Hollywood has always tried to tantalise audiences with a perfect cocktail of tension, action and murder. No more so is this combination apparent than in the classic assassin film. For generations, cinema-goers have been thrilled with on-screen guns for hire and trained killers, whether they’re cast in the role of villain or protagonist.
Here are just some of the best assassin films of all time, which have delivered some killer scenes and bloody good viewing.
Hitman
Hitman landed on the silver screen with an over the top plot that proves highly entertaining. The film follows professional assassin Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47, founder of the group he dubs ‘The Organisation’. Interpol and the Russian Military are soon hot on his tail, in a dramatic game of cat and mouse. A fun, if not a great movie as a whole, however Agent 47 is the epitome of a ‘hard as nails’ assassin.
Having started as a video game, the title is popular with players and has even inspired a Hitman themed online slot game.
Wanted
Brought to life from its ultraviolent comic book origins, Wanted steps the action into high gear. With a star-packed cast, the film follows James McAvoy, a dispensable office worker who gets swept up by Angelina Jolie and inducted into a 1,000-year-old fraternity of high breed assassins.
Wanted knocks the Hollywood drama into overkill, with a mind-melting array of extreme car crashes, matrix style artillery and even some well-orchestrated, explosive rodents. Worth seeing, if only for it’s ridiculous bullet bending!
Collateral
http://youtu.be/xRAwnFOFOow
Tom Cruise is cast in the role of villain in Michael Mann’s action-packed thriller. On a bloodthirsty mission, Cruise recruits a reluctant cabbie, played by Jamie Foxx. Mark Ruffalo is the cop fast on their trail, with the chase unfolding against the stunning backdrop of Los Angeles.
Following on the heels of Heat’s success, director Mann generated a massive $101 million from Collateral.
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Quentin Tarintino creates a vibrant mesh of themes and styles in the first volume of his Kill Bill franchise. This nod to the old kung fu classics follows Uma Thurman as the vengeful bride who takes up her sword to spill the blood of her erstwhile colleagues.
With a brilliant soundtrack and expertly choreographed fight scenes, Kill Bill delivers a kick to the throat of Hollywood cinema.
Pulp Fiction
The second Tarintino film to feature on the list, Pulp Fiction is the perfect blend of dark humour and ground-breaking cinema, which has found its way into the hearts of many film fans. The unforgettable cast of characters, exhilarating plot and original screenplay makes this an instant all-time classic.
Pulp Fiction has pulled in various awards for its director, including the Palme d’Or at Cannes and a Best Screenplay Oscar.
No Country for Old Men
Packed with suspense, this Cohen Brother’s masterpiece is an unforgiving thriller of violence and mayhem. In the borderlands of Texas, Josh Brolin stumbles upon a macabre scene of a drug exchange gone wrong. After steeling off the scene with $2 million dollars in hand, a psychopathic killer hunts him down.
Javier Bardem puts in an Oscar winning performance as the merciless Anton Chigurh, unsettling audiences in spite of his questionable haircut…
