HITMAN: AGENT 47 (15, 96 mins)

Action/Thriller. Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware, Zachary Quinto, Thomas Kretschmann, Ciaran Hinds, Angelababy. Director: Aleksander Bach. Released: August 27 (UK & Ireland)

Based on the hugely successful Hitman videogames, Aleksander Bach's frenetic action thriller hopes to atone for the sins of a drab 2007 film version headlining Timothy Olyphant.

Unfortunately, a new lick of paint and some breathlessly choreographed fight sequences can't disguise the same fatal flaw.

Like so many screen adaptations of videogames, Hitman: Agent 47 fails to replicate the adrenaline-pumping visceral thrill of assuming control of an iconic character and nervously guiding them through the digital realm.

The agonising sense of responsibility, which draws beads of sweat on a player's brow, are completely lost on an audience sitting comfortably in the dark of an air-conditioned cinema.

Director Bach evidently loves the games and he confidently orchestrates action set pieces, punctuated by slow motion acrobatics and explosions.

A prolonged bout of bone-crunching hand-to-hand combat on the tracks of the Berlin underground, and a high-speed pursuit around a multi-storey car park, are high points.

Once the bullets have all been discharged, vehicles wrecked and necks snapped, the film offers little in the way of characterisation, plot or emotional nuance.

The protagonist is a genetically engineered assassin called Agent 47 (Rupert Friend), who carries out high-profile contracts assigned to him by his handler, Diana (Angelababy).

Known by a barcode tattoo on the back of his neck, 47 is the product of years of scientific tinkering, which has imbued him with unrivalled intelligence, speed, stamina and strength... until the next iteration.

Diana orders 47 to hunt down and kill Dr Litvenko (Ciaran Hinds), mastermind of the Agent program.

A huge corporation called Syndicate International fronted by Le Clerq (Thomas Kretschmann) is also looking for Litvenko and intends to use his groundbreaking research to create an unstoppable army of obedient trained killers.

The only way to flush the scientist out of hiding is by using his daughter Katia (Hannah Ware) as bait.

Unfortunately, she has also vanished off the grid.

Agent 47 tracks her down in Berlin, where battle ensues between the hit man and her enigmatic protector, John Smith (Zachary Quinto).

The balance of power tips back and forth between 47 and Smith, and Katia must decide who - if anyone - she trusts.

"Don't put your faith in me, you'll be disappointed," growls 47.

Hitman: Agent 47 is a tiny improvement on the 2007 film, but it's a close call.

Friend is suitably lifeless as the gun-toting anti-hero, expertly performing fight choreography including a couple of bruising showdowns with Quinto.

Ware is equally bland yet considerably more emotional as the pawn in a game that she unknowingly controls.

Kretschmann doesn't have sufficient screen time to put meat on the bones of his lacklustre villain, who swipes angrily at a touchscreen desk as his masterplan falls apart.

Bach's film obligingly follows suit.

RATING: 5/10