Robert Rath is a veteran contract killer who became the most reputed assassin for hire when he took out his Russian mentor Nicolai Tashlinkov. Since then, Rath has been the most sought after hired gun by dangerous individuals looking to have certain ‘problems’ removed or eliminated by him. However, Rath has become burnt-out and disillusioned with his profession over the years and just wants out of this dangerous career without any backtalk from his superiors but finds that it may not be so easy to get out of ‘the life’ when a dangerous rival named Miguel Bain shows up on the scene.
A wild newcomer, Bain is a young admirer of Rath’s who is hungry for action and eager to prove that he’s the best hired gun in the criminal underground. But in order for Bain to claim the number one spot in the world of assassins, he has deduced that Rath, (the man who holds that title) will have to be ‘retired’.
When a lovely hacker named Electra gets caught in the crosshairs between these two dangerous professionals, it becomes crystal-clear to Rath that someone else is working behind the scenes to set him up for a fall. Now, Rath must find a way to protect Electra as well as himself from harm and collect his final payment from his mysterious contractor all the while avoiding the dangerous and deranged Bain who is eager and determined to put a bullet in the back of both Rath and Electra.
Direct Hit (Why I enjoyed this movie)
Call me crazy, but I’ve always had a fascination with assassins in the world of fiction ever since watching Chow-Yun Fat in Antoine Fuqua’s ‘the Replacement Killers’ and Jean Reno in Luc Besson’s ‘the Professional’. In fact, it was in those two movies that I learned that criminals in the fiction world don’t necessarily have to be bad people so long as they have a code to live by. When they have a code, the characters are more likeable and can be seen as anti-heroes who are thrust into doing the right thing to help those in need of assistance. But then, there are antagonists in the world of fiction who feel or believe that having a code means you’re ‘soft’…that you’re an easy mark when you have rules that you live by and that you’ll spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder wondering if the person who’s life you spared will come back to get you when you least expect it.
That’s the dilemma that Sylvester Stallone’s character encounters in the movie ‘Assassins’. In an earlier scene in the movie, Rath is carrying out a hit on a fellow hitman played by Muse Watson who questions Rath on his morality. He asks Rath, ‘What kind of shoes will Rath be wearing when his *time* comes’, signaling that for hitmen, there is no out except through the business end of someone else’s gun. This obviously strikes a chord in Rath who has realized that he needs to make a clean break away from his dangerous profession before she winds up like the people he has been tasked with eliminating. But even if Rath does leave his ‘old life’ behind, is there any guarantee that he can do anything else besides killing? Assassins is a movie that explores the theme of ‘live and let live’ as well as ‘live and let die’ as one man tries to escape his shadowy past, another man who is consumed with darkness wants in on the shadowy life and an innocent civilian finds herself caught in the middle between them and their personal war.
Another theme that they focus on for the story is chess: early on, Banderas’ character gives Rath a move to try in his online chess game and when Rath plays the move, he realizes that he’s in danger himself. Throughout the entire movie, Rath and Bain try to outmaneuver each other to the best of their ability and even though Bain thinks he knows all of Rath’s moves, Rath shows that he has a couple of tricks up his sleeve that even Bain isn’t prepared for. ‘Assassins’ shows that survival of the fittest is not based on who makes the first move but on who survives the last.
The writers also showed that the tools of everyone’s trade isn’t just handguns, but computers as well, particularly laptops. In this movie, the Internet plays a big role for the assassins as well as Electra, showing that information equals success for anyone who wants to stay ahead of the competition in their profession. Plus it allows the players in the movie to stay anonymous with their contacts. They use their Apple Powerbooks to communicate with their employers to receive information and intel via chatrooms, to discuss payment options, target opportunities and so forth. Seeing criminals make use of the super information highway was really interesting and it gave the film kind of an espionage feel to it as everyone from Rath and Bain, to Electra utilized chatrooms to conduct their business.
