Fans of the Hitman video game franchise might have been excited about the release of the Hitman movie back in 2007. Whatever your opinions are of this movie, it was exciting to see Agent 47 on the big screen, played by the talented Timothy Olyphant. Inspired by the games, this movie sets its story up as a different approach from the titles before it. At the same time, though, it’s obvious that the Hitman movie cares about the source material.
Without spoiling anything, the movie goes like this: Agent 47, a highly skilled assassin trained by the ICA, is sent by Diana Burnwood to eliminate Russian President Mikhail Belicoff. Everything goes according to plan until 47’s superiors tell him the assassination attempt failed, and how he must go out and eliminate a witness to the crime. Agent 47 then finds himself caught in the middle of a political conspiracy that spans throughout the whole world.
The Hitman movie is undoubtedly exciting and is a decent screen adaptation of the popular franchise. However, as an action thriller, there are many more like it. So, if you really enjoyed Hitman, or didn’t but want something like it, it might be worth it to check out these similar movies.
25. Hitman: Agent 47
Hitman: Agent 47 is very similar to the original Hitman film because, well, they share the same source material. Though not directly connected to the other movie, it’s another on-screen adaptation of Agent 47 and the ICA.
Both movies share a similar start: Agent 47 is a hitman working for the ICA and is set on a mission to kill someone. This time, it’s the daughter of the geneticist who created 47, who the movie mainly follows. A man named John Smith finds Katia and warns her of 47, and the two have a few close encounters with him. I think any fans of the original Hitman movie, or the franchise in general, would get a kick out of this one.
24. The Mechanic
The Mechanic is another movie with a very similar premise to Hitman. Though not inspired by the franchise, The Mechanic follows a hitman, played by Jason Statham, who specializes in making his hits look like accidents or suicides to fool police. It’s pretty similar to how a level of a Hitman game would play out.
The film follows this hitman, Arthur Bishop, after he takes out a Colombian cartel boss. He then meets up with his mentor’s son, Steve, and begins to train him. Bishop takes Steve on one of his hits, and the story really picks up when everything goes wrong. The Mechanic is a very enjoyable movie with great action that anyone would like.
23. John Wick
I have no doubt that any action fan has seen or heard of John Wick. This is a movie that captivated audiences upon release in 2014 and has spawned three more movies. People just can’t get enough of John Wick.
John Wick follows a retired hitman, John Wick, whose home is broken into by Russian gangsters. They tear up the place, steal his car, but most offensive of all, kill his beagle puppy, which was the last gift to him from his now-deceased wife. This causes Wick to hunt down the gangsters that broke into his home and seek revenge. Any fan of Hitman would enjoy this film not just by the action alone, but by the themes of revenge and taking down an evil organization. That is, if you haven’t seen this uber-popular film already.
22. Taken
Taken is another movie franchise that spawned a lot of popularity and sequels after its release. This is the first movie on this list that doesn’t follow a hitman, but that doesn’t mean Hitman fans can’t enjoy it.
Taken follows an ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills whose daughter and her best friend take a trip to Paris. Mills was hesitant to send them, and his worries come true as the two girls are kidnapped by Albanian human traffickers, and he overhears the whole ordeal during a phone call. The film then follows Mills as he must track down the traffickers and save his daughter. Agents, villains, mystery, and lots of action is all the similarity to Hitman one needs to enjoy Taken.
21. The Equalizer
The Equalizer is a great action film. Although it spawned mixed reviews, I never liked listening to critics. With great action and a great lead role, this one is surely enjoyable to Hitman fans.
The Equalizer follows Robert McCall, former Marine and DIA operative, who has turned to a quiet life in Boston. He meets and befriends a teenage prostitute named Alina, who he finds out has been trafficked by the Russian mafia. After Alina is badly beaten and hospitalized, McCall takes it into his own hands to guarantee her freedom no matter what. Again, lots of action, a former agent, and taking down a Russian mafia is what Hitman fans would love.
20. The Punisher
The Punisher is a movie inspired by the Marvel comics character of the same name. The plot was actually inspired by a few different comics and is one of the first screen adaptations of the character.
