Simply A Masterpiece

Must See Movie...

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Assassins is one of the numerous 90's action films featuring a very important disc with highly sensitive information that sets off a string of action, lots of shootouts, and technology and computer scenes that viewed now are quite amusing.I would give it a 5.5 if I was able, as the Stallone/Banderas thriller has it's moments, and the promise of what was to come from The Wachowskis a few short years later is visible, but apparently the script was meddled with by a third writer and studio influence, and maybe that explains some of the odd character choices and plot holes.The idea of rival assassins has potential, and the movie does predict things like the use of texting (even if it's done over laptop) and wiring money over the internet. Where it goes wrong is in the details of what exactly the disc that Julianne Moore's character even has on it, and maybe I didn't pay enough attention, but the movie should've done a better job of making me care and presenting the idea more clearly. However I don't really think I was supposed to think about that when I watched it.Stallone is fine as the hit-man Robert Rath, but the character would've worked better with an older, less musclebound actor. Stallone now, even would be fine, but the character is written like a tired old vet, and Stallone is clearly still in excellent shape here. Banderas is way over-the-top, chewing scenery, and even though the point is that he's supposed to be less patient, it's hard to buy someone this reckless would be the number 2 assassin in the world. Julianne Moore is an amazing actress, yet they cast her in a part that plays like a female anime character (considering The Wachowskis, maybe this was on purpose). If she were played by a younger actress, her character would make sense, or if they had changed her character to cater to Julianne Moore's talent, and to be less of a voyeuristic weirdo who literally spray paints people (in one of the heavy handed political moments in the movie, there are a few). I don't even totally disagree with the views presented, but these scenes have literally nothing to do with the story and take away from your engagement.Overall, with better, more sensible characters and some clean-up work on the writing, Assassins could've been an action classic, there's still some decent shootouts and set-moments, but as it stands, it's just decent. Again, there's better work, concepts, and ideas from every single person in this production.

This highly engaging thriller has a polished edge of style and sophistication to it, giving it an upper hand over the rest of the endless action movies churned out during the never-ending '90s. Mixing the talents of an established director who knows how to handle the action - step up, Richard Donner - and two soon-to-be-mega-famous scriptwriters, the Wachowski brothers (THE MATRIX), plus some surprisingly good performances from the interesting cast, and what you have is a decent movie. The action sequences are excellently handled, highly realistic and at the same time very exciting, and the various special effects and stunts are inserted perfectly into the flow of things.Meanwhile the scenes of suspense between the action are full of very real danger, so despite the long running time you never find your attention wavering. Cast in the flawed hero mould is endlessly-criticised Sylvestor Stallone, putting in a nicely subtle performance and letting his nemesis, Antonio Banderas, do all of the (over)acting as psychotic but deadly assassin Miguel Bain. Holding the movie together is a low-key and sweet Julianne Moore, as a surveillance expert who finds herself over her head and in the middle of a violent battle to the death between two expert marksmen. The only problem I have with a film like this is that all other action movies don't possess the same level of commitment, grace, and intelligence as this one does.

Robert Rath (Sylvester Stallone) is a hit-man who just wants to retire from the business. When he loses out on payment for his last contract when an unknown rival Miguel Bain (Antonio Banderas)takes out his contract before he had the chance, Rath agrees to take on another job on 4 Dutch Buyers who are intent on buying a disc from Electra (Julianne Moore) who is the mark who Rath has been assigned to kill. The trouble is that there is no intel on Electra making it tricky for Rath to find her. By the time, Rath does find her, Bain is already on the scene, but Bain locates the buyers rather than the mark. Rath then tricks Bain into thinking that he has killed Electra. Rath soon begins to realise that the Contractor is playing both himself and Bain off against each other and tries to find out who's doing it and why whilst also trying to stay one step ahead of his deadly rival.When watching films, I sometimes have to say to myself 'Come on, it's only a film, don't take it so seriously' and for the most part I can suspend disbelief, but there were some things in this film that just didn't make sense....1) Bain gets arrested by the police early on, but manages to slip his cuffs and escape killing about 3 maybe 4 police officers in the process. Due to the nature of his escape and due to the fact that he killed a few officers made me think to myself 'Wow!! Bain will end up being one of the most wanted men in the city', but after the early police presence we see no police officers pursuing either Rath or Bain that in spite of the number of people Bain kills throughout the film. It just wasn't believable.2) We also are expected to accept that Bain has a skeleton made of steel - he gets crushed between a car and a bus (whilst they're both moving) and also gets blown out of a third floor window. On both occasions, he seems to suffer no 'ill effects' - it's an action thriller so I can probably let this one slide, but it still kind of annoys me.3)In the closing stages of the film, it's revealed that the 'Contractor' was the guy who Rath was ordered to kill 15 years ago. Rath believed that the 'Contractor' was dead, but Rath fired at the Contractor's heart and the 'Contractor' had some sort of prosthetic shell covering his heart due to the fact that he knew Rath would aim for his heart. This was quite a nice twist and it explains why he targeted and set up Rath, but why was he stringing Bain along? It's possible that the 'Contractor' may have played Rath and Bain off against each other purely for his own amusement and in order for Rath to prove that he truly is the best, but this is unclear.All in all, if you take this film as it is then it is an entertaining and fairly decent thriller. Considering it's 130 minutes long, it actually moves at a reasonably good pace with only the odd sag here and there. Despite my gripes above, I did enjoy the film and would say that it's worth a look.

This is the film you hit the theatre watching and go home asking yourself one question: What if? The movie completely casts an aurora of non-fiction techniques that any top Navy Seal or Special forces recruit can pull off. Everything in this film is possible. Only one part in the beginning; after the police apprehend their suspect they'd have him in the squad car for hours until they complete their graveyard murder investigation----witnesses would be brought over to the police car to positively I.D. the suspect. And assassins are psychopathic. They never change. So no, the one assassin would never go from high-paid contract killer to choir boy. There should be a sequel to this film too. I love these assassin movies; like Michael Mann's Collateral. I want more!