Juno (2007) - Reitman's massively sweet indie favorite

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Two overwhelmed teenage stars are placed on the freshly colored poster for Jason Reitman's Juno

16 year-old Juno finds herself pregnant and faces some big decisions. SPOILER Her choice of adoption in turn gives a new situation for an immature adopting couple. 

 

Juno is written by Diablo Cody (Paradise (2013)) and directed by great Quebecois filmmaker Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking (2005)).

A sweet 'hyper indie' film, Juno is sweetly written, sweetly acted, warm and has several laugh-induing moments. Ellen Page (Into the Forest (2015)) is sweet. But the amount of 'sweet' is also the film's weak point. This is the honey-glazed teenage pregnancy movie.

 

Related posts:

 

Jason Reitman: Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) - Bust out some popcorn 

2018 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2018 in films - according to Film Excess 

Tully (2018) - Theron delivers in Reitman/Cody's candid motherhood dramedy  

 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 7.5 mil. $

Box office: 232.3 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 30.97 times its cost)

[Juno premiered 1 September (Telluride Film Festival) and runs 96 minutes. Rainn Wilson was reportedly paid 750$ for his performance in the film; while Jennifer Garner accepted a reduced salary in exchange for an undisclosed backend %, which may have been a very lucrative deal for her in the end. Shooting took place from February - March 2007 in British Columbia. The film opened #17 to a 413k $ first weekend in 7 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #2, behind National Treasure: Book of Secrets, spending 4 weekends in the top 5, grossing 143.4 mil. $ (61.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 19.2 mil. $ (8.3 %) and Australia with 10.9 mil. $ (4.7 %). The film was nominated for 4 Oscars, winning for Best Original Screenplay. It lost Best Picture to No Country for Old Men, Actress (Page) to Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose; and Director to Ethan and Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men. It also won 1/2 BAFTA nominations, was nominated for 3 Golden Globes, won a Grammy, 3/4 Independent Spirit award nominations, an AFI award and 3 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Reitman returned with Saturday Night Live (2008, TV-series), The Office (2007-08) and theatrically with Up in the Air (2009). Page returned in The Stone Angel (2007); Michael Cera (Barbie (2023)) in Drunk History (2007, TV-series), Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis (2008, TV-series) and theatrically in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008). Juno is certified fresh at 98 % at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Juno? 

Hairspray (2007) - Glorious time with Shankman's inspired musical

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Fizzy, fun-promising poster for Adam Shankman's Hairspray, centering on the hairdos of the main cast

Tracy is the biggest fan of Collins' dance shows on television in Baltimore in 1962, and of course one day she ditches school in order to take part in an audition for the show. But her liberal mind clashes with the leader of the show ...

 

Hairspray is written by Leslie Dixon (Pay It Forward (2000)), based on the 2002 Broadway musical that in turn was based on John Waters' same-titled 1988 film, and directed by Adam Shankman (The Wedding Planner (2001)).

Outstanding shooting star Nikki Blonsky (The English Teacher (2013)) as Tracy is a trouper and imbues the film with an irresistible, happy energy throughout the simple, good story. James Marsden (The Stand (2021-21, miniseries)), Elijah Kelly (Heavens Fall (2006)), Zac Efron (17 Again (2009)), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter (1978)) and John Travolta (Ladder 49 (2004)) in a wild and fantastic cross-dressing fat suit-draped performance that has to be seen, - are all terrific. The good songs include Good Morning Baltimore and (You're) Timeless to Me, the latter a duet between Travolta and Walken. 

The hair, makeup and prosthetics job is killer. Michelle Pfeiffer (Frankie and Johnny (1991)) is catty and looks utterly amazing but is no singer, which regrettably shows. 

Hairspray is deeply charming, if a bit overlong, and it certainly inspires one to search for Waters' original as well. 

 

Related post:

 

Adam Shankman: A Walk to Remember (2002) or, Annoying Girl and Idiotic Guy Find Each Other and Love Like the Wind, Which You Can Feel But Not Touch

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 75 mil. $

Box office: 203.6 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.71 times its cost)

[Hairspray premiered 10 July (Los Angeles) and runs 116 minutes. Travolta was paid 14 mil. $, 3 of them up-front, for his performance in the film. Efron was paid 100k $. Shooting took place from September - December 2006 in Toronto, Ontario and in Baltimore, Maryland. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and holdover hit Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, to a 27.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent 2 more weekends at the top 5 (#4-X-#5), grossing 118.8 mil. $ (58.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 25.7 mil. $ (12.6 %) and Australia with 14.4 mil. $ (7.1 %). The film was nominated for a BAFTA, 3 Golden Globes and a Grammy, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Shankman returned with Prop 8: The Musical (2008, short) and theatrically with Bedtime Stories (2008). Travolta returned with a voice performance in Bolt (2008) and physically in The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009); Efron in 3 TV and short credits prior to his theatrical return in Me and Orson Welles (2008); and Blonsky in Queen Sized (2008, TV movie) and theatrically in Harold (2008). Hairspray is certified fresh at 92 % with a 7.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hairspray?

