Hitman

Until I saw Hitman, I’d only watched one film based on a game. That was Clue, loosely derived from the excellent board game I know as Cluedo. Now Clue wasn’t exactly a masterpiece, but alongside Hitman, it looks rather more like Citizen Kane.

Hitman is based on a computer game, and therefore comes from a world with which I’m unfamiliar. The premise is that a mysterious assassin, known only as Number 47, is destined for bad things from boyhood – and his bald pate is stamped with a bar code, for reasons which escaped me. Number 47 is played by Timothy Olyphant with a doughty relentlessness, but the screenplay defies any serious attempt at subtlety of characterisation. A good actor, Dougary Scott (excellent in a much more intelligent thriller, Enigma) is wasted in a role as a secret agent.

Roughly speaking, Number 47 becomes embroiled in a complicated plot concerning the supposed assassination of Belicoff, the Russian leader – or is the victim Belicoff’s double? A glamorous call girl, who sports a facial tattoo, is involved, and Number 47 becomes enamoured of her, saving her life on more than one occasion. The girl is played by Olga Kurylenko, previously known to me as the exotic Bond girl in Quantum of Solace. In this movie, we see quite a lot of Olga, in more ways than one, but despite her ready availability, Number 47 doesn’t succumb to her charms, In a film full of unbelievable things, this is one of the least credible.

I don’t like giving negative reviews of any book, tv show or film, but I can’t deny that – despite Olga’s lustrous presence – I lost interest in Hitman some time before the end. It is, at best, comic book stuff. When I checked the internet, I found that the Rotten Tomatoes site had given the film a paltry 15% approval rating. This was a relief, frankly. I’d hate to think I was so far out of touch that I’d completely missed the point of a modern masterpiece.

Premier Bonds

Further to my post about Quantum of Solace, I’ve been reflecting on the Bond movies I’ve seen – at least a dozen, over the years, perhaps more. One reason for this is that, one of these days, I would like to write a thriller of some kind, and though I’ll never be an Ian Fleming (or be able to work with the kind of budget enjoyed by the Bond franchise), it’s interesting to reflect on what makes action thrillers memorable. I’ve read few of the original books, but the movies I’ve seen have mostly been great fun.

There are several key ingredients to a successful Bond movie. The hero has to be compelling (thumbs up to Sean Connery and Daniel Craig, a definite no, thanks to George Lazenby.) The villain has to be a worthy opponent (Blofeld, Scaramanga and Dominic Greene top my list – it’s a real pity that Greene won’t be returning.) The settings have to be dramatic (the Tosca scene and the Bolivian desert in Quantum of Solace worked very well) and the love interest has to be exciting (Diana Rigg and Eva Green are among my favourites.)

The story-line ought to matter more than it does. Mostly, the Bond plots are rather iffy, and Quantum’s is no exception. But the touches of wit that you find in the Bond films are important to the overall effect, and so is the balance of the screenplay – I felt that Quantum was better than Casino Royale in terms of structure, even if the latter had a little more depth.

And finally, there are the peripherals – such as the gadgets in some of the movies, and the music. I’m a great admirer of John Barry’s work, and – if we leave aside the original spoof version of Casino Royale, which featured the incomparable Dusty Springfield singing ‘The Look of Love’ - my favourite Bond theme is ‘We Have All the Time in the World’, performed by the legendary Louis Armstrong. It came from one of the less renowned films in the series, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but that highlights the fact that even the weaker entries over the years have had their magic moments. The two songs, by the way, had different composers, but the same gifted lyricist.

Quantum of Solace

I watched the new James Bond film several days ago, but I only just got my breath back. Talk about action-packed, it’s a thriller with non-stop car chases, boat chases, plane chases, killings, beatings and attempts to hold heads of state to ransom. Most people say that Casino Royale is a better movie than its successor, but I felt Quantum of Solace held its own, despite the dodgy title and even dodgier soundtrack and theme song (bizarrely, the classic 007 theme is held back until the end.) The success of the film is thanks in the main to Daniel Craig’s mesmeric performance as an agent bent on revenge and almost out of control, but Judi Dench is at her best as M, who has a larger role in events than usual.

Bond is still hurting after the murder of Vesper Lynd in the last film, and the action gets off to a flying start with a dramatic car chase followed by the discovery that M’s bodyguard is in the pay of the mysterious Quantum organisation. It turns out that one of the top dogs in Quantum is supposed eco-campaigner and front man of Greene Planet, Dominic Greene. The ruthless Greene is played by Mathieu Amalric, whose performance is terrifically creepy – in the style of a sort of eco-friendly Peter Lorre. Amalric apparently claims to have based his portrayal on a combination of Tony Blair and Nicolas Sarkozy. Presumably we must await the next film in the franchise for a villain with an outlandish plan for saving the world, inspired by Gordon Brown, (though it may be too scary to get away with a 12A certificate.)

To be honest, though, it’s best to forget the political edge to Amalric’s performance and the screenplay. Quantum of Solace is very good escapism. And we can all do with a dose of that, every now and then.