Contract Killers

I was not familiar with this 2008 action thriller titled "Contract Killers" from director Justin Rhodes prior to stumbling upon it by random chance here in 2025. And with it being a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I had to check it out.

Writers Ric Moxley and Justin Rhodes put together an interesting enough script and storyline, provided you enjoy these cloak-and-dagger type of movies.

Of the entire cast ensemble, then I was only familiar with actor Nick Mancuso. The acting performances in "Contract Killers" were good, and leading actress Frida Farrell was adequately cast for the role.

There is a fair amount of action scenes and sequences in the movie, which were adequately brought to the screen.

While "Contract Killers" is a watchable and enjoyable enough movie, it is hardly one that you return to watch a second time, as the storyline just doesn't seem to have the layers and contents to support more than a single viewing.

My rating of director Justin Rhodes's 2008 movie "Contract Killers" lands on a five out of ten stars.

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.

When I saw this movie, I thought to myself 'wow, this movie sucked. Why don't I write a review to let people know not to see it?'. And so I am. The beginning of the movie sets the mood for the rest of the movie: confusing. That's basically the only word I can use to describe it. I'm not going to write any spoilers, so I'll keep it simple. This action/conspiracy (or whatever you want to call it) movie is a combination of scenes having little to do with each other. Justin Rhodes adds some implausible romance to the movie to make it more enjoyable, but fails miserably. Maybe it'd be more pragmatic if it was between lovers, but I was thrown off by the lunacy of a captor-captive relationship. This, coupled with other blatant impossibilities, produced a movie that was unbearable. I really hope you choose something else for your one and a half hour movie time slot. Try Stand By Me, although it's in a different genre.

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.

It held my interest. I cheered for the heroine and her helpers. I booed the villains and their minions. But the movie was only MILDLY interesting. It was mostly the same old same-o. And a reviewer on this site said that unless one buys a movie, or pays to see it in a theater, then their opinion is invalid. Uh... why? I saw this film on Tubi, the free streaming site; who presumably paid any fees and royalties due. Duly, they showed me commercials. So, any financial obligations are thusly met. As if that even made a difference. A good movie is good, even if you didn't PAY money to see it. Similarly, a bad movie is bad, and a mediocre movie is... paid for.