Honeydripper (2007) - Sayles' warm Alabama blues yarn

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Warm images of vivacious actors and the musical theme are front and center on this poster for John Sayles' Honeydripper

Pine Top Purvis' Alabama bar is on the downturn in competition with a more popular newer establishment circa 1950, when a young man rides in to town on the train, bringing with him a gift for a different type of guitar-playing.

 

Honeydripper is written, directed and edited by great New-Yorker filmmaker John Sayles (Return of the Secaucus Seven (1980)).

Sayles' fiery lines and some warm, dedicated performances from Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)), Charles S. Dutton (Android Cop (2014)), LisaGay Hamilton (The Blacklist (2019, TV-series)), young Gary Clark, Jr. (Elvis (2022)) and Yaya DaCosta (The Nice Guys (2016)) as China Doll, who have great chemistry, and Stacy Keach (Tokyo Trial (2017)) as the bastard local sheriff, all help make this slowly paced yarn worthwhile. Along the way you may think to yourself that, for the kind of story this is, it really isn't that great of a tale. But the aforementioned qualities make it work fine nonetheless, up until the film's marvelously rocking culmination. Sayles chooses to hold back in terms of violence and pathos, and his ode to early rock also works without these popular spices.

 

Related posts:

 

John Sayles: 2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Casa de los Babys (2003) - Sayles' great adoption drama 

The Howling (1981) - Colorful escapade from Dante, Sayles et al. (co-writer)

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: Estimated 5 mil. $

Box office: 544k $

= Box office disaster (returned 0.10 times its cost)

[Honeydripper premiered 10 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 123 minutes. Shooting took place from September 2006 - ? in Alabama. The film opened #61 to a 9k $ weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #55 and in 26 theaters (different weeks), grossing 267k $ (49.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 168k $ (30.9 %) and Spain with 85k $ (15.6 %). The film won a National Board of Review award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Sayles returned with Amigo (2010). Glover returned in Be Kind Rewind (2008); Hamilton in Deception (2008); and Dutton in The Third Nail (2007). Honeydripper is fresh at 69 % with a 6.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Honeydripper?

P2 (2007) or, Parking Deck Horrors

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A scantily dressed young female is caught in a dark parking garage on this ill-boding poster for Franck Khalfoun's P2

A zealous office worker is going home late for Christmas, but she then has her work cut out for her in managing to escape the dodgy underground parking garage where a psychopath holds her captive.

 

P2 is written by co-writer/co-producers Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur (Maniac (2012), both) and debuting co-writer/director Franck Khalfoun (Prey (2019)).

Lead Rachel Nichols (Breach (2020)) has big, impressive breasts prominently pushed up in her tight dress, while she runs desperately around in mortal danger through most of the film, but she can't salvage the flat and dull psycho ride that's P2. Wes Bentley (Final Girl (2015)) plays the creepy and loud maniac who isn't a character with depth or considerable interest for audiences. The gloomy survival at stake in P2 becomes quite gory but it remains too one-dimensional and commonplace for it to really grab you, despite Khalfoun throwing everything plus the wrench into this first effort beast of his.

 

Related posts:

 

Franck Khalfoun: 2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

Maniac (2012) - POV-powered doll collector/ex-hobbit serial killer loose in LA

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 3.5 mil. $

Box office: 7.7 mil. $

= Flop (returned 2.2 times its cost)

[P2 was released 9 November (Canada, USA) and runs 98 minutes. The story was reportedly inspired by a series of parking garage attacks against women in Paris. Shooting took place from August - November 2006 in Toronto, Ontario. Bentley has later admitted that he was on cocaine and heroin at the time and only took roles to support this addiction. The film opened #9 to a 2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, its peak there where it grossed 3.9 mil. $ (50.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Mexico with 732k $ (9.5 %) and Spain with 705k $ (9.2 %). Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Khalfoun returned with Wrong Turn at Tahoe (2009). Nichols returned in Charlie Wilson's War (2007); Bentley in The Last Word (2008). P2 is rotten at 34 % with a 4.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of P2? 

