I love this movie. Antonio Banderas is so handsome here! And then he came out here on April 22 this year in Madrid at the ceremony of awarding the Talia Awards, and everyone pounced – aged, looks terrible, do not know. Escape, dear ones, take Uzbekoin! All right, Antonio is our Banderas!
Director Richard Donner wanted to deal with the best actors of Hollywood, because virtually every film brought good money and was warmly received by critics. Donner is best known for the first three films in the Lethal Weapon series. After which he got into the elite league of Hollywood, and therefore it is not surprising that he eventually made a film with the participation of Sylvester Stallone – “Murderers”.
The main character of the story was a professional killer Robert Rath, who is not the first year in the risky business. Buy its services can only those customers who do not skimp on a serious fee and do not interfere in its work. So Rath uses his reputation for a reason and has never failed a single case. But suddenly he has a rival who seeks at all costs to throw the hero from the throne.
A young and ambitious Spaniard, Miguel Bane, has arrived in town and is also receiving an order that Rath has taken over. Of course, an experienced killer does not like this and he arranges a hunt for an upstart who crosses his path. The first round of their confrontation was a draw, but this is only the beginning. Because the guys get a new order and it touches the same goal.
A girl named Elektra sells important information on the disk and customers want to get it for themselves. It's very important that no one else gets this data, which means that Rat or Bane should be the first to get to Electra and get what they need. But Rath is beginning to suspect. That someone is playing a dangerous game with him and decides to join forces with Electra, stop Bane and find out who his enemy really is.
In this film, I like the fact that it is not just another action movie, but also a detective thriller with a twisted plot. It immediately becomes clear that the customer Rata extremely dangerous and unpredictable person. He seeks to pit him against the young killer Bane and as a sinister manipulator watches the confrontation of the killers from the outside. I personally like this approach to the development of the plot.
In the cast, in addition to Stallone, I want to mention the unsurpassed Antonio Banderas as the outspoken psychopath Bane. He's very good and extremely dangerous. He kills with pleasure and gives no chances to anyone. Of course, Stallone here is in first place in any case, but Banderas is a worthy competitor.
“Murderers” is a high-quality and spectacular action movie with elements of a thriller and a detective. Richard Donner once again proved that he is one of the best directors of his time, and the tape itself even now looks very interesting and confident. In addition, Stallone and Banderas actually shine here.
10 out of 10
A way to prove that you need to give way to the young. And it doesn't work in all areas. As time passes, old ways go down in history, and new ones give an accelerated process. Perhaps the old method is even more effective than the modern one, which sometimes cannot be denied. The process of urbanization is unstoppable, so humanity strives to move forward, improving everyday life in the future. It is easier for humanity to come together in one direction rather than trying to get ahead of someone to prove that I am first. Putting someone as an example gives you an incentive to work, but trying to get ahead of that person sounds a little crazy. You can’t always say that the goal in advance will be justified, and someone will soon break your record. Then it will not be possible to interrupt it, since it is time to retire and give way to the young.
Whether there's a villain here, you can't tell. Rath takes the lives of others because it's his job. He has accumulated a lot of experience, which is called to go on vacation. But on the way there are young animals in order to surpass this hardened. Young people are crazy to imitate, but you need to understand that no matter how you imitate, you still will not become like him. And the accumulated knowledge is simply no longer useful and you need to look for your own style. You can achieve better results by following your rules. You can go back to the old, but it will not give rest. And of course, in a kind of “draft work” you also need to watch that you are not removed, and to rest is not far. That's not part of the plan. Nobody wants to be targeted.
Good story. Two assassins fight each other to be number 1 in their profession. The first Robert Rath, who was perfectly played by Sylvester Stalonne, a wise professional who has his own code of honor and views on life. The second Miguel Bane (the role of Antonio Banderas), an impulsive and cruel newcomer to his business, he kills those who get in his way without thinking about the consequences.
Great acting. Banderas fit perfectly into his role as a temperamental, ruthless killer, a native of Spain, who gives pleasure to eliminate people. Stalonne is also a good, calm image, keeping everything under control of a person who makes his dirty robot without losing his dignity.
It is also worth mentioning the director of this film, Richard Donner!
The film looks in one breath and until the last minute it is not clear who will win this fight. The film was shot a long time ago, but the play of the actors and the plot is more fascinating than most of the militants shot in recent years.
(For a greater understanding of the modern reader of this film and to develop my own creativity in the middle of the night...)
Joker vs The Dark Knight.
