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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2015 38 This Week IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 No Escape (15) 10:30, 13:45, 16:05, 18:25, 20:50 Maze Runner: Scorch Trials 3D (12) 10:00, 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 Hitman: Agent 47 (15) 16:00, 18:15, 20:50 Pixels (PG) 10:20, 13:45, 18:40 Vacation (15) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 Max (12) 16:10, 21:00 Ted 2 (15) 21:15 Inside Out (U) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Hitman: Agent 47 (15) 14:10, 16:20, 18:35, 21:00, 23:15 Vacation (15) 14:15, 16:30, 18:45, 21:05, 23:20 Max (12) 14:10, 16:30, 18:55, 21:15, 23:40 No Escape (15) 14:10, 16:25, 18:45, 21:05, 23:25 Boy Choir (PG) 16:30, 21:10 The Cobbler (12) 14:15, 16:25, 18:40, 20:55, 23:05 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (12) 14:30, 18:00, 20:50, 23:35 Straight Outta Compton (15) 14:25, 18:00, 21:15 Southpaw (15) 14:20, 18:05, 20:45, 23:30 The Wonders (15) 14:05, 18:50, 23:30 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (12) 14:30, 18:00, 20:50, 23:40 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Straight Outta Compton (15) 10:30, 13:30, 17:45, 20:45 Southpaw (15) 10:35, 13:15, 15:50, 18:25, 21:00 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (12) 10:30, 13:10, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 No Escape (15) 10:55, 13:15, 15:50, 18:05, 20:55 The Cobbler (12) 11:05, 13:25, 15:55, 18:10, 21:00 Hitman: Agent 47 (15) 11:00, 13:15, 15:45, 18:00, 20:50 Max (12) 10:45, 13:20, 15:45, 18:15, 20:45 HISTORICALLY, film critics have gotten something of a bad rep. We're often seen as sad-sack leeches who are effectively failed filmmakers venting their frustra- tion by penning snarky critiques of things they don't like and making sure to extol the virtues of only the most sophisticated of cinema fare, so as to up our cul- tural capital. "Those who can't do, crit," as it were. But the true value of film criti- cism lies in the critic's function as someone who not only recom- mends good stuff and steers you away from the bad – this is just the surface benefit – but also provides a historical and cultural context for what you're about to watch (or, as it happens, not watch). They're meant to re-package their knowledge clearly and humbly, to give you a good over- view of each element in the given film. Admirable as the above may sound – and it's a raison d'etre I try to abide to week in, week out for your benefit, dear readers – I must confess that this won't be one of those reviews. The rea- son being that, given how we're dealing with the second film ad- aptation from the 'Hitman' video game franchise. And while the game – like many of its other counterparts in various genres – commands the respect and at- tention of a number of people (among whom are some of my closest friends), I must confess I never took the controller to it. So this review will be less of a comprehensive tour of what the 'Hitman' universe means, and more of a rudderless plunge into the unknown. You may not come out of it much wiser, but I hope you enjoy the ride either way… Directed by Aleksander Bach and penned by Michael Finch and Skip Woods – working off the video game by IO Interactive – Hitman: Agent 47 sees the titu- lar elite assassin (Rupert Friend) on a mission to stop a mega- corporation from getting their hands on the secret formula that has engineered '47' and his ilk – which means that the 'Syndicate' will be able to mass-produce an army of ruthless and efficient killing machines. His mission intersects with that of Katia (Hannah Ware) who is haunted by superhuman abilities that leave her hyper-sensitive to her surroundings, and which she tries to stifle with pills. But as she embarks on a mission to find out who she truly is, she bumps into a mysterious benefactor John Smith (Zachary Quinto) who shields her from a volley of bul- lets from 47's rich array of hand- held weaponry… but whose mo- tives may not be as saintly as they first appear. My only real knowledge of video game movies is that there hasn't been a single one that was any good. Blame it on the story- telling-unfriendly format – most mainstream video games are in- spired by movies so that feeding that formula back into movies will make for a stillborn concoc- tion – but there has yet to be a critical hit in the genre. Armed with this opinion (ahem!) I approached this sec- ond attempt at at Hitman movie – the first one was the universal- ly derided, Timothy Olyphant- starring flop from 2007 – as little more than a slice of brand rec- ognition driving action-exploi- tation. On this front, it doesn't disap- point, and though the critical drubbing it got is sort-of under- standable, perhaps we should just accept that video games re- heated into movies are never go- ing to yield succulent meals, and to make the best of what we can from what's on the plate. Though your mileage may vary based on how tolerant you are of juvenile action movie clichés – complete with symmetrical bra- vura shootouts set to a thump- ing soundtrack – Bach does his best tap into the kind of nostal- gic thrills previous generations got from Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in his heyday. It's also fortunate that Rupert Friend – of 'Homeland' fame – manages to imbue the glacial '47' with enough stone-cold authori- ty while allowing just enough hu- manity to seep through. I know – commenting positively on the actorly chops behind a human machine character will always be damning with faint praise, but Friend really does hold his own. I wish the same could be said for Ware, though the faults here have little to do with her performance and more to do with her sloppily put together character. She's a confused assemblage of hastily put-together plot conveniences, and as such doesn't leave Ware with much to sink into. Still, for all its faults – and there are many – this video game adaptation is probably the most entertaining and unapologetic action movie of the season. Give me this dumb-but-fun shooter over the pageantry of The Ex- pendables franchise any day. By Teodor Reljic Virtual thrills, twice removed ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ NAIL ON THE HEAD ★ ★ ★ ★ BULL'S EYE ★ ★ ★ CLEAR SHOT ★ ★ TRIGGER-FINGER ★ OFF-TARGET FILM Rupert Friend and Hannah Ware attempt to breathe life to yet another video game adaptation AGENT 47 ★ ★ ★