman would always make a good basis for a movie. The game was inspired by french action classics like Nikita and Léon, and is based around a genetically engineered and manufactured assassin named ‘Agent 47′, who was conceived by the DNA of five different men via a laboratory. If this sounds familiar, it was the basis of the movie “Twins” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. Anyway, the plot is pretty cheesy at this point, but it gets better. In the game, Agent 47 is portrayed in a righteous light and the missions (called “Contracts”) are executed as if Agent 47 was bringing down devine judgement on his victims.

But enough about the game. I’m always cautious in my optimism regarding theatrical renditions of video games; there is always value lost when losing the interaction involved with actually PLAYING a game. Sometimes a 2 hour movie is made from a video game that takes 60 hours to complete (see Final Fantasy: Advent Children). That’s 60 hours of character development, plot advancement and dialog that are thrown out of the window. I am a little less cautious in the case because the Hitman games never offered much in the way of character development or story; the game was all about missions. The entire game was spent strangling security guards and dressing up as house maids for the sake of stealth, Agent 47 could use a little character development.

My primary concern lies with the casting decision. Timothy Olyphant was casted to play Agent 47. You may know him from Die Hard 4, which I haven’t seen yet. The role was originally slated for Vin Diesel, who has earned a little respect in my respect ledger, but he would have given the wrong impression about Agent 47. The movie should have action, but glorify the execution rather than the explosions and bullets. Plus, Vin Diesel wasn’t white enough. I would have pursued Jason Statham for this role, I think he was born for it. Timothy is just too damn pretty.

That being said, here’s the trailer: