By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
With “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” breaking records at the global box office, it makes me wonder why it took Hollywood so long to produce such a successful film based on a video game property. There have been other films based on video games that have made money (“Sonic the Hedgehog” and its sequel), but nothing like the grosses of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” It’ll easily pass the $1 billion mark worldwide.
I caught the “Hitman” films on cable recently, and as someone who loves the games, one thought raced through my mind: How did they screw this up? The 2007 “Hitman” film, starring Timothy Olyphant as the assassin, had no redeemable value whatsoever…it’s a violent mess that gets mindbogglingly boring by the third act. And the villains were cartoons. When I saw it in the movie theater, I was peering at my watch, waiting for the credits to roll. Olyphant is an immensely talented actor; he couldn’t even save the film.
The “Hitman” world from the games is so rich and sprawling. Producers and Hollywood executives had enough material from the iconic game for five movies. Or they could’ve taken all the great parts of the games and put them in one film.
When I heard the news that Rupert Friend was set to star in “Hitman: Agent 47,” I had hoped that the film could be exceptional. I was a fan of Rupert Friend’s performance on the Showtime series “Homeland.” He was terrific as CIA operative Peter Quinn. The British actor was miscast as the assassin. I remember being confused by the muddled opening credits that had clips that were more interesting than most of the action sequences in the film. It didn’t help that every actor and actress in the movie seemed extremely wooden.
“Hitman 2: Silent Assassin” is one of my favorite video games. The IO Interactive developed, stealth video game had the best storyline of any “Hitman.” Back in the early 2000s, I played “Silent Assassin” on my GameCube. The story of Codename 47 who comes out of retirement when his friend, Reverend Emilio Vittorio, is kidnapped by unknown assailants, could make a great plot for a “Hitman” film. It’s not an origin story, but it could be an excellent spine for a screenplay. 47 resumes work for the ICA in hopes of finding his close friend.
I doubt a studio will finance another “Hitman” film after the dismal box office returns of the previous two. However, the “Hitman” games are so iconic, there must be a filmmaker who can put their own imaginative spin on the vast property.