Hollywood ceased all filming for many months, including all new cinematic releases. Worldwide lockdowns meant they were forced to give up. There were not many good movies to choose from for the year.
Because of the pandemic, my favorite movie has been a little more obscure. A South Korean film, Hitman Agent Jun was my favorite movie of 2020. The level of detail presented by Jun’s character and story surpassed the depth offered in other 2020 films. Each detail enhances the core plot and the story is captivating. The supporting cast is colorful with a rich blend of character traits.
Global audiences may not appreciate the humor as much, but the film’s charm made it impossible not to enjoy. Now fast forward to 5 years later. That surprise hit has returned with sequel.
Last time we met Jun, he retired from his life as a world renowned assassin and became a soft-spoken webcomic artist. Hitman 2 gives Jun some fame for creating Assassination Agent Jun, a comic about fictionalized accounts of his real missions disguised as fiction.
Everyone loves the character until Jun realizes that he told all the stories of his secret past, and now he is forced to create new narratives. This caused the second season of his cartoon to be hated by everyone, with Jun questioning if he had anything left to offer.
While trying to narrate the stories from his past, Jun’s enemies realize that someone is exploiting their suffering. This is exactly why all of Jue’s enemies are now headed to South Korea to hunt down the reason behind their woes.
Things take a hit for him when a genuine terrorist attack occurs and aligns with the events of Season 2. This causes the NIS to wrongly accuse Jun of being the instigator of the crime. Now Jun can either sacrifice his dignity, prove his innocence by showcasing his horrific past, or surrender to being labeled as an enemy of the state.
Figuring out why Hitman needed a sequel five years after the original is a tough one. The first installment of the film had charm and creativity hitting theaters at a low time entertaining for audiences. To firmly hit the mark for ‘Hitman 2’ the movie had to undergo a major approach that disconnected the first hour of the movie from the first installment disentangling the storyline.
The first hour of the movie is primarily actionless. Most of the film tries to unveil Jun’s normal life where he tries to cover his past not only from his wife but, from his daughter’s potentially romantic suitors monitoring their existence. Now, this may be entertaining for a mediocre family flick, but not for action comedy enthusiasts who were expecting a repeat of what was served the previous time.
Worse off is that Jun’s daughter who rapped does not say a single word in the movie, regardless of being one of the best parts of the first one. Towards the second half, the film starts regaining its pace and pace needed to deliver what fans expected upon watching the first installment. The comedy is once again Korean and is still on the verge of being absurd and outrageous. There is a visible progression in the budget regarding animation in this movie, as Hitman 2 invests a great deal of time and resources on anime-style cutscenes that enhance the webtoon aspect of the film.
While the movie is entertaining, it’s rather concerning that his predecessor set the bar so high. The cinematography, animation, and overall production are good, as is the technical side of the film, but the plot this time is far too much too many genres to be squeezed into the length provided without completely oversaturating the narrative.
Hitman 2 is a significant step down from the hit film of 2020, and I think fans of the film would be better off avoiding this adventure. It’s disappointing for viewers familiar with the original and a rather average film for those who enter Hitman 2 without any preconceptions. So much promise, yet somehow to invoke the spirit of Elon Musk’s contraceptive joke achieves absolutely nothing.
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