Contract Killers

A contract killer for the CIA is framed for a crime. While being pursued by the police and other "contractors", the killer searches for a McGuffin to clear their name.

Sound like the Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum? It's actually the plot to this film. Instead of Matt Damon, we have Swedish model Frida Farrell. Nick Mancuso is her former boss who may not be the father figure he once was.

The movie has several action scenes that are well played, with Trinidad filling in as an exotic location. Not a lot of explosions but very realistic compact action with a few gunfights. If this movie was truly made for $500k, then I tip my cap to the movie makers. For one-hundredth the budget of a Bourne film, you get a very good copy.

Rhett Giles steals his screen time as a fellow contractor in pursuit of our heroine.

On the downside, the movie tries to get the action started in the first three minutes and does a poor job of setting up the premise. The use of jump cuts to speed up the second unit footage during the first half of the film gets old in a hurry. But these are minor issues. I have seen major studio releases that have a fraction of the energy this one contains.

By the way, I hope government offices are not as cramped as the ones shown on this film. Frank Mancuso probably filmed all his scenes in one day.

Definitely worth a rental or a slot in your Netflix queue.

Sorry guys, but I liked this film. I liked the characters and I especially liked the action scenes, they were believable. Unlike the current spate of action films where the car, if not the hero is defying gravity, jumping through buildings, knowing exactly where to go, without any planning and in total defiance of the law of gravity. Our heroine escapes using plausible means. When trapped in the parking garage, she doesn't suddenly go airborne, jump three cars, fly into the next door office building, into the elevator, down to the 3rd floor, out the other window, landing on conveniently passing semi-trailer. She knows there is no way out, so she surrenders. While it may not be plausible that the FBI guy, Targonsky, would give her opportunity to escape by taking her out of the car, it's at least possible. While in Hollywood terms all the combatants are lousy shots, but when you think of it that's real too, in combat, most shots miss.

It's an action film, but the director kept it real throughout the film and I, for one, thank him for it as I gave up Saturday morning cartoons a long time ago.

Surprisingly enough this film had a solid plot even though it has been done thousands of times before. The film keeps you invested throughout its entirety and has the energy of suspense/intrigue. The action sequences were well thought out and done in a real sense rather than CGI or special effected. The film has a Bourne theme to it with the female lead. Although there are real no known actors in the film it is carried rather well with the cast.

If your film savvy lies in interest of spy films with black ops and secrecy involved and betrayal than this film will be right in your wheel house. I myself enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Exciting action, with almost-realistic fight and vehicle-chase scenes, excellent use of locations, and reasonably believable plot. Story could have used a bit more polishing - really just in the details. The characters possess a good sense of humanity, especially those who are revealed to have been either duplicitous or straight all along.

In all it's a fun movie to watch, having a former ballerina turned action heroine whom you really want to cheer on. The ironic ending puts paid to her revenge.

I ordinarily comment about movies I like. This is an exception. Frida looks the part of of a hardened, stealthy assassin. Nevertheless, a weak script, disjointed segments and sloppy direction supplant her latent talent and place it under a thinly veiled insult to her ability.

By no means a Robert Ludlum thriller, the film is merely an inept reprise of the Bourne trilogy. Tougher, smarter and much more gutsy, Jason rarely used a firearm to execute his agenda, but that is Frida's only counter to the loosely conceived threats she faces. Her unwitting English accomplice bears little resemblance to Jason's love interests.

Always the bad guys, the C.I.A. hierarchy and subordinates lack the sophistication we have come to know in the film media. Easily duped, they are outwitted at every turn, and their "assets" are more like liabilities. Humanizing them weakens their ability to pose a serious threat to Frida as she unravels a truly ludicrous scheme that would effectively undermine the economy of the world.

The fights, the car chases, the helicopter intervention (why didn't the asset just shoot it down?) and the predictable climax made a dismal excuse for an action thriller. I hope Frida's paycheck compensates her for the what is truly a stab at her credibility as an actor.