Antonio Banderas, Julianne Moore, Kai Wulff

If Sylvester Stallone plays the world's number one assassin in this thriller, that must make Antonio Banderas, well, number two. The two are competing to hit the same target for a $20-million payoff, ...( read more  read more... )and their challenge takes them from explosion to explosion on a cat-and-mouse chase from Seattle to Mexico. Julianne Moore plays the cagey cat fancier and computer hacker who possesses a stolen computer disc that makes her a prime target for bad guys, and Robert Rath (Stallone) is only too happy to come to her defense. Director Richard Donner handles action sequences with adequate flair and has a good time blowing things up. Banderas has fun with the nonsensical plot, and Moore is enjoyable in one of her big-budget mainstream roles. --Jeff Shannon

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55% liked it

54,262 ratings

R, 133 min.

Directed by: Richard Donner

Release Date: October 6, 1995

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DVD Release Date: September 30, 1997

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Flixster Reviews (1,198)


  • October 1, 2009
    I remember seeing this in the cinema. It?s one of the worst films I?ve seen in a cinema!
  • May 13, 2008
    "I beat you to the buyers, and now I've beat you to the mark. I'm sorry, but I think I picked the wrong guy to be my hero."


    Richard Donner delivers the goods as usual with Assassins; an entertaining, well-crafted action thriller that cannot be missed by fans o

    ...( read more)f the genre. Naturally Sylvester Stallone is pretty close to his tough guy action hero. He can use a gun stylishly and he can kill in cold blood; however the body count is surprisingly low considering Sly's modest reputation for over-the-top action movies.


    Stallone plays professional hitman Robert Rath who is considered the best at his profession. Over many years he has made a big name for himself for his stylish ways of fulfilling contracts assigned to him via electronic communication. Robert is now old and visibly past his prime; he wants out of the business no questions asked. After accepting a final job from his long-time employer, what follows is a manhunt as young hitman Miguel Bain (Banderas) starts hunting Robert with the intent of becoming the number 1 hitman in the world.


    I won't spoil anymore for you, because then it just wouldn't be as fun with all the interesting (and surprisingly unpredictable) plot twists that lead to a very intense climax.


    Stallone is at his usual standard here; sometimes the subtitles function looks very attractive during some of his dialogue scenes, and sometimes you just can't keep your eyes off the screen while he's carrying a firearm. Truth be told his dialogue isn't as unbearable as it usually is. Contrary to popular belief he puts determination and commitment into one of his roles. He may be type-cast as a typical single-note action hero and it's understandable. Stallone is quite underrated and has produced a bunch of action films that are decent slices of entertainment. One would never expect someone like Antonio Banderas to show up in a film like this. He plays his psychotic hitman role extremely well. Banderas is certainly much better than one would have initially expected. He's very dark, cool and well conceived. Julianne Moore is another surprising addition to the cast. Starring as a hacker, a very game Moore does what she can with a fairly mediocre screenplay.


    The directing by Richard Donner is first-rate and high class: especially during the action scenes. This stellar directing is to be expected when one examines other films on Richard Donner's résumé. The man who gave the world the Lethal Weapon series uses his traditional Hollywood style: lots of blood, lots of action, lots of things blowing up.


    The film was written in the days preceding The Matrix and hence The Wachowski Brothers hadn't yet made a name for themselves. The two brothers can write a good screenplay. It's filled with intriguing plot twists and exciting concepts for different action scenes. Of course these creative action scenes are given the visual royal treatment.


    Overall, I found Assassins to be highly enjoyable and underrated. The film suffered lots of criticism and it still does. I, however, thought that it was a good mix of action and thrills. Granted this action film is long and tedious with a running time of over 2 hours, but the intense climax is worth every minute of the build up. Certainly worth seeing.
  • April 14, 2008
    Jebus was Banderas annoying as hell.
  • August 13, 2007
    Ummmm ok scared
  • July 24, 2007
    A hilarious action film with Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas playing competing assassins. I loved the scene where Banderas is waiting and suffering inside a dumpy building, while Stallone is enjoying the luxuries of the hotel across the street. It's great-spirited and has...( read more) explosive action scenes. It's a whole lot of fun which I chuckled at.
  • November 22, 2009
    Richard Donner at one time was a capable man with the ability to produce quality action films, unluckily he got himself a screenplay written by two of the biggest retard hacks in the history of Hollywood. I'm glad to hear the studios butchered their screenplay (only wishing they ...( read more)would have done the same to those goddamn pathetic Matrix films) but sadly it amounts to nothing more than a somewhat enjoyable Antonio Banderas performance in the middle of a completely shitty film. Mr. Banderas is generally useless eye candy in everything (also does shitty voiceovers for cats in bad sequels and nasal spray selling bees in bad commercials) but he was the one bright light in an otherwise sorry affair that has no reason to exist. Nothing original, nothing interesting, nothing enjoyable, an absolutely fucking nothing of a film.
  • November 8, 2009
    Good action film, not much more.
  • November 8, 2009
    sly finally kiks out tony
  • October 28, 2009
    this is a very good movie to watch.
  • October 18, 2009
    This movie had me on the edge of my seat. Antonio Banderas crazy character and funny. Sylvester Stallone none the less good strategic plans. Julianne Moore delicious red lipstick hmmm.

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Assassins Trivia


  • What was the name of the movie where Julianne Moore, Sylvester Stallone, and Antonio Banderas appear in?  Answer »
  • Name an actress who has been running from vengeative assassins, killing vampires and seducing her stepbrother.  Answer »
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