First the good points: the tone of the video game was captured brilliantly (largely due to the extensive use of the game's soundtrack,) and there were some reasonable action sequences. Let's be honest here; who doesn't enjoy a mindless assassination movie? Olyphant did a pretty good job portraying Agent 47. His movement was rigid and calculated - which isn't really Oscar worthy acting, but it mirrored the game well enough. When you've got an iconic look like 47's black suite and red tie you're bound to succeed in recreating a character. The Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat movies failed in this regard - perhaps because those characters were wearing costumes that don't translate into outfits that you'd find in reality.

Oh, and the kids playing  Hitman in the hotel when 47 is running from the Russian secret police? Love it. It's always refreshing when a movie or show is consciously self-referential.

Now for the bad parts.

“How will I find you?”

“Don't worry, I'll find you.”

Really? Come on. I will grant that the screenwriter might have been playing off the stereotypes of his genre, but hackneyed lines like that are so overused. It's like throwing declawed felines on a rust-covered chalkboard. Maybe the point was to be hokey, but the movie could have garnered more respect.

In fact, the entire tone of the movie was cookie-cutter, down to the obligatory love interest. “Shut up or I'll gag you,” says 47. “Oh you,” she smiles to herself. Though I did enjoy the unnecessary nude scenes.

The sword fight on the subway was a great idea. I don't know if there wasn't enough space, or time to practice, or proper choreography, or perhaps they just wanted to try something “creative,” but the way that they shot that scene just ruined that great idea. It was stomach wrenching how they sped up the film to hurry the pace of the fighting between 47 and the last surviving Agent. And none of those guys looked like trained killers.

One last thing. I'm not sure if I missed a scene somewhere, but was there a reason that the whole “set up” took place? Without spoiling it for anyone, the plot just ended with no explanation about what the bad guys were trying to accomplish. And the framework with the Interpol detective trying to catch his ghost was just tagged on to add a second perspective, I didn't really get all that invested in his search.

In short, the movie version of “Hitman” seemed like a gamer's attempt to write a script. I'm sure that he thought it was totally awesome, but when it comes to cinema it fell short. Way short. If you've got no discerning tastes about what a good character arc should be then there's no problem. But there could have been a really fantastic story in there about the abductee-turned-killer searching for redemption.

Maybe that's just not what the point was. And, like I said, I'd still recommend the movie. But next time, guys, try hammering out a good story before producing another video game clone for the big screen.

When the movie trailer was released it was quite an uplifting piece of work. Great cut scenes of death, destruction and beautiful women set to some gorgeous classical music.

It really was too bad though, that the actual movie did not live up to the hype. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad, but it definitely could've been much better.

The first problem with this movie was the acting. I wasn't sure what to expect when they didn't cast any big names for the main role of Agent 47. When it was announced it was to be Timothy Olyphant I was pretty surprised. He really hadn't made too big of a name for himself but I enjoyed the previous work he did His roles as Seth Bullock on Deadwood and his appearance in Live Free or Die Hard as the ominous villain seemed very well thought out.

It was really odd how this film showcased Olyphant's talent on one hand and his lack of experience in a leading role on the other. There were times when 47 was portrayed perfectly, as a cold-hearted, well trained assassin who got the job done no matter how difficult and just wanted to find out the truth about himself. A perfect example of this was in the basement of the train station, where 47 was assaulted by another Hitman and he ruthlessly took him to the ground. He then shot the other Hitman in the arm to get answers and then nonchalantly capped him in the shoulder blade for good measure as he walked out the door while uttering one of the most skillfully delivered lines in the movie “Stay here.”

Overall Olyphant did a nice job in his role. It seemed he'd studied 47's various nuances and modeled them to a T. From the way Olyphant walked, to the way his cold, calculating brain worked.

However, when it really came to substance in the movie it seemed that most of the acting fell flat. The dialogue between the main two characters seemed like it had good potential but came off as dry, and a bit rehearsed.

This brings me to my next point: the story continuity. There were so many plot holes it was really a bit confusing. I won't ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it but certain details and connections weren't even mentioned and it left me feeling incomplete.

So in a nutshell I give Hitman one thumb up. It had some great action sequences, but the story was pretty broken up and unconnected and the acting was mediocre in most scenes. It's a movie that most action or game junkies should see but just wait till it comes out on DVD, because at times it seems like the story only acts as a vague bridge between 47's next rampage and Nika Boronina's lack of clothing.

The two part company when Danny refuses to help Noble carry out a hit, although they meet again in Danny's home town of Denver, which is when things start to get more interesting, especially when Noble is introduced to Danny's wife, Bean (Davis).

As a movie, The Matador seems to lack direction at times, as it meanders through to its final conclusion. There are some genuinely funny bits in here, but they are alas too few and far between, and although Brosnan's and Kinnear's acting skills are adequate, it is Hope Davis' few scenes near the end of the movie that threaten to steal the show. The twist at the end also fails to shock and surprise the audience adequately enough to turn what is an average film into a really good one.

All in all this would have been a fairly easy cheque for Pierce Brosnan to collect, and we can only hope that his next outing leads to bigger and better things especially if he is ever to shake off the James Bond tag, something that seems highly unlikely.

6/10