Agent 47 brings his guns and precision training back to the big screen, in a sequel to the 2007 original, starring Timonthy Olyphant. The two films are similar, in that they center on an elite assassin (Rupert Friend) who was genetically engineered from conception to be the perfect killing machine, and is known only by the last two digits on the barcode tattooed on the back of his neck. He is the culmination of decades of research and forty six earlier Agent clones perfecting him with unprecedented strength, speed, stamina and intelligence. His latest target is a corporation that plans to unlock the secret of Agent 47’s past to create an army of killers whose powers surpass even his own. Teaming up with a young woman (Hannah Ware) who may hold the secret to overcoming their powerful enemies, 47 confronts stunning revelations about his own origins, presenting his greatest challenge. The movie is not one to be outdone by ridiculous imagery and special effects. Instead it sees those laughable faults and raises the movie a muddled plot and monotonous tone to boot. The original movie is far from a masterpiece, but at least the movie rests on a confident and charasmatic performance from Olyphant. There was enough charms in that film to enjoy the experience. “Agent 47” is among the hardest 90 minute experiences that i have ever been through. It’s tough to even enjoy the finely choreographed fight scenes, because of some shoddy camera work that makes it hard to register what is truly going on. It’s a film style that has influenced films like “Live Free or Die Hard” and “The Expendables” to name a few, and i wish Hollywood would just cut it all together. Friend is good enough as the film’s starring role. He does everything right in the role, but it just doesn’t translate to an entertaining feature. The film (Like it’s character) is emotionless and lacks the kind of heart to get it out of this mediocre bubble. If this is the best that video game movies can manage, i fear for the future of gamers everywhere. I also can’t understand where the film spent 35 million on the film. The clothes and cars are nice, but the movie’s cinematography is bland, and the special effects are horrendous in their presentation. Cars bounce like they react to rubber bands, in an obvious green screen catering to an overabundance of gratuitous violence that comes out of nowhere. The film skips a second act and instead cuts to a third act climax that is scrambled together quickly during the final twenty minutes. The biggest problem facing this anti-climax is that we never see Agent 47 at his weakest point. He’s never defeated, nor is he outsmarted. What makes the audience think that this will be the time he meets his match? The obvious sequelbate in the film’s mid credits is the final stamp on a film that lowered my already lowest of expectations. “Hitman: Agent 47” is a fine lesson on letting those hard to reach chips go. Instead of Pringles, it’s audience participation, and that’s something this film is O for two on.

3/10