Christopher Nolan must have rolled over in his dream if he had watched Assassins in his home shortly before. After all, who would have thought that the film, released as much as 13 years before the premiere of “The Dark Knight”, based on the main characters and their rivalry, would resemble the vaunted work of Nolan! That Banderos - in the role of curly and eccentric "Joker", riding constantly in the ears of his enemy, that cold-blooded Stallone, tormented by thoughts of justice and honesty. Well, it's just a show, right? The taxi scene and the considerable dialogue between the two was the culmination of a hint of comparison between the two Gotham characters.
Thought... Maybe Nolan didn’t know about this movie, but just brazenly borrowed many touches from Robert and Miguel. . .
"Desperate" vs. Rambo.
Well... Don't go to the fortune teller. Sly is the ace of his business, N1, the best of the best, a fighter for justice, a killer involuntarily and all that blah blah blah blah ... The only thing that doesn’t fit is the clothes. Instead of camouflage uniforms and T-shirts – solid costumes.
But "Desperate" -- that's it. What image, what appearance, what virtuosity kill... And yet... What else could be expected from the then not quite popular Banderos, when his breakthrough film was the recent “Desperado”. That is, why Tony is like this - I think it is not necessary to explain for a long time, as well as about the steely expression of Sly's face and his heroism, I think too.
Kharlamov vs. Batrutdinov.
There is a “comedian” scene where one does not play, and the other ... overplays. Sly is the one who does not play, and Antosha is the complete opposite of him. And if Stallone’s silently strict face can somehow be justified by his pensive hero, grieving 15 years from an irreparable mistake, then Banderos’ replay is more appropriate for children’s matinees and Chinese old comedies with Jackie Chan.
Italian national team vs Spanish national team (football)
Here are two super cool heroes -- the two best teams on the planet. One of them is number 1, the second number 2 is Spain and Italy. But instead of creating an action movie with such iconic writers (team coaches), charismatic actors (the best players in the world), old-school direction (tiki-taka, etc.) and a promising name (the names of the countries of these teams already speak for themselves), we are presented with something ... hyper-cluttered, boring and sluggish (in fact, like football for these great teams – endless residues). Minimum special effects and action (no feints and footsteps), almost nothing! And this is the theater we are going to feed more than 2 hours (90 minutes + 2 extra time).
Such an attitude towards native viewers (true fans of such football and who bought a ticket for decent money) is simply blasphemous!
Result of watching the movie (match): watch (patiently struggling - by the way, the title of another film with Sly) and forget...
For unfulfilled expectations -
7 out of 10
P.S.Now I understand exactly why this Stalinist tape is so rarely played on TV.
The oblique rays of sunlight with thin arrows penetrate into the shabby room through the experienced types of blinds on old shutters. At the window, clutching a rifle in his hand, a young man is waiting for his time. Having put his finger on the trigger and trying to see at the bank facade a powerful figure of his main competitor, after the elimination of which he will become the number one killer in the criminal business where there is no place for emotions and the right to error.
Richard Donner, known to many film lovers primarily as the godfather of police tetralogy, seems not to be able to make bad films at all. Professional to the bone, what else can I say? Whatever he touches, everything is worth seeing, if not watching, then at least attention. And this applies to any genre. Starting his career with work on television, and then, moving to the “big league”, where he acted as a director of horror films, comic-screenings, dramatic and fantasy films, in the second half of the 80s he established a reputation as a master of action films. And this is thanks to the aforementioned cycle "Lethal Weapon", which influenced the genre of police cinema and set the film standards in this direction for many years to come. Released in the mid-90s, "Murderers" seem to mark the not fully realized creative ambitions of Donner in this genre, after he said goodbye to the tandem of Californian cops Riggs / Murtaugh at the end of the trilogy "Lethal Weapon" (as it turns out later, not the last picture of the cycle). But still "Murderers", playing on the same genre range, are somewhat different from their police counterpart. If the tetralogy about Californian policemen from the homicide department was characterized by the presence of a mandatory humorous component with an admixture of interpersonal relations, putting at the forefront of male friendship and mutual assistance with the taste of family life, then "Murderers" This is almost 100% serious, devoid of hochm and jokes, a movie where the narrative tends to keep pace with realism, and dizzying chases and visual feastery give way to automatic rapid movements of murderers only after the remaining chilling mirrors.
