For Agent 47 -- raised in an institution and trained as a nameless, faceless weapon-for-hire -- the assassination of high-profile political powerhouse Mikhail Belicoff is all in a day's work. But when he is assigned to the elimination of one of Belicoff's call girls who allegedly witnessed the hit on the politician, he realizes the young woman has never seen him before and refuses to take the shot. Whether through a sudden paroxysm of conscience or simply the cold, hard logic of a seasoned contract killer, he begins to question his handlers at an agency know only as "The Organization."

Who was the client who ordered the hit on Belicoff? How could the dead man appear on television a day later, claiming he was only grazed by the hit man's bullet? And what does this alleged witness know that could be worth killing for?

Pursued by Interpol, the Russian military, and fellow Organization operatives, Agent 47 kidnaps the call-girl, Nika, and arranges a deal with the CIA: If the American government will back him, he will find and eliminate Belicoff's slave-trafficking brother Udre, and thus lure the masterminds out of hiding.

Despite his calculating disregard for the commandment "Thou shalt not kill," the reluctant hero passes up the chance to take advantage of a night with Nika -- but is it because he has morals, or simply because he doesn't have time for fun and games? Why do we care? Why does he? What makes him different than the other nameless operatives he is suddenly fighting against? Some sense of the character's motivations would have been welcome here.

Timothy Olyphant (Gone in 60 Seconds, Live Free or Die Hard) plays the shorn, bar-coded assassin with a charming indifference. Dougray Scott's edge on his portrayal of Interpol officer Mike Whittier is a pleasing departure from some of his previously petulant roles, such as Prince Henry in Ever After. Ukrainian model and actress Olga Kurylenko is the scantily clad (and sometimes casually nude) female foil, eliciting both compassion and annoyance from 47.

With beautiful art direction and panoramic skylines (shot in Russian, Turkey, and Bulgaria), Hitman takes Agent 47 from the game console to the big screen in a visually enticing melee of intense action, rhythmic fight choreography, and a splattering of humor to wit. It makes for an enjoyable film, but for an uninitiated non-gamer, the back story ultimately left something to be desired.
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