Who’s the Hunted and Who’s the Hunter? (Analyzing the Characters)
Playing the part of veteran killer for hire Robert Rath, Sylvester Stallone’s character is not charismatic, suave or vibrant like his earlier roles or even a war-torn Vietnam vet like Rambo. He’s a silent, stoic hitman who is tired of his life as a hired gun and just wants out. But on his latest assignments, Rath fears that ‘retribution’ may be coming for him sooner than he thinks when another rival named Miguel Bain begins to steal his contracts. Realizing that his superiors may want him replaced, Rath realizes he’s going to have to do one more job to get enough money to leave the shadowy world of contract killing behind.
Personally, I think this role was custom-made for Stallone in that he’s a man who lives a life of solitude, he trusts no one and is constantly looking over his shoulder wondering if he’s ever going to be able to retire from the life of an assassin without winding up in an early grave. The thing that I loved most about this character is that Rath is a man with a code:
-He stays focused on the target and the target only.
-His ‘hits’ are discreet, quick and clean.
-He never kills for sport or pleasure.
-He avoid unnecessary collateral damage of any sort (will not shoot at cops, armed security or even through civilians who get in the way)
For all intents and purposes, Rath is a consummate professional who is good at what he does and never fails.
Then there’s Miguel Bain, played with fiery gusto by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas. Truth be told, Banderas totally stole the show with his portrayal of Bain and I think the director and writers knew he was the best choice to play the part of Bain (there was some debate that Sly should’ve played Bain but I don’t think the role would’ve worked for Sly given that he’s more controlled for playing the role of Rath).
Bain is the exact opposite of Rath in this movie, I mean the man is just Ax-Crazy throughout the entire film:
-Bain shoots people at random with no thought of who is in his way (law enforcement, civilians, women, etc.)
-His actions are irrational but effective in getting the job done. Problem is, Bain doesn’t care for collateral damage like Rath does, even if there’s a chance it will leave a trail of bread crumbs leading back to him or his employer.
-For Bain, he does contract killing merely for the recognition. He wants the underground to know he’s the best at what he does and is not above taking out a fellow assassin in order to prove that he belongs in the spotlight.
Finally, there’s Electra played by Julianne Moore. Though she’s not a killer, she is a part of the plot that guides and moves the story between the protagonist (Rath) and the antagonist (Bain). Electra is a surveillance expert and data thief whose skills behind a computer have put her in the crosshairs with the wrong kinds of people…people who want her eliminated for what she has in her possession: a data disk containing information of a very sensitive nature. When Electra tries to sell the disk, she has no idea that she’s in over her head when Rath and Bain are both sent out at the same time to retrieve the disk and silence her as well.
While Bain is all too eager to do the task, Rath on the other hand senses that not all is right when he discovers that Bain is on the assignment also. Seeing Electra as his chance for redemption, Rath chooses not to eliminate her and declares himself officially ‘retired’ as an assassin and becomes her personal bodyguard.
Julianne is a lovely sight in this movie with her portrayal of Electra, the animal loving hacker who proves to be a kindred spirit to Stallone’s hitman Rath. While Rath and Bain share a connection in their profession as killers, he also shares a connection with Electra in that they are both ‘ghosts’ who live life in the shadows and in solitude. Another thing that I found interesting but kind of creepy about Moore’s character is that she’s something of a voyeur. In her apartment complex, she has video cameras installed in the rooms of her fellow neighbors and is watching their every move in their day to day lives. One can deduce that the reason Electra watches her neighbors is because there’s a part of her that yearns for a normal life as well, just like Rath does. It is this connection that helps Moore and Stallone’s character develop a sense of trust as they attempt to outwit their pursuers and find out who double-crossed the both of them during a ‘contract’ gone wrong.
Locked and Loaded (Summing it All Up)
Assassins has a lot going for it: a great ensemble cast, Richard Donner (a veteran director and producer with years of film-making under his belt) in the director’s chair, an impressive but almost predictable script and enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat. Action-wise, there’s plenty of shootouts and explosions to boot to help keep the viewers interested if the plot isn’t really everyone’s cup of tea.
Though Assassins does have its flaws, it is one of many guilty pleasures that any action-buff or adrenaline junkie should have in their movie collection. Though I’m kind of debating on trying to go for the blu-ray release of this film (the DVD doesn’t have any real features on it), Assassins is definitely a flick for Stallone and Banderas fans that hits the bulls-eye and never lets up until the climax.
The Cable Critic 