Assassins (1995)

Professional hit-man Robert Rath wants to fulfill a few more contracts before retiring but unscrupulous ambitious newcomer hit-man Miguel Bain keeps killing Rath's targets.

Director:

Richard Donner

Writers:

Lilly Wachowski (story) (as Andy Wachowski), Lana Wachowski (story) (as Larry Wachowski)

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas, Julianne Moore

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Robert Rath is a seasoned hitman who just wants out of the business with no back talk. But, as things go, it ain't so easy. A younger, peppier assassin named Bain is having a field day trying to kill said older assassin. Rath teams up with a computer hacker named Electra to defeat the obsessed Bain.

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Plot Keywords:

rival | computer hacker | limousine | slow motion scene | rain | 

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Taglines:

Who lives and Who Dies?

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English Dutch Spanish

Release Date:

6 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Day of Reckoning

Filming Locations:

Casino de Puerto Rico, Avenida Juan Ponce De León, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$30,306,268

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$83,306,268

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,Silver Pictures,Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Bacon, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes were considered for the role of Miguel Bain.

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Goofs

The two body guards guarding the Mark at the funeral change their position. One is standing on the right from the Mark, whilst in the next shot that same body guard is standing on the left.

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Quotes

Electra: Once upon a time, there was this little sparrow, who while flying south for the winter froze solid and fell to the ground. And then to make matters worse the cow crapped on him, but the manure was all warm and it defrosted him. So there he is, he's warm and he's happy to be alive and he starts to sing. A hungry cat comes along and he clears off the manure and he looks at the little bird and then he eats him. And the moral of the story is this: everyone who craps on you is not necessarily your ...

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Oh Mio Babbino No Caro
From the opera "Gianni Schicchi"
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Words by Giovacchino Forzano (as G. Forzano)
Performed by Leslie Dennis

User Reviews

Watch two assassins in action for the price of one...

If you have watched 'The Mechanic', you will certainly see a parallel between that movie & this movie. Both are fast-paced action movies about two assassins in conflict with each other.

'The Mechanic' starred Charles Bronson in the lead role of a veteran contract hit-man, Arthur Bishop. He took on a cocky but ambitious young man, Steve McKenna, played by Jan-Michael Vincent, to be his protégé. The latter turned the table on the master.

In this movie, 'Assassins', Sylvester Stallone played the lead role of a veteran contract hit-man, Robert Bath, who apparently was number one in the business. A cocky, but ambitious young hit-man, Miguel Bain, played by Antonio Banderas, came into the scene with the fatalistic idea of becoming the number one.

Intertwined in their personal conflict of hierarchy, appeared a woman computer hacker, Electra, played by Julianne Moore, as well as a mysterious employer, Nikolai Taslinkov, who seemingly was connected to all the three key characters in the movie.

For the rest of the movie, it was an exciting cat & mouse game between Bath & Bain, with Electra eventually teaming up with Bath to elude from & deal with Bain. The action sequences throughout the movie, especially the shoot-out inside a hotel in the first half & the shoot-out in an abandoned building (in Mexico) towards the end, were really good.

It was quite fun to watch Antonio Banderas playing the hot-headed, crazy guy. He was really good, as good as Sylvester Stallone, who, as typical & in most of his movies of this genre (Nighthawks, Cobra, Judge Dredd, Demolition Man...), played the cool, confident character...maybe, a little stiff in some way. Julianne Moore, a very accomplished British actress, unfortunately had an understated role, although she did her best.

On the whole, 'Assassins' has been an entertaining - never a dull moment - action movie to watch...especially when you can watch two assassins for the price of one!