Hitman – Unrated (Blu-ray + DVD-Video)
Picture: B/C+ Sound: B Extras: C- Film: C
Some
films try so hard, they try too hard and some things backfire as a result. In Xavier Gans’ feature version of the hit
videogame Hitman, trying to be a spy
film, video game movie, martial arts flick and even science fiction tale all at
once can be much to juggle. Co-produced
by Vin Diesel, this did turn out better than Chronicles Of Riddick, but the lack of a rich story by Skip Woods
hurts what could have been a very exceptional surprise.
Timothy
Olyphant (the villain of Live Free Or
Die Hard; he is much better here) is a mysterious assassin/agent who is
about to be betrayed (every such film has been the same lately, as if this is
the only story about hitmen will ever be told) and, yes, part of it has to do
with his mysterious past and those who want to silence it forever. So what’s a killer to do but fight back?
Unfortunately,
since their is no story and all kinds of clichés and conventions poorly filling
in the gaps, it is up to the editing, acting and fight scenes to carry what
remains. Fortunately, the big surprise
is that this has some of the best martial arts fight scenes we have seen in a
while and (look out!) does not rely on shaky camera work! The failure of the script is even more
unfortunate in light of this. Of course,
this wants to be the Jason Bourne films with more guts (et al) and I liked that
ambition about it. Too bad that was not
matched in other ways.
If this
does well on Blu-ray and DVD, we might see a sequel. If so, there is much room for improvement and
if a series does occur, the makers will need to act fast to make this
work. If not, this will be an interesting
curio a few years down the line.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 AVC @ 16 MBPS digital High Definition image is not bad, but has just
enough softness and depth limits to hold it back, partly from stylizing and
partly from the transfer. This is still
much better than the very weak anamorphically enhanced low def DVD, which has
bad Video Black and is weak overall, but the High Def version could deliver
better. Wonder what Director of
Photography Laurent Bares intended? The
DTS HD MA (Master Audio lossless) should be better than the DTS on the DVD, but
reveals a strained soundmaster that the DVD DTS does not. The mix has some good moments of action and
edge, but in other cases, the soundfield is problematic and the sound can be
too harsh for its own good.
Extras
include four making of featurettes, alternate ending, deleted scenes and a gag
reel. The Blu-ray adds a new twist Fox
has been promoting, a DVD-ROM so you can download a digital copy of the entire
film for portable devices. You have to
be hooked up to The Internet to do this and it is a low def copy, but some may
enjoy the option.
- Nicholas Sheffo
