Assassins (1995)

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers (WGA):

Andy Wachowski (story) &
Larry Wachowski (story) ...

Release Date:

6 October 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

In the shadows of life, In the business of death, One man found a reason to live...

Plot:

Robert Rath (Sylvester Stallone) is a seasoned hitman who just wants out of the business with no back talk...

Plot Keywords:

Paranoid | Cemetery | Kidnap | Bank | Assassination Plot

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Robert Rath
Antonio Banderas	...	Miguel Bain
Julianne Moore	...	Electra
Anatoli Davydov	...	Nicolai Tashlinkov (as Anatoly Davydov)
Muse Watson	...	Ketcham
Steve Kahan	...	Alan Branch (as Stephen Kahan)
Kelly Rowan	...	Jennifer, Electra's Neighbor
Reed Diamond	...	Bob
Kai Wulff	...	Remy
Kerry Skalsky	...	Buyer with Remy
James Douglas Haskins	...	Buyer with Remy
Stephen Liska	...	Cop
John Harms	...	Cop
Edward J. Rosen	...	Cemetery Caretaker
Christina Orchid	...	Dowager

Also Known As:

Assassins (France)
Day of Reckoning
Asesinos (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Assassinos (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Assassins - Die Killer (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Ammattitappajat (Finland) [fi]
Atentatori (Serbia) [sr]
Bérgyilkosok (Hungary) [hu]
Dödligt möte (Sweden) [sv]
Lejemordere (Denmark) [da]
Mkvlelebi (Georgia) [ka]
Nájemní vrazi (Czech Republic) [cs]
Ora ton ekteleston, I (Greece) [el]
Profesionalec (Slovenia) [sl]
Suikast çemberi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Zabójcy (Poland) [pl]
Zabijaci (Slovakia) [sk]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | German | Spanish

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Philippines:R-18 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Peru:18 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #34080) | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Everett, Washington, USA

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

During the cemetery shootout Banderas hides behind a fake tombstone labeled RHODES, a gag reference to Morgan Rhodes, a production assistant on the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In some of the computer scenes, huge picture files get sent and show up on the screen instantaneously, but in one of the scenes, we hear the sound of a dial-up connection being made.

Quotes:

Miguel Bain: Killing a woman, it's not the same as killing a man. You have to pull the trigger a different way.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: The Making of 'The Matrix' (#6.3)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Spit

Characters not consistent, but lots of action

Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, and Julianne Moore star in this action movie: a battle of hitmen. Stallone has had so many bad roles before, but this is one of the better roles I've seen him in.

He would follow it five years later with a similar role in Get Carter.

However, a real hitman would not have hesitated to waste a woman. Antonio Banderas seemed out of character as an assassin. He was way over the top with emotional outbursts and impatience. These seem highly uncharacteristic of a successful assassin on his way up. Julianne Moore's character changed from a calm, cool bad girl into a helpless, bumbling female after meeting Stallone. How convenient! Many Of Richard Donner's other films have similar problems. However, there is enough enjoyable action, development and tension to enjoy the movie, as long as you suspend a lot of belief---a lot of belief.

I give it 3 out of 4 stars.