Lack of good storyline.

Absolutely Fantastic

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

ASSASSINS TALE is a cheap-as-anything crime story involving a trio of lead characters who are mixed up in the criminal underworld. It's one of those inconsequential low budget stories that opens with a graphic murder and goes from there. The video cover missells it as an action thriller but it's more of a talky character drama with a few violent moments. The whole thing feels tired and long-winded, let down by sub-par scripting which makes the characters themselves a real bore.

"Assassins Tale" has some good qualities. The characters are eccentric and complex. Some of the dialogue is quite clever, although there is often too much of it. The editing is impressive, although it sometimes becomes intrusive and distracting. It has a few nice touches, such as the bit with the casino chips. On the down side, it tries too hard to emulate Tarantino in stead of carving out it's own identity. Even the poster art features a putatively female assassin with a katana who has apparently wreaked considerable havoc and destruction, although the image has nothing to do with the film. We have assassins who wax poetic on life, sex and philosophy and occasionally decide to defy orders and logic by allowing their targets to live. One of the assassins is a heroin addict. The movie breaks for musical interludes, although not of the caliber of the "Cat People" segment in "Inglourious Basterds." It's passable low-budget entertainment, although it has some major flaws. The cinematography is marred by extended jiggly-cam shots that will leave the audience reaching for the Dramamine. Even the sweeping pans look as if they were shot by somebody in the midst of an epileptic seizure. The pistols often look like plastic toys. Make- up effects for wounds are basically nonexistent. The film switches between color and monochrome for no apparent reason other than to draw attention to the editing. The actors talk and emote fairly well, but acting is about action. The two words have a common root. We call people in movies actors, not emoters or talkers. There are no car chases. The only time anybody operates a vehicle is in one shot where they drive into the scene. There's a little walking. One character swims. Another carries a surfboard on to the beach. But there is no fighting , climbing, horseback riding, etc. It's pretty much limited to people sitting or standing around talking and occasionally drawing weapons and shooting one another, interrupted by long transitions and unnecessary establishing shots. The film has a lot of heart, but not much energy. The actors do as reasonably as can be expected with the material they're given, but their discourses on life and the ethics of their profession would have greater impact if they had to work at it and not simply stand there and pull a trigger, instantly dispatching their victims. Compare this to opening scenes in the most recent version of "Casino Royale," where James Bond has to work and risk his life to kill somebody who doesn't want to die.

The only caveat necessary for the viewer going into 'Assassins' Tale'is that it is an extremely low budget production filmed in the style of short scenes divided by filler footage that amounts to clips of random scrolling scenery which may or may not represent the geographical setting of the story. Provided one can get past the visual quality, the film offers an interesting ride into human darkness at street level.'Assassins' Tale' is a purely character driven story told as the recollections of a supporting character's extensive interactions with the three protagonists. These recollections are reinforced by scenes involving the heroes themselves as they ply their titular trade and an in depth study is made of the deeply personal negative effects their chosen profession has taken on their minds, souls and bodies.Admittedly, after taking in the first few moments of the film, I was ready to turn it off and watch something else. The visual presentation is less than mediocre, especially so soon after viewing 'Pacific Rim'.However, by the time I was ready to hit 'Stop', the character's stories had hooked me and I wanted to find out how it all ended. I really cannot praise enough the characterization skills evinced throughout by the three lead actors.Michael Beach plays a thoughtful, introspective killer who on the surface comes off as a hardcore gunslinger, but who is really a sensitive philosopher wobbling on his last emotional leg. He's a big, tough guy, yet recent events in his life have left him questioning his place in the grand scheme of it all. His assassin is played in the tradition of Samuel Jackson's Jules Winnfield from 'Pulp Fiction' although Beach adds to that character's mythology - if such a classification exists.Guy Garner plays perhaps the most pure or committed hit man. His character is a hungry student of the profession and the acts it requires to fulfill various assignments. He's a cold blooded surfer savant who seems to take the filth of the world in stride, yet has buckled badly on the inside and relies on narcotics to get through. He's a stone faced gargoyle of a man who appears to enjoy his work, yet would likely find other employment if not for the other two people who share his life and method of making a living, who seem to also tow him along and propel him to lead them from murder to murder.Anna Silk is Grace, a living bridge between the other two hit men, and a force to be reckoned with herself. Her haunted, street weary portrayal of life in one of the oldest trades is quite understated in its bare bone power and arguably less than ethical connection to both her colleagues. She is their savior, their crutch and yet imperfect in her crusade to save them. As she lends them intimate support at various times so does she also seem to view them as father figure and brother in some light. She draws just as much strength from them as they from her.The three killers who bring 'Assassins' Tale' to life are of the lower rent variety in that they are often hired to knock off street scum as opposed to high profile targets. This "street gutter" vibe is very well conveyed and explored throughout the film, and achieves an absorbing change of pace from the clean lines of huge budget flicks.The script wraps its character studies in an interesting enough plot which ultimately leads to a life or death test of its killers' loyalty, friendship and love and forces each of them to examine the most personal and professional sides of their lives. No amazingly new story is generated here, yet what there is entertains in a strangely addictive manner. If you give the film ten minutes, you will likely be hooked.Overall 'Assassins' Tale' is a thoughtful, low budget study of those at street level who accept payment to take the lives of thugs, low lives and other assorted bad people. It's a serious film that realizes and expresses its flaws; a film that does not project itself as more than what it is.Get past the filming quality, and you'll find a decent story populated by interesting characters who just might grow on you. Five stars out of ten for effort and achievement with such low funding plus two for performances that get better as the story progresses.

...What a yummy movie!! With action, double-crosses, hundreds of thousands of dollars, heroin, silencers, bullets and knives, floating bodies, casino chips and other goodies, Assassins Tale really delivers the package!It seems that there are a lot of hit men - and women - operating in L.A.; some of them as lone wolves and others who team up. Many of them receive their assignments through Woody, a go-between who enjoys tea and meditation, and who kills nobody, but sets up the hit-jobs for others. As the killers go about their deadly business, there are sometimes clashes and issues of mistrust...and then there's the one or two of them who are having doubts about the wisdom of continuing in their chosen profession. Meanwhile, an unseen N.Y. mobster is pulling some strings too.Together with all this, the movie manages to touch upon some of the bigger issues also, including destiny, karma, and God's providence. 8/10.