The Punisher follows Frank Castle, an undercover FBI agent who busts a smuggling operation which results in the death of the son of a mafia boss named Howard Saint. Out of revenge, Saint orders Castle’s entire family to be killed, and Castle as well, yet he survives. Saint sends out more men to kill Castle once he learns he’s alive, yet Castle kills them all and makes it his mission to kill Saint. This movie has many themes that are similar to Hitman, like a former agent taking revenge on a mafia boss, so any fans of the movie would surely enjoy The Punisher.
19. The Transporter
Yes, another Jason Statham movie, but what can I say, he has a lot of good movies. The Transporter, starring Jason Statham, is another series that gained lots of popularity and spawned many sequels.
The Transporter follows Frank Martin, a former special operations soldier turned drive-for-hire. Martin’s job is now to smuggle and deliver any item or thing for a price with no questions asked. He strictly follows three rules – never change the deal, no names, and never open the package. However, the plot picks up when Martin breaks one of his rules. This is another action-packed film any Hitman fan would love, as it includes a for-hire tasked with keeping a young woman safe.
18. Shooter
Shooter is a movie that I believe is similar to a beloved aspect of the Hitman franchise, which is sniping. Mark Wahlberg stars in this action-thriller any Hitman fan would love.
Shooter follows Force Recon sniper Bob Lee Swagger who has retired from his profession and is now living in Wyoming, United States. A retired US Army Colonel and his associates review Swagger’s file and convince him to use his skills for one more mission to protect the President from a suspected assassination attempt. However, Swagger soon learns that the job is a setup and is framed for the attempted murder. Swagger now must prove his innocence while in hiding. More agents, more espionage, and more action that any Hitman fan would love.
17. The Jackal
The Jackal is very similar to the two Hitman movies on this list. Starring Bruce Willis, this action-thriller is a worthy addition to this list.
The Jackal is the codename of a hitman who was hired by a mafia leader named Terek Murad in revenge for the death of his younger brother. The Jackal was hired to kill a prominent American figure, and after a few more hits, The Jackal reaches the radar of the FBI, who start a manhunt to find the hitman. It’s pretty obvious why a Hitman fan would enjoy this movie.
16. Die Hard
Die Hard is another movie franchise that I have no doubt you all have heard of. Its major popularity spawned a cult following, many sequels and adaptations, and some call it the greatest action movie of all time. Hitman fans would love this purely for the action alone.
Die Hard follows NYPD Detective John McClane who is visiting his wife and daughter on Christmas Eve in Los Angeles. He meets them at a holiday party at the wife’s work, but it is soon interrupted by a group of terrorists. McClane then discovers he’s the only person that can save everyone. Though there is a lot of argument about whether this is a Christmas movie or not, Hitman fans would certainly get a kick out of Die Hard, or any of its sequels, because of its great premise and action.
15. Bullet Train
Bullet Train is a movie that has just been released, so you might have seen it already or at least heard of it. It has an amazing cast of characters, with names such as Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Tyree Henry, Joey King, and many more. Fans of Hitman will enjoy this movie just because it probably has one of their favorite actors.
Bullet Train follows Ladybug, an assassin on a string of bad luck tasked with stealing a briefcase full of cash on a bullet train in Tokyo. However, he finds that on the train are other rival assassins from all over the world who are all connected somehow – even Ladybug – trapped on the world's fastest train. This movie has mystery, action, and assassins, which I think any Hitman fan would find familiar.
14. Max Payne
Max Payne is another movie based off of a video game series, one of the same name. There are many titles in the Max Payne series yet only one movie. Max Payne brings along another great performance by Mark Wahlberg, who plays the titular character.
Max Payne is an NYPD detective whose wife and child were murdered. The movie takes place three years later when Payne is transferred to the cold case unit so he can continue to search for the killer, and two individuals reach out to him saying they have evidence. Around this time many people are being found dead around the city, and Payne must team up with an assassin to find the culprit behind everything going on. Max Payne is an entertaining mystery movie with many themes that overlap with Hitman.
