CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Numerootno
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
Spikeopath
Sly Stallone stars as an ageing assassin who gets embroiled in a cat and mouse game with a younger assassin who wants to be number one of the trade. Teaming up with a computer hacker, Stallone battles not only his pursuer but also an event from his past that troubles him so.With Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore in starry support, Richard Donner in the director's chair and the Wachowski brothers on writing duties, Assassins held the promise of a top line actioner. Sadly that promise is not met.There's clear signs of the makers trying to make something more deep and cerebral, what ultimately transpires is a overly complicated - and way over long - picture. Punctured with great action scenes, none more so than an outrageous taxi ride that John Woo would be proud of, it's in the middle section where pic drags itself into needless slumber. By this mid-point, one has had enough of Banderas, who comes off more like a deranged excitable kid than someone to be feared. Donner really falters there, but conversely he gets an interestingly engaging tune out of Stallone. Moore is very good, and gets some good dialogue to spout, which is a rarity, though, since much of the chatter is mumbled or said in such agitated or broody manner that the sound mix strains for aural clarification.It's not a stinker, and in its own way it's a diverting time waster, but too many holes and too many poor production desicions leave it knocking at the averageville door. 5/10
slightlymad22
Continuing my plan to watch every Sly Stallone movie in order, I come to 1995's AssassinsPlot In A Paragraph: Sylvester Stallone plays the number one Hit-man in the world, Robert Rath (don't worry, since it's Sly, he is a Hit-man with morals and principals. He only kills bad guys) who is about to retire, when an ambitious young Hit-man Miguel Bain (Antonio Banderas) appears, with plans on being number one.As so often is the case in the early to mid 90's, Sly is totally over shadowed by his co star. Antonio Banderas steals this movie from Sly, whose character is as boring and bland, as he is ridiculously named!! Like The Specialist before it, he sleepwalks his way through the movie collecting his $15 million paycheck. It's another miss for Sly for me on this one, and truthfully, I'm not quite sure how this missed, a movie about feuding Hit-man, starring action legend Sly Stallone and upcoming star Antonio Banderas, written by the Wachowski bros (Matrix, V For Vendetta) directed by Richard Donner (Superman, Lethal Weapon) but somehow it does. Despite it having its moments and some impressive set pieces It feels overly long and slow. It has a few it holes, and the number one Hit-man in the world is a pretty poor shot when it comes to killing the number 2 Hit-man in the world, as is the number two, when it comes to taking down the number one. Killing anyone else?? Never miss. But they can't hit each other. It's better than The Specialist and Judge Dredd, but not up to the standards of Cliffhanger and Demolition Man
Leofwine_draca
This highly engaging thriller has a polished edge of style and sophistication to it, giving it an upper hand over the rest of the endless action movies churned out during the never-ending '90s. Mixing the talents of an established director who knows how to handle the action - step up, Richard Donner - and two soon-to-be-mega-famous scriptwriters, the Wachowski brothers (THE MATRIX), plus some surprisingly good performances from the interesting cast, and what you have is a decent movie. The action sequences are excellently handled, highly realistic and at the same time very exciting, and the various special effects and stunts are inserted perfectly into the flow of things.Meanwhile the scenes of suspense between the action are full of very real danger, so despite the long running time you never find your attention wavering. Cast in the flawed hero mould is endlessly-criticised Sylvestor Stallone, putting in a nicely subtle performance and letting his nemesis, Antonio Banderas, do all of the (over)acting as psychotic but deadly assassin Miguel Bain. Holding the movie together is a low-key and sweet Julianne Moore, as a surveillance expert who finds herself over her head and in the middle of a violent battle to the death between two expert marksmen. The only problem I have with a film like this is that all other action movies don't possess the same level of commitment, grace, and intelligence as this one does.
Wuchak
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+
