Plot Summary: When a hitman is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take a hit out on himself. But when the very hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend, he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues.

Director: J.J. Perry

Writers: Rand Ravich, James Coyne, Jay Bonansinga

Runtime: 1 hour 44 mins

• Dave Bautista as Joe Flood
• Sofia Boutella as Maize Arnaud
• Terry Crews as Creighton Lovedahl
• Scott Adkins as Angus Mackenzie
• Marko Zaror as Emilio 'El Botas'
• Pom Klementieff as Antoinette
• Ben Kingsley as Zvi Rabinowitz

Review by: Samuel

Normally, I’d do the “What I liked” and “What I didn’t like” thing for a review, but 1) this movie doesn’t have any specific problem to directly point to, and 2) similar to Bullet Train, this was just a refreshing film that I want to appreciate after seeing. 

The film takes place in a world similar to John Wick, in which a network of assassins exists, and there are certain rules they have to follow. Our protagonist is Joe (portrayed excellently by Dave Bautista)- a top assassin with few friends and a somewhat introverted personality. Even though he does pretty horrible things for a living, the movie does establish him as a gentle giant. He, for example, never takes jobs involving children, women, or innocents. He’s a different type of player in ”the game” in that he only takes on a target with a proven record or heinous acts. A considerate hit man is still a hit man, but Joe is undeniably likable. This likability only grows when he meets Maize (portrayed by Sophia Boutella)- a dancer whom our assassin saves and instantly has an attraction to. 

As they get closer, Maize forces Joe to come out of his shell more, showcasing more depth to the until-then stoic Joe. And I must say their attraction and relationship feel surprisingly natural. This is no doubt due to the chemistry between the two leads. The entire first act is dedicated to their relationship, and by its end, I believe these two are actually in love and good for each other (“The Crow” reboot should have taken notes). 

Their relationship is key to what unfolds in the movie as Joe is made the target of a hit- the details behind how this happened are actually quite hilarious, so I won’t spoil it. But Joe now has to survive the night, make sure Maize survives, and craft a way out for both of them. This is what leads to the action-comedy film that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. 

Now it’s not perfect. There are some issues with odd dialogue choices, shifting tones (act 1 is way more serious than acts 2 and 3), pacing between acts, and some moments that push the limits of what you can believe (even in the movie’s world); but, overall, nothing was movie-breaking or outright egregious that I can dedicate paragraphs to. 

What you need to know is that Bautista and Ben Kingsley (who portrays his friend and handler) have some of the best comedic timing you’ve seen so far this year. It’s a different type of comedy than Bautista’s Drax, who was funny in what he said. Here, the laughs come from less dialogue and more reactions to the situations they find themselves in. Terry Crews, Pom Klementieff, Drew McIntyre, and a slew of others who play the most eccentric assassins you’ll see only add to the hijinks. There were several moments where my theater erupted in laughter. I cannot emphasize enough the surprising amount of comedic precision this film had. 

Outside of that, the action is superb. Another similarity it has to “John Wick” is the gruesome way people die. While not quite as creative as some of the scenes in “John Wick,” the kills are some you will certainly remember; one or two of them might even make you cringe a little- I loved it!

The last thing I want to mention is the scene transitions. This is a well-edited and slick-looking film. You have a dance scene transition into an assassination scene, or a champagne toast transition into a gun fight. It was done so well that I need to mention it, and It helped with the pacing of the film (which isn’t at all an issue). 

Images Courtesy of IMDB