Rewatching Hitman (2007): A Flawed, Fun Time Capsule of Late-2000s Action
It’s not a good Hitman movie. But it is a good bad movie—and sometimes, that’s exactly what you want on a rainy Sunday afternoon. hitman 2007
Directed by Xavier Gens and starring Timothy Olyphant, this video game adaptation arrived during the "Wild West" period of gaming movies—long before The Last of Us or Arcane set a high bar. With a new Hitman TV series reportedly in development at Amazon, I decided to revisit Agent 47’s first big-screen outing. Does it hold up? Not exactly. Is it entertaining? Absolutely—just not always for the reasons the filmmakers intended. The film follows Agent 47 (Olyphant), a genetically engineered assassin created by a secret organization called The Agency. Clean, precise, and emotionless, he never misses and never leaves witnesses. After a job in Russia goes sideways—he kills a political candidate but spares a helpless prostitute named Nika (Olga Kurylenko)—47 finds himself hunted by Interpol (led by a scenery-chewing Dougray Scott) and a rival group of rogue Agency agents. Rewatching Hitman (2007): A Flawed, Fun Time Capsule
Also, the man looks incredible in a black suit. The tailoring alone is worth the price of admission. The fight choreography isn’t John Wick (few things were in 2007), but it has a gritty, early-2000s charm. A standout scene: 47 takes down a room full of guards using only a fiber wire and a tea tray. Another highlight is the train shootout—bullet casings flying, blood spritzing, Olyphant reloading with robotic precision. It’s violent without being stylish, which oddly fits the character. With a new Hitman TV series reportedly in
Cue the train fights, sniper duels, and a shocking twist involving a secret twin brother (yes, really). At the time, fans scoffed. "Where’s the barcode? He’s too handsome! He talks too much!" But in hindsight, Olyphant delivers a solid, understated performance. He doesn’t just scowl—he moves like a predator, calm and coiled. He understood the assignment: be physically imposing but emotionally absent, with just a flicker of curiosity about humanity through Nika.
Director Xavier Gens ( Frontier(s) ) brings a European grindhouse feel. The color palette is all muted grays and browns, and the camera lingers on 47’s cold, methodical preparation. You believe this man kills people for a living. Here’s the cardinal sin for fans of the Hitman games ( Silent Assassin, Blood Money ). The movie has almost no stealth . Agent 47 walks through hotel lobbies in full view, shoots dozens of cops in public, and engages in a massive helicopter explosion. That’s not a hitman—that’s a one-man army.