Released in 1995, Richard Donner's "Assassins" is a slick action flick starring Sylvester Stallone as Rath, a professional hit man who wants out of the business after decades of killing. Antonio Banderas plays his young rival and Julianne Moore a computer whiz with whom Rath teams up. Anatoli Davydov is also on hand.
At a 132 minutes, "Assassins" is too long for what it is – a wall-to-wall action movie where someone gets shot every 1-2 minutes, at least during the numerous ultra-violent sequences. This would be alright if the story and characters were interesting enough to warrant such length, but they're not. Banderas shines in the role of Bain, the zealous murderous psycho, but being a "murderous psycho" means he will get no sympathy from the viewer, otherwise he wouldn't be a murderous psycho. The characters played by Stallone and Moore are more sympathetic, but there's not enough detail to really care about them. Beyond that, the plot is convoluted even while the film is snappy. Despite the thrills, the story's just not engrossing enough to give a higher grade, but it's nowhere near as bad in this regard as, say, "The Mummy Returns." In other words, "Assassins" moderately keeps your attention.
And then there's the pile-up of implausibilities that are too easy to spot, like how does Bain not get seriously wounded by a bus while hanging out the window of a taxi? How does he emerge virtually unscathed from a fall from a third-story window after a great explosion? Even if the table protected his head and mid-section, what about his fingers and legs that weren't protected? How did he NOT break something from the awkward fall? Why does Rath blow valuable seconds looking for a dumpster to throw a suitcase with a ticking bomb? If you knew a sniper was waiting for you outside a bank, wouldn't you use the back door and then maybe surprise the assassin from behind? If someone pulls a gun on you, like at the end with Bain and Rath, wouldn't you automatically shoot first and ask questions later? Lastly, the whole set-up at the end with one character waiting in the bank, another as a sniper in an abandoned hotel, and the other outside informing the one in the bank is the height of contrived.
I realize implausible and contrived things happen in all action flicks, but the really good ones are able to get away with it because the filmmakers take the extra time to work out the kinks and make a truly compelling picture, like "Terminator 2," and not merely string together a bunch of "exciting" action scenes with contrivances galore. Still, "Assassins" is worth checking out if you like the cast and are in the mood for a polished action/thriller.
The film was shot in Seattle & Everett, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
GRADE: C+
At a 132 minutes, "Assassins" is too long for what it is – a wall-to-wall action movie where someone gets shot every 1-2 minutes, at least during the numerous ultra-violent sequences. This would be alright if the story and characters were interesting enough to warrant such length, but they're not. Banderas shines in the role of Bain, the zealous murderous psycho, but being a "murderous psycho" means he will get no sympathy from the viewer, otherwise he wouldn't be a murderous psycho. The characters played by Stallone and Moore are more sympathetic, but there's not enough detail to really care about them. Beyond that, the plot is convoluted even while the film is snappy. Despite the thrills, the story's just not engrossing enough to give a higher grade, but it's nowhere near as bad in this regard as, say, "The Mummy Returns." In other words, "Assassins" moderately keeps your attention.
And then there's the pile-up of implausibilities that are too easy to spot, like how does Bain not get seriously wounded by a bus while hanging out the window of a taxi? How does he emerge virtually unscathed from a fall from a third-story window after a great explosion? Even if the table protected his head and mid-section, what about his fingers and legs that weren't protected? How did he NOT break something from the awkward fall? Why does Rath blow valuable seconds looking for a dumpster to throw a suitcase with a ticking bomb? If you knew a sniper was waiting for you outside a bank, wouldn't you use the back door and then maybe surprise the assassin from behind? If someone pulls a gun on you, like at the end with Bain and Rath, wouldn't you automatically shoot first and ask questions later? Lastly, the whole set-up at the end with one character waiting in the bank, another as a sniper in an abandoned hotel, and the other outside informing the one in the bank is the height of contrived.
I realize implausible and contrived things happen in all action flicks, but the really good ones are able to get away with it because the filmmakers take the extra time to work out the kinks and make a truly compelling picture, like "Terminator 2," and not merely string together a bunch of "exciting" action scenes with contrivances galore. Still, "Assassins" is worth checking out if you like the cast and are in the mood for a polished action/thriller.
The film was shot in Seattle & Everett, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
GRADE: C+