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Hitman
Directed by	Xavier Gens
Written by	Skip Woods
Produced by	Chuck Gordon Adrian Askariah Daniel Alter Luc Besson
Starring	Timothy Olyphant Dougray Scott Robert Knepper
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	November 21, 2007 (US) November 30 2007 (UK)
Running time	100 mins
Country	USA
Language	English

Hitman is a 2007 film adaptation of the video game series Hitman. The film is directed by Xavier Gens and stars Timothy Olyphant. The script is written by Skip Woods. Hitman was released on November 21, 2007.

Plot

A gun-for-hire known only as Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) is ensnared in a political conspiracy, which finds him pursued by both Interpol and the Russian FSB (The successor of the KGB). When one of his assassinations is botched, 47 sets out to find out who set him up. Along the way he encounters numerous other hitmen assigned to take him out.

Cast

• Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47
• Dougray Scott as Mike Whittier
• Olga Kurylenko as Nika Boronina
• Robert Knepper as Yuri Marklov
• Ulrich Thomsen as Mikhail Belicoff
• Henry Ian Cusick as Udre Belicoff

Production

In February 2003, Hitman makers Eidos and IO Interactive entered negotiations with Hollywood production companies to adapt the video game to film. Twentieth Century Fox eventually acquired the rights and hired screenwriter Skip Woods to pen the screenplay with actor Vin Diesel executive producing and starring in the film. In December 2006, Vin Diesel stepped down from the role. In January 2007, Timothy Olyphant was cast into the lead role with director Xavier Gens attached at the helm. In March, actor Dougray Scott was cast as the antagonist to Agent 47, with Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen, and Michael Offei also joining the cast. Production began the week of March 27, 2007 in Sofia, Bulgaria and lasted 12 weeks. A second unit also shot in locations including London, Istanbul, St. Petersburg, and South Africa.

Release

Hitman was originally slated to be released on October 12 2007 in the United States and Canada, but the film's release was postponed to November 21 2007. Hitman opened in 2,458 theaters in the United States and Canada, grossing $13,180,769 in its opening weekend, ranking fourth at the box office. The following weekend, Hitman opened in 12 markets, having the following highlights: $150,355 in 38 theaters in Indonesia, $224,449 in 37 theaters in Malaysia. and $244,329 in 32 theaters in the Phillippines. In Taiwan, the film opened in fourth place with approximately $100,000. The film also performed weakly in Lebanon with $19,321 in 6 theaters. As of November 29 2007, the film has grossed $24,404,401 in the United States and Canada and $1,481,361 in other territories for a worldwide total of $25,885,762.

On the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Hitman has received a Rotten rating of 11% based on 56 reviews, and it has received a Rotten rating of 6% from 17 "Cream of the Crop" reviewers from mainstream news outlets. On the similar website Metacritic, the film has received a metascore of 35 out of 100 based on 22 reviews.

Trivia

• During 47's escape from the FSB in a Russian hotel, he enters a room where one of the Hitman video games can be seen on the TV, being played by the room's occupants.

References

1. Brian Linder (2003-02-03). "Games to Film: Hitman". IGN. Retrieved 2006-12-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. Dave McNary (2005-10-20). "Woods to adapt 'Hitman'". Variety. Retrieved 2006-12-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
3. Nicole Laporte (2007-01-17). "Olyphant to shoot 'Hit Man'". Variety. Retrieved 2006-01-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
4. Ali Wood (2007-04-05). "FILMING STARTS ON EIDOS MOVIE". Instock. Retrieved 2007-04-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. 20th Century Fox (2007-04-24). "Hitman is Underway". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2007-04-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
6. Pamela McClintock (2007-03-26). "Actors set sights on 'Hitman'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-03-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
7. Stax (2007-08-25). "Exclusive: Hitman's New Date". IGN. Retrieved 2007-08-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. ^ "Hitman (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
9. Conor Bresnan (2007-11-29). "Around the World Roundup: 'Beowulf' Tops Another Modest Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-12-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. "Hitman". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
11. "Hitman (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-11-25.
12. "Hitman (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-11-25.

External links

• Official site
• Hitman at IMDb
• Hitman at Rotten Tomatoes
• Hitman at Metacritic
• Hitman at Box Office Mojo
• Template:Amg movie

• 2007 films
• American films
• English-language films
• Films based on video games
• Hitman
• Action thriller films