13. Crank
Crank is another movie that has a somewhat similar premise to Hitman but with an original twist. Yet another Jason Statham movie, I think you’ll enjoy this one as much as the last ones.
Crank follows a British hitman named Chev Chelios who was poisoned by the mafia to where he must keep his adrenaline flowing or he will die. Chelios now takes drugs and has public sex with his girlfriend all to keep himself alive. He now must find the man who poisoned him all while doing so in such an exciting way to where he doesn’t die. I love original concepts like this, especially ones that involve hitmen and tracking down mobs.
12. Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is another move you most definitely have at least heard of before. It’s a classic, spawning great popularity even to this day as it is considered Quentin Tarantino’s greatest work. And for good reason, because there aren’t many movies like it.
Pulp Fiction follows three individual stories that seem to have no relation with each other, yet all connect through a non-linear fashion. It tells the story of two thieves, two hitmen, and a boxer through different segments. You’ll have to watch the movie to see how these unrelated stories connect, and I highly recommend doing so as Pulp Fiction is such a gem. Hitman fans might enjoy the hitmen storyline more than anything, but this movie is worth the watch.
11. Wanted
Wanted is another interesting movie with similar themes to Hitman. It also has a stellar cast with names such as Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, so this one is worth the watch.
Wanted follows Wesley Gibson, a man working at a boring office job whose life is turned around when his estranged father is murdered. He finds out that his father was a highly trained assassin and joins the Fraternity, a secret society of assassins his father was in, in which he was recruited by a woman named Fox. Gibson now must learn to live with his new lifestyle and be trained in the footsteps of his father. Assassins and secret societies is all I needed to say for Hitman fans to jump on this hidden gem.
10. Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Coming in with another Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt movie, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is an action comedy sure to catch the eyes and roll a few heads of Hitman fans. It follows many of the same themes but with the addition of being a comedy centered around two amazing actors.
John and Jane Smith are a married couple whose marriage has turned shaky and boring. Though their marriage is real, in reality both are highly skilled assassins working for different agencies, unbeknownst to each other. Neither knows that their spouse is an assassin, but when they find each other working the same job, their agencies assign them to kill each other, spawning a lot of comedic hijinks with exciting action sequences. I like this twist to the common assassin trope, as though there is a lot of action, it centers around the comedic actions of a couple who don’t want to go through with their contracts.
9. The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity is a movie based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. This movie proved great success, spawning four more titles in what is called the Bourne series. This movie delivers great action while telling a highly interesting story that is somewhat familiar.
The Bourne Identity follows Jason Bourne, played by Matt Damon, a man found almost dead and scooped up by a fishing boat. When Bourne awakes, he has amnesia, meaning he has no memory of who he is, but soon finds out that he’s highly trained in combat and other skills that suggest a past as an agent of some kind. Bourne now must try to uncover his identity all while trapped in the middle of a conspiracy with the CIA. There are many themes this movie shares with not just the Hitman movie but the games themselves, which is why I think The Bourne Identity is worth checking out.
8. The Hitman’s Bodyguard
The Hitman’s Bodyguard is another action comedy any Hitman fan would love, and not just because “hitman” is in the title. It contains some of the most beloved actors with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, along with an entertaining mix of jokes and gunfire.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard follows Darius Kincaid, an incarcerated hitman hoped to testify against Vladislav Dukhovich who is on trial. Interpol Agent Roussel is tasked with protecting Kincaid as he must travel from the UK to The Hague, yet Dukhovich has men to try and stop them around every corner. This is such an interesting movie as it puts law enforcement and hitmen on the same team, which creates some funny moments while sticking with those action sequences we all know and love.
7. Sicario
Sicario is an interesting movie, taking on more of a militaristic approach to this common theme we have been discussing. The name of the movie actually comes from the spanish word for hitman.
Sicario tells the story of Kate Mercer, an FBI agent who has recently risen the ranks in her field, who is put on a special anti-drug assignment. She was not given much information about the task force, but she knows she is supposed to help take down a drug cartel on the US-Mexico border. However, Kate soon finds out that the methods of her task force are not up to protocol, nor are they legal. This one’s a nice change from the other movies on this list, but with themes of special agents and taking down the elites, any Hitman fan would love Sicario.