Persepolis (2007) - Satrapi's sensationally good and very personal animation

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A couple of memorable scenes from the film are teased amid a clutter of honors and names involved on this overly packed poster for Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi grows up with her family in Iran and experiences the Iranian revolution of 1979, goes through childhood, youth, war, a surreal time in Vienna, homecoming and finally adult exile in France.

 

Persepolis is written and directed by great debuting French filmmaker Vincent Paronnaud (Raging Blues (2004, short)) and great debuting Iranian-born French filmmaker Marjane Satrapi (Radioactive (2019)), based on her autobiographical graphic novels Persepolis (2003) and Persepolis 2 (2004). The title is the ancient Greek name for the capital of Persia, today's Iran.

The film is extremely enlightening about the rough times in the horribly repressive Islamic regime in Iran, - something that regrettably hasn't changed dramatically in later decades. With simple, poignant mostly black and white animation and strong voice performances we are led sensitively through Satrapi's coming of age: Infatuations, deaths, music, depression and illness are all natural important elements of the easily relatable journey.

Persepolis is surprisingly funny, - really, really funny! - and it is a vital, very vivid and honest depiction of conservative state Islamism. It ends a bit suddenly, and I'd have enjoyed another 15 minutes about her later life in France, and perhaps about where Iran and the Iranians have come to since.

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 6 mil. €, approximately 7.3 mil. $

Box office: 22.7 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 3.10 times its cost)

[Persepolis premiered 23 May (Cannes Film Festival, main competition) and runs 96 minutes. 14 companies and support bodies collaborated in the financing and production of the film. It opened #46 to a 37k $ first weekend in 7 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #26 and in 536 theaters (different weeks), grossing 4.4 mil. $ (19.4 % of the total gross). North America was its 2nd biggest market. France was the biggest with 9.4 mil. $ (41.4 %), and UK was the 3rd biggest with 1.8 mil. $ (7.9 %). A government-connected Iranian group protested the film to the Cannes Film Festival, and the Iranian ambassador to Thailand successfully had the film cancelled at the Bangkok International Film Festival. The film was selected as France's Oscar bid of the year and was nominated in the Best Animated Feature category, lost to Ratatouille. It was also nominated for 2 BAFTAs, a Golden Globe, won 2/6 César award nominations, a National Board of Review award, the Jury Prize at Cannes, (the Palme d'Or was lost to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) and was nominated for a European Film award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Paronnaud returned with Villemolle 81 (2009); Satrapi with Chicken with Plums/Poulet aux Prunes (2011), co-directed with Paronnaud. Persepolis is certified fresh at 96 % with an 8.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Persepolis?

Paranoid Park (2007) - Van Sant's tender skater kid drama

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Disturbing elements cause tension around the main image of the androgynous main character on this poster for Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park

Alex is a young skater with a disintegrating family in Portland, Oregon. One night he becomes guilty of accidental manslaughter. What does he do?

 

Paranoid Park is written, directed and edited by Kentuckian master filmmaker Gus Van Sant (Mala Noche (1986)), whose 12th feature it is. It is based on the same-titled 2006 novel by Blake Shelton (Gender Blender (2006)).

Van Sant has such a keen sense of the lives of the young, and he makes the experiences portrayed here important simply by slowing things down and adding music.

Gabe Nevins (The Curio (2015)) is an underplaying find in the lead role. One scene with Alex and his father is ruined, when the latter comes into focus and amateur actor Jay Williamson's poor performance stands out. 

Paranoid Park is beautifully photographed (by Christopher Doyle (The White Girl (2017)) and Rain Li (Uncertainty (2008))), and particularly the death scene is strong. SPOILER The ending is unsatisfying: The film's point evaporates, as it seems that Alex manages with his secret? Somehow unsatisfying. 

 

Related posts:

Gus Van Sant: Promised Land (2012) or, Let's Get Your Small Town A-fracka-lackin'!

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Top 10: Best 'box office success' movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 

Elephant (2003) - Van Sant's masterpiece about an unbearable crime

1997 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Good Will Hunting (1997) or, The Genius Idiot 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 3 mil. $

Box office: 4.5 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.5 times its cost)

[Paranoid Park premiered in March (Hong Kong International Film Festival) and runs 84 minutes. Van Sant wrote the first draft in 2 days. The final draft was just 33 pages long. He held an open audition advertised through a Myspace page, and nearly 3,000 youths auditioned. Shooting took place around October 2006 in Oregon, including in Portland. The film opened #62 to a 29k $ first weekend in 2 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #42 and in 37 theaters (different weekends), grossing 486k $ (10.8 % of the total gross). North America was its 2nd biggest market. France was the biggest with 1.8 mil. $ (40 %), and Italy was the 3rd biggest with 941k $ (20.9 %). The film won 1/3 Independent Spirit award nominations and an award at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was in the main competition, lost to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, among other honors. Van Sant returned with To Each His Own Cinema (2007, segment) and 8 (2008, segment) before his own theatrical return with Milk (2008). Nevins returned in Wendy and Lucy (2008). Paranoid Park is certified fresh at 77 % with a 7.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Paranoid Park? 

