To set expectations, Assassin only has a handful of action beats. Some of them are pretty quick, though the ending confrontation lasts a reasonable amount of time. But don’t be fooled; the action that is present is stimulating thanks to a proper sense of stakes and control of tone. For example, a sequence at a diner, which also sports the best dialogue in the movie, is fraught with tension as viewers try to figure out if this or that person is who they are or is being unknowingly controlled by the villain. The diner scene is the standout as it goes in an unexpected direction that really hammers home the cost of what Alexa, Valmora, and Adrian are up to.
It certainly helps matters that the cast is good. Willis does not have a huge role, but he brings his trademark gravitas to the part. He is why anyone watching readily buys into the sci-fi setup. Allo stuns as the confused, suave, clumsy, scared, brave, and intense painter. The way she flips from being controlled to being herself is fantastic and sells that these are two different people in one body. Mbatha plays her character’s heartbreak, confusion, and slipping sanity to the hilt, allowing audiences to feel her pain. Purcell is charming as ever. When discussing his and Alex-as-Mali’s favorite book, he is so smooth one almost forgets he’s a murdering sociopath.
“…[Willis] brings his trademark gravitas…”
However, this leads to a few problems present in Assassin. First, there’s a twist near the end that is entirely predictable. In point of fact, I called it as soon as that book scene ended, and I was not wrong. The reason for it makes total sense, but it is not as surprising as Atlas perhaps hoped it would be. There’s also the matter of Alexa’s training. She’s sent on one trial run, which goes about as well as Neo’s first outing in The Matrix. It is unclear why Valmora and his team did not present this opportunity to Alexa earlier (yes, they tried to take out Adrian in other ways, but the timeframe feels off). However, that is a minor gripe that only pops into one’s mind when scrutinizing the picture.
Assassin is an engaging look at the pursuit of revenge despite its cost to one’s soul and mind. The cast is excellent, and the dialogue is clever. While the plot isn’t strikingly original, nor is its twist, there is still plenty of fun to be had. Plus, it is nice to see Willis giving it his all for one of the last times.
"…an engaging look at the pursuit of revenge despite its cost to one's soul and mind."