In the center of the story is the confrontation between two extra-class killers fighting for the right to emerge victorious in a deadly duel, at the same time fulfilling the obligations imposed by the contract to eliminate an undesirable object - a female hacker who is a carrier of compromising material on a magnetic disk. Moreover, the presence of a single goal differs in diametrically opposite motivations - the first wants to "tire" and go into the shadows forever by fulfilling the order, the second, on the contrary, to establish itself on the olympus of a deadly craft and at the same time remove the main, more famous, competitor. And, of course, as is often the case for such a canvas, all this is presented in the context of the confrontation of two absolutely opposite in temperament and style of work, characters: Stallone’s hero is cold-blooded, silent and cautious, and Banderas’ character, on the contrary, is emotionally unstable, hot and prefers to act with rapid pressure. Like an impregnable stone fortress under the constant onslaught of the sea element. And in the middle of this duel is the heroine of Juliana Moore, a hacker and a young woman with pronounced inclinations of a sociopath who managed to seize information harmful to her life. And in addition, managed to break a hole in the impregnable armor of the cold-blooded hero Stallone, thanks to this meeting, who found the meaning of life and the desire to live in general. Combined with compassion and humanity.
The scriptwriters here were not someone, but the authors of the cult cyber-epic "The Matrix" Wachowski brothers (now brother and sister), for whom at that time it was a debut at all. Moreover, the literary basis written by them is not devoid of obvious edifying morality - sooner or later everything returns to normal and history itself, in the end, repeats itself twice. The authors deliberately did not emphasize the screen action on entertainment, but preferred to limit themselves to “weapon duels”, whose participants take in their actions as a basis – stealth and lightning speed. No massacres, witnesses or attempts to confront the superior forces of the opponent. Screenplay and acting are two of the key factors that determine the success of Donner’s film and force us, the audience, to repeatedly review this film. There are no impressive battle scenes and spectacular dynamics, but there is an internal dynamic - there is always something happening here, intrigue with every minute wraps the screws, and the logic in the behavior of the characters does not make you doubt. The cast as a selection: unflappable Stallone, rabid like a chain dog Banderas and feminine Moore. All three characters are complete opposites, which from here bring a natural balance to the emotional intensity and spirit of the narrative. But still, it is worth highlighting the Latin-American actor Antonio Banderas is simply inimitable, pure expression, rabid, absolutely uncontrollable energy combined with innate charm and before us one of the brightest killers in the history of world cinema. A bright and unforgettable image worthy of sincere applause. At the same time, Donner’s film is also interesting for its details: a toy truck as an intermediary in the transfer of money; the way Banderas’ hero gets out of the car, being blocked in the back seat; Dia de los Muertos is a beautiful festival-procession dedicated to respect and memory of the dead or the final fight in the building of a burned-out hotel in the heart of San Juan – the capital of Puerto Rico. All this brings a certain, unforgettable flavor and spit on a commercial failure in rolling fate, because Donner turned out to be a really powerful tape filled with frenzied energy and bright intrigue, which can be safely considered one of the best representatives of its genre and reviewed more than one hundred times. The master's brilliant work. Rightfully.
“If you are warm and happy, shut your mouth and don’t tweet.”
The film is worth watching because of the people who made it. Richard Donner, a nicely sturdy artisan, in the director's chair. Andy and (then) Larry Wachowski are even more interesting comrades. Relatively young Stallone, Banderas and Moore – well, just cute. It would be fine, but you missed it.
Jokes aside, the brilliant script by Wachowski and Helgeland spoiled the direction. The movie, of course, is stylish and well staged, especially by the standards of an ordinary action movie. But an overly serious tone ruins everything.
Who can take this kind of dialogue seriously? Wachowski and Helgeland understood this perfectly, writing a completely postmodern thing, where everything depends on the chosen intonation. All these jokes about Robert Red (Ford), the choice of a role in a game with Indians and cowboys, a funny joke about a bird and its “friends”, they all only emphasize the absurdity of everything that is happening.
The horribly worn killer archetypes are virtually destroyed. No, this is not a farewell to the genre, not "Unforgiven." The authors perfectly understood that such heroes and stories will live for a long time, although everything that could be told about them has already been told, it remains only to grind the bones of the old one. And the guys do it quite fun, but not slipping into a parody.
But Donner either didn't get it, or rightly decided the audience wouldn't. Instead of mild ridicule, there is extreme seriousness, long pauses, Portishead in the background, and the classic cameraman Vilmosh Zigmond largely copies the style of English crime dramas of the 70s. This is all curious and quite beautiful, but it could be quite wonderful if Donner was a director bolder and thinner.
Banderas understands the comic nature of his image, but the director never figured out what to do with it. Moore, who was already in her 30s, plays a hacker who is no more than 16. Stallone's trying really hard. And again, it all comes down to the director, who does not know what to do with it, except to go down the banal path. He chose not to tweet.