Paranormal Activity (2007) - Peli's record-breaking found footage horror smash

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The chilling footage from a home surveillance camera makes up most of this poster for Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity

Micah and Katie have moved together in a nice house in San Diego. But strange occurrences begin to take place at night, so Micah begins to document the happenings with home surveillance cameras, as Kate divulges that the supernatural is nothing new in her life.

 

Paranormal Activity is written, produced, directed, photographed and edited by debuting Oren Peli (Chernobyl Diaries (2012, writer)). It is the first film in the Paranormal Activity franchise.

Although the film sometimes almost gets stuck in the conflicts that make its otherwise sweet central couple pathetic, the effects of the simple shock footage, - and especially of the really scary ending, - are impressive and effectively spooky. The marketing and over-all feat of the film must here be taken into account and recognized as incredible. SPOILER The demon overtakes Katie. Mad scary.

 

Related posts:

 

The Paranormal Activity franchise: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]  

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) or, Haunted California Idiots 

 

 

A video of scary clips from the film - DON'T watch this if you haven't yet seen the film

 

Cost: 215k $

Box office: 193.3 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 899 times its cost)

[Paranormal Activity premiered 14 October (Screamfest Horror Film Festival, USA) and runs 86 minutes. Katie Featherston (Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)) and Micah Sloat (The Death and Return of Superman (2011, short)) were initially paid 500 $ each for their performances. The film originally had a 15k $ budget. Shooting took place from in just a week from April - May 2007 in San Diego, California. In a hectic period leading up to Paramount acquiring the film's release and sequels rights for 350k $, spending 200k $ by shooting new endings and editing the film, DreamWorks first had a plan to buy the film to remake it immediately, but a decisive screening left an impression that the film was effective as was. Paramount's overtaking DreamWorks meant that the release was delayed for a long period, finally getting a broad release in 2009. It opened #48 to a 77k $ first weekend in 12 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #1 and in 2,712 theaters (different weeks), grossing 107.9 mil. $ (55.8 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 16 mil. $ (8.3 %) and France with 9.6 mil. $ (5 %). The film was nominated for an Independent Spirit award. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. The film's success, sometimes referred to as making it the most profitable of all time (compared to its budget) spun a franchise of 6 direct sequels so far, as well as an unrelated sequel and a wave of similar found footage low budget horror films. The first sequel is Paranormal Activity 2 (2010), without Peli or the original stars front and center. Peli returned with Area 51 (2015). Featherston returned in Psychic Experiment (2010); Sloat in Paranormal Activity 2. Paranormal Activity is certified fresh at 83 % with a 7.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Paranormal Activity?

Just Like Home/Hjemve (2007) - Scherfig's followup comedy attempt is a disaster

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A gathering of nude middle-aged men on a city square on a sunny day makes up this strange poster for Lone Scherfig's Just Like Home

In a Danish province town, a digging up of the city hall square is disturbed by the appearance of a nude man at night, who creates scandal in the small society. 

 

Just Like Home is written by Niels Hausgaard (Der Kan Man Bare Se (1989, TV-series)) and Danish master filmmaker, co-writer/director Lone Scherfig (The Birthday Trip/Kaj's Fødselsdag (1990)), whose 5th feature it is. The original Danish title translates to 'homesick'.

Reportedly written on a day-to-day basis during production (!) in a cooperation between anecdotal comedian Hausgaard and Scherfig, the film also very much feels like a mass of curious Hausgaard anecdotes pushed together, - and to a very small degree it feels as a solid and in any way authentic narrative. The unnatural odors of the premise culminate in a contrived, awkward ending, SPOILER where the town's men protest in nude on the city hall square, which falls flat, and also in the film's original title; the meaning or relation to the narrative is never touched upon. The photography (by Anthony Dod Mantle (Trance (2013))) is downright ghastly, often accompanied by a light vignette effect and with pointless reflections in the image, (even outdoors!) so that much of the film has slightly reflected superimpositions. Head-shakingly poor.

