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--> March 6, 2008 Blu-Ray Review: 'Hitman (2007)' by Steven Wilson <--

'Hitman (2007): Blu-Ray'
Film Value 6/10
Video Quality 7/10
Audio Quality 8/10
Extra Content 8/10
Grain Level (0=None) 2/10
Overall Value 6/10

IMDB Link:Hitman (2007)
Amazon Link:Hitman [Blu-ray] Hitman (Unrated DVD Edition)





--> The Movie

The Good:
 Hitman is a film based off of a video game of the same name. Most of the time films based off of video games fail to capture much attention from people other than those that enjoy the game. With Hitman, a lesser known video game, many people will pick up the movie and not even realize its original medium. Even after watching the film, most will not be aware that the film they had just viewed was a movie made from a video game. This is where Hitman succeeds. For a film based off of a game, director Xavier Gens does a fine job of keeping his film enjoyable for a broader audience than just game aficionados. Those looking for a good action flick can jump right into this movie without ever playing the game.

 At its core, Hitman is about unwanted children who are turned into powerful assassins at a very early age by means of genetic engineering and vigorous training. The best of these trained hit men is Agent 47, played by Timothy Olyphant. In the movie, Agent 47 is betrayed and must put together the pieces of the set up in order to take down his opposition. It’s not a great script by any means but it does what it needs to for the film. Timothy Olyphant was definitely a good choice for the role of Agent 47. Not a well known actor, I didn’t feel as if I was watching someone who should have been someone else. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how the film turned out.

The Bad:
 While watching Hitman I was not sure until about half way through the film if this was going to be good or bad. In a way, Hitman felt like an amateur film but tied itself up nicely as it progressed. I’ve never seen any of Xavier Gens previous work so I’m not sure if this feeling was attributable to his directing or if it just needed better editing.

--> Video Quality

 Fox brings Hitman to Blu-ray in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p AVC encode. At times, Hitman looks very good. Unfortunately, it also looks very bad at times. The movie seems to constantly fade in and out of focus. Filmed on Super 35 stock, grain is kept to a minimum, even in dark scenes. For most of the movie, the picture is great. Detail is preserved well. In one scene, for instance, you can vividly see a hair in supporting actress Olga Kurylenko’smouth. It can also be seen in the DVD version as well, but it’s not nearly as evident. See if you can spot if yourself. For fans of the movie, the Blu-ray version’s picture quality is far superior to the DVD and a no brainer for the price difference.

--> Audio Quality

 The Blu-ray version of Hitman has two soundtracks. The primary track is an English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio track while the other is a standard Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The DTS HD Master Audio track is very bright and seems to provide an elevated sound stage. Explosions and gun shots sound solid with good use of the subwoofer. Bass is also pumped up in the score. Vocals come across clearly but during conversations in automobiles dialogue sounds like it was echoing across a large room.

--> Extra Content

 Hitman comes to Blu-ray as a two disc edition. The first disc is a single layer 25 GB Blu-ray disc containing the movie and extra content while the other is a DVD containing digital copies of the film. All of the featurettes are in high definition except for the deleted scenes and gag reel. The featurettes include a making of the film, weapons of the film, score of the film, and a piece about making a film from a video game.

--> Summation

 For the surcharge that Fox charges for its Blu-rays, it’s nice to see a package that delivers a wealth of extra content. Fans of Hitman will not be disappointed by this version and certainly shouldn’t hesitate when picking up the Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Steven Wilson

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