I've seen this movie many times. The first time I saw it was about seven years old. And as a child, he certainly made a stronger, more emotional impression on me than he does now. I didn’t know any of the Wachowski brothers who wrote the script, I didn’t know Richard Donner who made the film. But he knew Sylvester Stallone and, in my opinion, even with the work of Antonio Banderas was familiar.
These actors have already become famous. Hollywood has long known Stallone from the films Rocky and Rambo, Banderas was recognizable by the main roles in the films of Almadovar.
In this film, Sly had the role of such a “right” killer, fulfilled the order and home, calm the nerves with a game of chess. Banderas also plays a hitman, but unlike Stallone, his role as a hitman is negative. He keeps Stallone's character from doing his job because he wants to take away the noble title of "best hitman" in the world. That’s why there are so many chases, explosions and murders in the film. Separately, you can highlight the colorful places where the film unfolds and my favorite and most original fragment with apricot. If you watch the movie, you know what I mean.
As for acting, Stallone here, as in many other films, has a kind of dissatisfaction with life. When he's about to kill someone, it's as if he's telling his victim, "I'm not you, I'm killing myself because I'm sick of this life."
Banderas created a character who does not know what he is doing and who, frankly, is not interested in this business in principle - well, a psychopath in one word. And when a psychopath meets a person who is not satisfied with life, they start to bring each other down, and Julianne Moore is to blame for everything. And that's
Who in life achieves real success? Someone who can do something better than everyone else. It doesn't matter what. Draw, play, sing or wrap in the toilet nuts. It is important that a person is a master and does
This film somehow managed to escape my gaze all these years, but the film had every chance to please me. Here is the very idea of a confrontation between two killers, which clearly reminds me of the Hitman game series. There is no one in the director’s chair, but Richard Donner. The man who is in charge of Lethal Weapon, Maverick, Lady Hawk and many more beautiful films. And I’m not talking about the presence in the film of such actors as Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas, who are always pleased with their appearance, wherever they star. But I finally got to this picture and let's see if we should expect milk rivers and sour shores from the film or not? So, this is "hire killers."
The film tells the story of the confrontation between two assassins - Robert Rata and Migueli Baine. They take on the same case in an attempt to prove not so much to each other as to themselves that he is the number one killer. But such a competition can not end well, especially when Robert gets a CD that can compromise both Interpol and the people he works for, and Miguel receives a clear and unambiguous order to kill Rat and return the employers their property. Do you have any bets?
The plot of the film is quite simple and banal, and it can be described approximately as follows: a thief stole stolen from a thief. Only in our case, thieves were replaced by assassins, but the essence of the case does not change. And since the plot revolves around these indisputably interesting personalities, then you should dwell on them in more detail.
So Robert Rath is number one. A cold-blooded and collected old-school killer with his own code of honor. It is simply unthinkable for him to kill an innocent man. Stun and rob? Simple! Blow up an empty house? No problem. But just take the life of a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time? No way! Yet Robert is haunted by the ghosts of his past and is not sure he did the right thing when he killed his friend and teacher. But people somehow live with mistakes made by youth and inexperience, so Rat tries.
The second number, although he most likely will not agree with this state of affairs, is Miguel Bain. But he is a man who is too shabby. He is constantly screaming, nervous and not a fool to shoot at random passers-by. And not because the profession obliges, but because Miguel gets an incomparable pleasure when he ends someone else's life. This person has no attachments in life, and his conscience does not bother him much. And if he is told to kill his own mother, he will gladly agree to pay the main thing.
As for the other characters, they just exist. And even Juliana Moore could not remember anything special. She's a common thief who thought it was a good idea to rob the government and make some money. Steal the government, get rich and still manage to stay alive? Either she is very self-confident or simply stupid, but in both cases, Moore’s character does not cause any positive emotions. Sorry. I expected a lot more from her.
As for the action, oddly enough, it is not so much in this film, but each of the action scenes is staged so brilliantly that you sit and follow what is happening with special interest, and the only thought that comes to you - what will happen next?
Summing up, I want to say that if you are looking for a good and exciting action movie, if you like the main actors or you just want to relax and relax after a hard day’s work, then watch this movie, it’s worth it, believe me.
7 out of 10
This movie passed me by and I decided to catch up after 17 years. And the presence of such “star” actors in the lead roles only spurred curiosity. There are 3 main characters here:
Robert Rath (Stallone) is a professional killer who cares about his work and cares about his reputation. Cold-blooded, calm, calculating, intelligent, in a word - the best in his field. They have principles that they always try to follow. He wants to quit his ungrateful profession because he feels that he may be the next victim. Takes the last, very large order, and gets into trouble.