The casting and tone makes it appear that the film is Scherfig's attempt to make another Italian for Beginners/Italiensk for Begyndere (2000), her massive romcom hit, and in that light Just Like Home almost looks like a disaster, and it is easily understood why she decided to move to England after this debacle. What ultimately saves the film from total disgrace nonetheless are a suitable amount of fun moments that are especially thanks to bravura comediennes Bodil Jørgensen (Julefeber (2020, TV-series)) and Mia Lyhne (Klovn the Final (2020)), but also Peter Gantzler (Tinka og Kongespillet (2019, TV-series)) and Peter Hesse Overgaard (Kakerlak (2021, short)) make one chuckle from their grotesque characterizations, saving the film from utter disgrace in the process.

 

Related posts:

Lone Scherfig: 2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Their Finest (2016) or, Catrin's Fight 
An Education (2009) - Scherfig, Hornby and Barber's tender and intelligent coming-of-age charmer

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Top 10: Best Danish movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
Top 10: The best adaptations reviewed by Film Excess to date
Italian for Beginners/Italiensk for Begyndere (2000) - A perfect gem of a Dogme romcom   

 

 

Scherfig, Hausgaard and actress Ann Eleonora Jørgensen are interviewed about the film at great length in this video (in Danish)

 

Cost: Unknown, projected 18 mil. DKK, approximately 2.64 mil. $

Box office: 683k $

= Uncertain but likely a mega-flop (projected return of 0.25 times its cost)

[Just Like Home was released 30 March (Denmark) and runs 97 minutes. Shooting took place in Denmark. The film opened #4 to a 118k $ first weekend in Denmark, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#4) and grossed 683k $. This was the film's only general release market. The performance is a sharp contrast to Scherfig's previous Danish film Italian for Beginners, which sold 828k tickets in the small country. If made on a realistic 18 mil. DKK budget, approximately 2.64 mil. $, the film would rank as a mega-flop. The film was nominated for 1 Robert award, Denmark's Oscar. Scherfig returned with Jeg Er Bare den Logerende (2008, short) and theatrically with An Education (2009). Lars Kaalund (Accused/Anklaget (2005)) returned in Daisy Diamond (2007); Jørgensen in Mig & Che (2007, short) and theatrically in The Early Years: Erik Nietzsche Part 1/De Unge År: Erik Nietzsche Sagaen Del 1 (2007). 428 IMDb users have given Just Like Home a 5.4/10 average rating.]

What do you think of Just Like Home?

Hitman (2007) - Mindless video game adaptation 'fun'

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A very symmetrical man with a very big gun and a scarcely dressed woman stand out on this not exactly subtle poster for Xavier Gens' Hitman

Agent 47 is a bald assassin, who gets mixed into a deadly affair involving some Russians and a woman, all the while he is also chased by the Interpol.

 

Hitman is written by Skip Woods (Swordfish (2001)) and directed by Xavier Gens (Frontier(s)/Frontière(s) (2007)). It is based on the Hitman video games (2000-).

The hugely selling video game is regrettably adapted without inspiration, vision or a discernible direction here in a film that should be found in a dictionary under examples of 'Euro-trash'.

Some of the fight scenes are reasonably well choreographed, but otherwise the film is a disaster on all fronts: Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood: The Movie (2019, TV-movie)) is miscast, sheepish and pretending in the title role, (he later divulged that he only took the job to pay out his house mortgage.) Ulrich Thomsen (The Space Between the Lines/Gut Gegen Nordwind (2019)) is also exhausted as a villain (once again), and Dougray Scott (Jamie Johnson (2017, TV-series)) is comical as an Interpol agent. We have nothing invested in the hero, who here both literally and figuratively appears to be an anonymous cipher. Scene after scene makes little to no sense whatsoever. The plot jumps randomly from country to country, and your critical senses need to be securely switched off for any entertaining thrills to be excavated from Hitman.

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 24 mil. $

Box office: 101.2 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 4.21 times its cost)

[Hitman was released 21 November (USA + 4 more markets) and runs 92 minutes. Shooting took place from March - June 2007 in France, London, England, Istanbul, Turkey, Cape Town, South Africa and in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Gens was fired during post-production, and Nicolas De Toth reportedly directed re-shoots. The film opened #4, behind fellow new released Enchanted, This Christmas and holdover hit Beowulf, to a 13.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another weekend in the top 5 (#4) and grossed 39.6 mil. $ (39.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 7.5 mil. $ (7.4 %) and France with 6.9 mil. $ (6.8 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, translating to 3 notches over this one. The video game was again adapted to the big screen with Hitman: Agent 47 (2015) with mostly new filmmakers and stars. Gens returned with Les Incroyables Aventures de Fusion Man (2009, short) and theatrically with The Divide (2011). Olyphant returned in Stop-Loss (2008). Hitman is rotten at 16 % with a 3.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Hitman?