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An elderly Yakuza boss takes a bullet in the opening scene, but as
he does so he threatens his masked assailant with the news that he
has salted away $100 million in a special vengeance fund. It's no
bluff; and even before the evil old boy's ashes are cold the most
skilled hitmen in the world start arriving in Hong Kong to join the
hunt for the mysterious "King of Killers". One such
hopeful is Tai Feng (Jet Lee), a hitman with a track record
of zero; he is so darn nice that he has yet to bump anyone off.
Lacking both a reputation and a tux, he is barred entry from the
killer's convention until conman Sam Wong (Eric Tsang)
cottons on to the kid's potential and steps in as his agent. Once
Tai has been dressed for success (a hilarious scene about the
importance of wardrobe in the killing game), they hit the trail.
Like many Hong Kong films, Hitman is about honour and family. Sam is
the despair of his law student daughter (Gigi Leung), but he
just can't stop his swindling ways. The Yakuza's grandson has his
own notions of filial obligation, which involve him personally
avenging gramps' death (and thereby keeping the $100M in the
family). A showdown between the factions is inevitable, despite the
best attempts of the HK police (Simon Yam) to deport anybody
with "professional assassin" on their entry visa.
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