6. Collateral
Collateral is a movie I don’t think many people have heard of, but with a premise as interesting as this one has, it’s worth the watch. Not only that, it has a stellar cast of characters with names such as Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Collateral follows a cab driver named Max Durocher who lives a pretty mundane life. That is until a man named Vincent sits in his cab and offers Max $600 to make five individual stops. Max is inclined to agree, but Vincent soon after reveals himself to be a hitman, and each stop Max makes means another hit – and another person dead. Now, Max wonders if he will live to see another day as the duo are hunted by police. Such an interesting movie, as it takes the known hitman premise but tells it through the perspective of a cab driver basically held captive.
5. Colombiana
Colombiana is a nice entry slipping back into the roots of a conventional assassin film. But don’t let the word conventional make you think this movie is anything below great.
Colombiana follows Cataleya, a nine-year-old girl living in Bogota, Colombia whose parents were killed by a drug lord named Don Luis Sandoval. After Cataleya was sent to live with her uncle, a Chicagoan gangster, she grows up to be a cold-blooded assassin. Fifteen years later, Cataleya has left a trail of bodies in hopes of finding and killing Don Luis. With themes of assassins, revenge, and taking down drug lords, Colombiana is a movie Hitman fans would adore.
4. Assassins
Assassins is a somewhat older movie compared to the others on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out. Especially since it has such great performances from actors such as Sylvester Stallone, Julianne Moore, and Antonio Banderas.
Assassins follows Robert Rath, an assassin trying to complete his last few contracts before retiring. However, upstart assassin Miguel Bain keeps eliminating Rath’s targets before he can get to them and learns that Bain dreams of becoming the world’s best assassin. Rath teams up with a hacker named Electra who helps him track down Bain, since Bain has since been contracted to kill Rath. Assassins definitely has everything a Hitman fan would want out of an action thriller.
3. Léon: The Professional
Léon: The Professional is another underrated film. It’s the film debut of Natalie Portman, who was just a girl at the time, and has everything that a Hitman fan would love.
Léon follows Mathilda, a 12-year-old girl in New York whose father keeps drugs for a corrupt police officer. After a wrong move, the cop takes revenge on the father by killing him and his entire family – all except Mathilda, who finds shelter in the apartment of Léon. She soon finds out that Léon is a professional assassin, and though Léon knows nothing of being a father, takes in Mathilda and helps her avenge her family. Léon has many themes that align with Hitman, with not just following an assassin and taking revenge, but taking in and helping the innocent when needed.
2. The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum is a sequel to the Bourne Identity and the only sequel on this list. I just think that the Jason Bourne series is very similar to some of the stories told in the Hitman franchise, with this one in particular reminding me of a certain level in Hitman 3.
The Bourne Ultimatum again picks up with Jason Bourne as he continues his quest to recover his memories and find who he really is. With the knowledge that he was a trained assassin, Bourne is now being hunted down by a new generation of assassins and the people who trained him. Bourne now must travel around the world to places like London, Moscow, Madrid, and New York City to find out his identity, all while dodging bullets.
This movie reminds of the story told in the Berlin mission in Hitman 3, where Agent 47 is being hunted by special agents. Anyone familiar with that mission of the Hitman movie would enjoy The Bourne Ultimatum.
1. The American
As the last movie on this list, The American takes its spot as a great action thriller any Hitman fan would enjoy. Though it’s last, it certainly isn’t worse than any of the aforementioned movies.
The American follows Jack, a contract killer who had a job go wrong in Sweden. He has now retreated to Italy where he retires and tries to stay anonymous, following the rule of “no friends.” However, when Jack steps out of the shadows to befriend a priest and start a love-affair with a prostitute, his old enemies start hunting him down. With assassins, contracts, and hiding in plain sight, The American is a movie any Hitman fan would love.
There are a lot of movies out there with similar themes of assassination and action, so don’t be sad if there isn’t a movie on this list that interests you. However, I believe anyone that enjoyed the original Hitman movie would enjoy any of these 25 movies. I know I do.
