Hitman Flicks

[Borodog]

One of my favorite subgenres of film is the hitman flick. I'm not sure why, I really don't fantasize about killing people. Well, for money, anyway. Since I'm not big on actually ranking my favorite stuff here are my favorite hitman flicks in more or less ascending, but not perfect, order.

The Mechanic - 1972, Charles Bronson, directed by Michael Winner. A classic. Aging hitman Charles Bronson is approached by a young Jan-Michael Vincent (remember Airwolf? That guy) who wants to get into the business. Great ending.

The Eiger Sanction - 1975, Clint Eastwood, directed by Clint Eastwood. A hidden Eastwood gem in a very un-Eastwoodian role.

Leon (or The Professional) - 1994. Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, directed by Luc Besson - Jean Reno's best work in my opinion. Gary Oldman is also good, but a bit over the top in some places. Natalie Portman's breakout role, and she is solid, with the exception of the annoying "bonding with the assassin" montage. Similar to The Mechanic in the sense that the professional killer takes on a young protege. Solid film.

The Day of the Jackal - 1973, nobody you ever heard of, directed by Fred Zimmerman. Based on the Frederick Forsyth novel, this is just an excellent film. Never get tired of watching it. This is FAR better than the 1997 Richard Gere/Bruce Willis remake The Jackal.

Lucky Number Slevin - 2006, Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, directed by Paul McGuigan. This is just a damn good story with a fantastic cast.

Road to Perdition - 2002, Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, directed by Sam Mendes. Tom Hanks is a hitman. Awesome. Great storytelling and acting.

The Big Hit - 1998, Mark Wahlberg, Lou Diamond Phillips, directed by Kirk Wong. I love this stupid movie. It is fantastic camp, blending action and comedy perfectly. One of my favorites.

Grosse Pointe Blank - 1997, John & Joan Cusak, Dan Ackroyd, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin, Mank Azaria, directed by George Armitage. Best. Hitman. Flick. Ever.

Honorable Mentions:

Unforgiven - 1992, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, Richard Harris, directed by Clint Eastwood. Not your typical hitman flick. However, that is exactly what Eastwood, Freeman, and Woolvett are; hired killers. One of my top 3 films. Clint, directed by Clint, Best Picture, amazing cast, you name it.

Pulp Fiction - 1994, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Uma Thurman, directed by Quentin Tarantino. While the their roles as hitmen were only incidental to some subplots Travolta and Jackson, along with the fact that this film is one of the greatest ever made, force me to mention it.

If you haven't seen one of these films, rectify the situation ASAP.

[NWCougar]

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The Mechanic - 1972, Charles Bronson, directed by Michael Winner. A classic. Aging hitman Charles Bronson is approached by a young Jan-Michael Vincent (remember Airwolf? That guy) who wants to get into the business. Great ending.

The Eiger Sanction - 1975, Clint Eastwood, directed by Clint Eastwood. A hidden Eastwood gem in a very un-Eastwoodian role.
The Day of the Jackal - 1973, nobody you ever heard of, directed by Fred Zimmerman. Based on the Frederick Forsyth novel, this is just an excellent film. Never get tired of watching it. This is FAR better than the 1997 Richard Gere/Bruce Willis remake The Jackal.

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I added these to my netflix list, thank you for the suggestions.

[Amanjyaku]

Good genre, good picks. Two recent ones that I've enjoyed.

Collateral, with Tom (yes I know) Cruise, and

The Matador, with Pierce Brosnan in a decent role--still haven't decided about the ending of this one, though.

[Dominic]

check out The Hit, starring John Hurt, Terrance Stamp and Tim Roth...directed by Stephan Frears. Fantastic.

[wet work]

Anyone seen the movie Jerry and Tom with Joe Mantegna and Sam Rockwell? I saw it ages ago but remember it being kinda different and good.

[youtalkfunny]

Kid from 90210 and the Assemblyman from the Sopranos made a hitman flick. Dark comedy. Had some laughs, but it wasn't so good that I felt the need to watch the entire thing.

[Moneyline]

If you liked LEON may want to check out the original LA FEMME NIKITA. Both were directed by Luc Besson, and I think Nikita is actually the better flick.

John Woo's 1989 "heroic bloodshed" epic:THE KILLER might also be right up your alley. Most people love this movie, although I have to admit that I'm not personally a fan of John Woo's work.

... And as an aside, I love how Edward Fox in DAY OF THE JACKAL always jacks his pants up to his armpits like an 80 year old man. Kind of funny to see a guy who's supposed to be a badass wearing his pants like that. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[deacsoft]

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The Day of the Jackal - 1973, nobody you ever heard of, directed by Fred Zimmerman. Based on the Frederick Forsyth novel, this is just an excellent film. Never get tired of watching it. This is FAR better than the 1997 Richard Gere/Bruce Willis remake The Jackal.

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Funny how he gets a couple movies but the real life "Jackal", Ilich Ramírez Sánchez , wasn't much of a hitman at all.

I can also submit Confessions of a Dangerous Mind to the list of movies.

[Borodog]

[ QUOTE ]
Good genre, good picks. Two recent ones that I've enjoyed.

Collateral, with Tom (yes I know) Cruise, and

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It was an OK film, but for some reason it didn't flip my switch. I'm not sure why. It seems like it is a better film than my reaction to it. One part of the problem I think is the monumental plot coincidence of Foxx giving Cruise's last target a ride at the beginning of the film. Uh, how many cabs are there in LA?

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The Matador, with Pierce Brosnan in a decent role--still haven't decided about the ending of this one, though.

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I haven't actually gotten to see this one yet; looking forward to it.

[Borodog]

Thanks guys. I will definitely pick up The Hit and La Femme Nikita (I actually saw a part of this once and turned it off; I wanted to see the whole thing but never got back to it).