Our story begins in Prague, Czechoslovakia, with the assassination of a wealthy man and near-killing of his young daughter, who is saved by her uncle.
Flash forward seven years to Ljubljana, Slovenia. It’s nighttime and an assassin waits in an upper floor of a building overlooking another where a criminal kingpin is about to arrive. The assassin is being fed information on a phone from his handler, an Englishman living a cultured life in sumptuous surroundings at an unknown location. As the killer closes in on his target, he himself is shot by another.
An exciting chase, in the building and in cars, beautifully filmed and edited, results as the assassin tries to escape capture. He does, but also sees his target killed by the unknown shooter.
All this before the movie title appears on the screen: “Assassin Club.”
This particular assassin, Morgan (Henry Golding – “Snake Eyes”), meets with his handler, Caldwell (Sam Neill – “Jurassic Park”), telling him he wants out of the killing business he’s been part of for years.
However, Golding entices him to stay for one last big job – killing six other assassins for $1,000,000 each. And, since Morgan himself is on the list the other killers have also received, it is a matter of not only money, but survival.
So beings our introduction to “Assassin Club.” There really is no “club,” but there are plenty of killers running around, and Morgan wades through a swamp of action, double-crosses, and hidden identities along the way.
Director Camille Delamarre (“Brick Mansions”) takes us on a wild ride through Europe capitals as the story unfolds like some intricate Japanese origami. Written by Thomas Dunn (“The Body Tree”), the tale is both transparent and mysterious. Transparent is what Morgan’s chief foe is: Agent Voss/Falk (the exquisite Noomi Rapace – “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”). She is also the mystery, her real identity unknown to her co-workers and even the person who’s murder-for-hire contract started it all.
Performances are excellent. One expects that from veterans like Neill and Rapace, but the Golding also convinces, and holds up well with both the action and the emotional facets of his character. Daniela Melchior (“The Suicide Squad”), plays Sophie, Morgan’s love interest and the bait used by Falk to seal his fate, but is sadly wasted in the minor part.
The music by Alexandre Azaria perfectly punctuates the wild action, even if it is a bit overbearing at times. And I’ve already mentioned the superbly choreographed, filmed (Matthew Chuang – “Blue Bayou”) and edited (Mickael Dumontier – “Final Cut” and Delamarre) action scenes.
All in all, this is an excellent escapist film, full of interesting twists, gun play and thrills. If you are looking for emotional depth, there is little, but revenge and double-cross are in heady supply.
Credits
Director: Camille Delamarre
Writer: Thomas Dunn
Cinematographer: Matthew Chuang
Editors : Mickaek Dumontier, Camille Delamarre
Music: Alexandre Azaria
Runtime: One hour, 51 minutes
Availability: Internet – May 16, 2023
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