I was leisurely browsing through the movie section of MS, reading reviews when I came across assassins - I was surprised to see only one review for the movie. I had seen the movie a long time ago..and I got tempted to add one more to the review count of the movie...:)
Professional assassins - Its a lucrative career - flexible working hrs and a very fat pay package. People pay you for getting rid of their problems and the problems come in all shapes and sizes - political and business adversaries, jealous or abusive husbands, the coach who glared at you last week - anyone and everyone, can get killed for a price.
And Stallone is the undisputed king of the world of assassins - a title which he has held for the past 15 years. Until young, dashing Antonio Banderas crashes into the scene as a daredevil, ambitious rookie. He is a big fan of Stallone and well on his way to reach the top, which is usually done by finishing off the one on the top. So Antonio has his eyes on Stallone And he really seems the smarter of the two. Stallone in the meantime is having a mid-career crisis, hes growing old and rusty and he has these half thoughts of quitting and settling down for a quieter life..
In comes Julianne Moore, a digital thief who likes making money the faster and easy way. So she lands in trouble, unwittingly gaining possession of some computer CDs with highly classified info. Stallone gets hired to finish her. Antonio tries to do it himself to beat Stallone in his own game. Stallone decides to save Moore. Watch the rest if you havent already....
Usually I steer clear of Stallone movies, other than the self torture I inflicted on myself watching Rambo. Its not that I have anything against him, but I always erroneously keep mistaking him for a wooden post, no matter how intently I watch the screen. Its only when the inanimate post starts tossing people around or swings that huge, huge gun spewing fire balls all around, that I realise my mistake. Its amazing to see how alienated he is from something that even remotely resembles acting. But in assassins, Stallone does give a much better performance..or rather the character he plays kind of matches his style. The story is pretty fast paced and will hold a viewers attention without the need for stallone to strip off his shirt and flex his biceps. In fact in the movie, Stallone is the more mellowed down character and doesnt do anything physically macho. He is well portrayed as a veteran, someone who has seen it all - collected, methodical and experienced.
The fireworks in the movie is provided by Antonio, who keeps shooting all the time - both the guns and his mouth. Antonio is super cool as a semi-crazy, flamboyant gun-sporting rookie assassin. He oozes sociopathic behavior that seems incredibly slick and real. Antonio is extreme. and there can only be extreme reactions to his character. Either u extremely really like him or u extremely hate him. I guess majority will fall for the former.
Julianne Moore doesnt have to do anything much other than look like the damsel in distress.
The movie doesnt bore you, but theres nothing in it to capture your fancy. The direction and screenplay is not all that great, I remember. But the actors more than make up for the loss. The story is about murderers and it goes about it in a straight forward manner, other than the twist in the end of the tale, on which I almost tripped. That twist was VERY unnecessary. It was almost like getting sudden summer showers in the final overs of an engrossing cricket match - unexpected, unwanted and a real spoil-sport. Its almost the same with the movie. We are taken for a ride till the end, keeping us guessing which of the two hitmen is better...but when the time comes for the inevitable final face off between them, this stupid twist comes in and the evening gets spoiled.. aaarrgghh...not good.
In the end it can be summed that in the world of assassins there are no heroes and villians, there are only those who survived and those who didnt. Watch this movie to see one of the better performances of Stallone and for the cool antonio..i think you will survive it.