Miguel Bane (Banderas) is a young and ambitious assassin. He admires Rath as a professional, so he wants to kill him and take his place on the pedestal. Unbalanced, unpredictable, and therefore dangerous. He will not rest until he gets his way.
Elektra (Julina Moore) is a young hacker who knows a lot about her business and makes money from it. I got out of any situation, but when I met with two killers, I was afraid not for a joke.
These are the characters. In my opinion, Stallone's not the strongest role, as he was not impressed. But Banderas was pleased, he played such a scoundrel, bravo! Within an hour and a half, the viewer is waiting for a lot of dialogues between all three main characters, shootouts, chases, and an interesting denouement. I didn't get caught up in this, but someone might like it.
In short, a strong, rather dynamic thriller with action elements. For the 90s, this is a very good movie, for the 2000s - a little lost due to the small number of special effects and the moral deterioration of some devices from the film (I was mad at Rat's laptop - a whole brick). So I recommend to watch only those who know what action movies from the 90s.
Perhaps Richard Donner is not “starring” lately, but if anyone knows how to shoot a good movie, it is Donner, and by drum, in narrow circles he is famous, or in wide circles.
“Killers” – to put it mildly, not the loudest of his project, a kind of “weak-sounding”, but confidently, stands on three whales – high-quality directing, cheerfully running the plot and Sly’s wide back, beautiful in all respects.
Fatigue, hunched from guilt and fatigue (in a figurative sense), the hired killer methodically performs tasks, swearing that every murder is the last; a young ambitious upstart of Latin American descent rushes to the pedestal of honor, dreaming of becoming a namber one, just as methodically intercepting his bone from the “old dog”. It is not clear how long these jumps with obstacles would have lasted if the interests of the two killers had not converged at the same point, that is, on a red-haired target, which should have been ruthlessly eliminated, but the heart of the old killer, alas, treacherously shook at the last moment.
I suspect that the extermination of each other would still be short-lived, because the old killer Robert Ratt, despite many years of difficult, exhausting work full of stress, was in excellent shape, kept enviable composure and in general, was an example of miracle craftsmanship, although the hysterical young man with the face and body of hot macho Antonio, was also good and hot. By the way, he is hot beyond measure, because the zeal, joy and self-forgetfulness with which the young killer gave himself to work, opaquely hinted at mental problems.
Sly's good. Calm, cold-blooded, mature, with age, Stallone acquired solidity, intelligence and (I will not fear this word) grandeur, which was not noticeable before, but here, in “Assassins” and in later “Delicate Hands”, he revealed himself with all his might, feeling – not without reason – an honored veteran and a luminary of Hollywood. The upbringing and gallantry of Robert Ratt, a kind of noble southerner, contrasts markedly with the greed and malice of the money-hungry poor in the person of Miguel Bane, and this nobility is Stallone to face.
He is still very handsome, athletic and in the role of a killer with a “human face” is creepy. The killer he played not for the first time, and his nobility-positiveness is quite predictable, since bad guys in his filmography was not noticed, and the transfer of the baton to a new generation of killers is a direct message to the folding of the crown by Sly himself.
No, meeting a woman and pitying her, he did not reconsider his life positions, did not repent and did not turn into a “crying killer”, he simply decided to tie up, and if before he did not care whether he would die or live, Elektra pushed the arrow to the word “live”. Young Juliana Moore, a computer thief who ran into the "order" - the very charm and childish spontaneity, how not to spare such?
And Banderas... Oh, Banderas is beautiful! To hell with Zorro, to hell with Desperado, in the role of Miguel Bane, to the impossible negative psychopathic choleric, he demonstrates such an energy charge, such an acting gift that anyone would have thought! Someone in the role of a villain, he, of course, will cause fantasies of a personal nature, but I like his game more than a fan of sultry Antonio. Applause, right. A chic, bright image, at first somewhat amazing (not good-guy), and then exceptionally pleasing with a narrow but impressive panorama of transmitted emotions. Nowhere but “The Killers” has he revealed himself in any of his films.
The result: a good, high-quality action movie, significantly different from fellow genre. The Caribbean, Seattle, an old, burned-out hotel, a sudden shot, tearing the silence, and a flock of pigeons soaring into the sky, the calm charm of Sly and the eccentricity of Banderas, a layer of philosophical depth and Julianne’s baby pigtails – all this gives a special charm to the picture, which Donner can safely be proud of, despite modest box office fees.
10 out of 10