Jungian Archetypes in the movie Hitman

[David Jung]

Summary:

Hitman(also known as Agent 47) is raised to be an international assassin from the mysterious organization called “The Agency”. He is trained to kill, anyone who is targeted from a client. Though series of murders around the world have made best Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization) agent to chase after him for 3 years and finally gets chance to catch Hitman in his new mission. He assassinates the target, Russian president publicly the way client requested, but finds out that the client has set Hitman up to be killed. Agent 47 escapes the life threatening situation with ease and goes after for revenge.

Symbolic Archetype:
-Battle between Good and Evil

Although Hitman is the protagonist in the film, but I think that Interpol agent Mike Whittier battles on the good side. Mike maybe an antagonist to Hitman but what they are really battling with is the Russian President Belicoff and the FSB (Federal Security Service in Russia). Belicoff and FSB have been secretly trying to get rid of Agent 47, also covering up incidents that Agent 47 has made so that Interpol could get off the case. The FSB shows evil intention to Interpol by telling lies and trying to snatch Hitman away from them.

Situational Archetypes:
-The Task

After Agent 47 finds out that Belicoff was the client that ordered him to assassinate the fake Belicoff so Hitman fails the mission and gets hunted by the assassins from The Agency. Realizing the fact, he goes after the family member and collegue of Belicoff and hurts and kills them for the ultimate assassination plan for the real Belicofff. Killing Belicoff also frees Nika (Belicoff’s prostitute) who Hitman felt strange attraction to for the first time in his life. At the end of the task, Agent 47 reassumes his rightful position and wins the fair lady, Nika.

-The Unhealable Wound

The physical and psychological wound that Hitman carries is the barcode tattoo on his back of his bald head. There are couple of scenes in the film where Agent 47 get flash backs often, about his past and getting his tattoo as a young child. The barcode tattoo represents that he was only born to kill. It always reminds him of dark childhood where training after another training occurred as to become a hitman.

Character Archetypes:
-The Outcast

In most stories, there is always existence of Hero. In the movie Hitman however, the protagonist does not really fit into the category of a Hero in the plot of the film. He is more of an outcast because Hitman is always escaping from the murders he has made. Hitman does not have any friends or family nor can make one because Interpol is tracking after him 24/7. That is why Hitman cannot fit into a normal social group.

-The Platonic Ideal

It may be that Agent 47 can be a hero to Nika for emancipating her from Belicoff. She did have a physical attraction as a platonic ideal woman figure but the actual reason that Nika was still alive is because she shared similar profile as Hitman did, being someone’s property and labeled with a tattoo. At the end of the film, Nika is being watched by Agent 47 from far away, being protected. Nika having the similarities has moved assassin’s cold heart to little warmer side.

[Ajan Thunder]

Nika seems like she could be the anima to Agent 47. Not in the way that he's discovering his feminine side, but how he's getting in touch with his emotions which he has learned to abandon after the academy from when he was a child. To Agent 47, a job is a job and he will kill whoever is the job or whoever is interrupting his mission.

[Mr. C]

David - good exploration of a number of archetypes. Remember in your analysis to try and quote from the notes and then apply them to the medium. With regard to the Platonic Ideal, there isn't usually a sexual attraction - or if there is one, the friendship is more important than sexual fulfillment. If that is the case, you can provide examples how the friendship takes precendent over any kind of intimate relationship. Good observation that there isn't a hero (in the typical sense). Might he also be a bit of a Devil figure? Food for thought...

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