Assassins

"In the shadows of life. In the business of death. One man found a reason to live."

1995 2h 12m EN

😐

6.5

MID

★6.5TMDB · 1,793

ActionAdventureCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Assassin Robert Rath arrives at a funeral to kill a prominent mobster, only to witness a rival hired gun complete the job for him -- with grisly results. Horrified by the murder of innocent bystanders, Rath decides to take one last job and then return to civilian life. But finding his way out of the world of contract killing grows ever more dangerous as Rath falls for his female target and becomes a marked man himself.

“In the shadows of life. In the business of death. One man found a reason to live.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Sylvester Stallone
Robert Rath
Antonio Banderas
Miguel Bain
Julianne Moore
Electra
Anatoli Davydov
Nicolai Tashlinkov
Muse Watson
Ketcham
Steve Kahan
Alan Branch
Kelly Rowan
Jennifer, Electra's Neighbor
Reed Diamond
Bob

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Donner
Writers: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, Brian Helgeland
Languages: English, Spanish, Dutch
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Spanish, Dutch.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Donner, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Mancina. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Donner directs. Vilmos Zsigmond behind the camera. Mark Mancina scores. Richard Marks cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish, Dutch.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
331 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Spanish, Dutch.
5Directed by Richard Donner, shot by Vilmos Zsigmond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Mark Mancina. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Richard Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "In the shadows of life. In the business of death. One man found a reason to live.".
10IMDB entry: tt0112401 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 17 themes, including "rescue", "central intelligence agency (cia)", "hitman", "cat".

The technical file

Cinematography: Vilmos Zsigmond
Original score: Mark Mancina
Editing: Richard Marks
Production design: Thomas E. Sanders
Costume design: Elizabeth McBride
Makeup / hair: Scott H. Eddo
Sound: David E. Campbell
Stunt coordinator: Dick Hancock
Runtime: 132 min · 2h 12m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $50,000,000
Box office: $30,303,072
Return: 61% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Assassins (1995)

Also by

Richard Donner

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-08-19
★ 5/10
Check Mate? 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
Gimly2018-09-07
★ 4/10
A not great movie, but one that it's hard to pinpoint exact ways in which it could easily have been improved. A Stallone/Banderas as cat and mouse assassins sounds promising, but in reality this technoir thriller is... Actually kind of boring. Seems like it needs a ground-up re-working to get a story up to the concept of that team, which sounds exhausting. Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product.