Assassins

Director: Richard Donner Richard Donner

Overview

Sylvester Stallone headlines this high-tech action-adventure and plays a ruthless hit man who finds himself stalked by a younger rival. The older assassin, Robert Rath, cannot shake the painful memory of an earlier hit and wants to leave his dirty business after he completes his final assignment for a mysterious boss. He meets his crazy rival, the fearless Miguel Bain while attempting to assassinate an old fellow at a funeral. Bain beats him to it and then makes a ballsy escape in which he ends up in a stolen taxi driven by Rath. It is here that the two become mortal enemies. Later, Rath is given one last assignment: he must kill a female surveillance officer and steal an important disc before she has a chance to sell it. When he discovers that Bain is on the same assignment, the two begin a deadly competition in a large Seattle hotel. Eventually, Rath ends up kidnapping the officer Electra and her large ever-present cat. When he finally meets up with Bain, a terrible struggle ensues and suddenly Rath realizes that the whole scene is a set up. Rath then heads for San Juan, Puerto Rico where residents celebrate the Day of the Dead. Amidst the festivities, the two play a deadly cat-and-mouse game.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/09/2010
UPC:	0883929155460
Original Release:	1995
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:13:00
Sales rank:	38,604

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sylvester Stallone	Robert Rath
Antonio Banderas	Miguel Bain
Julianne Moore	Electra
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
John Harms	Cop
Edward J. Rosen	Cemetery Caretaker
Christina Orchid	Dowager,Cabbie
Sue Carolyn Wise	Obnoxious Woman in Elevator
Ron Ben Jarrett	Maintenance Man at Marriott Hotel
Marian Collier	Eugene & Danny's Pet Supply Lady

Technical Credits

Richard Donner	Director,Producer
Dino De Laurentiis	Executive Producer
Lauren Shuler-Donner	Executive Producer
Bruce A. Evans	Producer
Raynold Gideon	Producer,Producer
Joel Silver	Producer
Jim Van Wyck	Producer
Norval D. Crutcher Jr.	Sound Editor
Petur Hliddal	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Assassins has a pretty low profile for a movie featuring so much talent. Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas may not strike a viewer as A-level properties, but consider that Julianne Moore is their co-star, Richard Donner is their director, Joel Silver is their producer and Andy and Larry Wachowski are their screenwriters, in the Wachowskis' first produced screenwriting/story credit. The movie delivers surprisingly well, given its apparent status as a throwaway actioner from the mid-90s. Assassins is one of those extended games of cat and mouse, where it's a joy just seeing smart people do clever things to get the upper hand and/or survive. To their credit, Stallone and Banderas successfully sell the idea that they're smart enough to do these smart things. This is key, because it grounds an otherwise sensational plot. A surprising amount of Assassins is cerebral, with lengthy breaks between action set pieces, and plenty of time devoted to letting strategic maneuvers play themselves out. That said, the action scenes are also pretty compelling. Banderas and Stallone repeatedly come in close proximity without actually being able to eliminate the other person, as in one tete-a-tete carried out from opposite sides of the bulletproof glass inside a taxi cab. Moore holds her own as the wild card in their epic reciprocal manhunt; she's the expert on a disk of encrypted data that serves as the requisite MacGuffin. Perhaps the most surprising element of Assassins is that it runs two hours and 12 minutes, yet doesn't feel indulgent. That's simply the amount of time needed to build the story to where it's going: a tension-filled climax whose denouement is only slightly disappointing. Given how Assassins was overlooked by critics and audiences, it's amazing there isn't more there to disappoint us.