24 Hours to Live is a 2017 science fiction action thriller film directed by Brian Smrz and starring Ethan Hawke , Xu Qing , Paul Anderson , Liam Cunningham , and Rutger Hauer . It follows a career assassin who goes on a rampage to exact revenge and find redemption after he is mortally wounded and brought back to life for 24 hours using a newly developed technology. The film premiered at the Austin Film Festival on October 26, 2017, and was released on VOD and in select theaters on December 1, 2017. The film generally received mixed to negative reviews from critics.