Four Assassins

...in every way.

Script, acting, fight scenes, set design - accents - you name it, it's absolutely terrible.

Not worth your time. Or theirs.

More interestingly, a review here on IMDb has to be ten lines in length, or it cannot be posted - but there genuinely isn't ten lines of criticism worth leveling at this film.

In part, that is one of the problems the film has as well - *it could have been done in less than ten lines* - there aren't many films brave enough or strong enough to carry off the 'four protagonists in one room for the entire film' scenario - and this one shouldn't have attempted it.

Contrary to some of the user reviews, this is actually a worthwhile, claustrophobic drama. If you're expecting a "bang-bang-guns-ablazing-shoot'em up" as suggested by the title -- look elsewhere.

But if you're into a character study of four killers examining how they got to where they are while dealing with an unfinished hit, then this is for you. Yes, it takes it's time. But it's a rewarding slow build to a tense climax.

Will Yun Lee and Miguel Ferrer are stand-outs in a well-rounded cast. The movie's few action sequences are expertly choreographed and executed with style. Camera work is inventive given that the majority of the story takes place in one location. Even the music is impressive.

All in all, this is a classy indie movie.

A rather stylishly shot action drama, 4 Assassins sees a quartet of killers meet in a swanky Hong Hotel room. They are there to discuss a hit that seemingly went wrong: two people were to be killed but only one body was found. The assassin in question is Marcus (Yun Lee) who swears there were two bodies and he terminated both targets. His partners in crime, however, do not believe him. There is old friend and mentor Eli (Ferrer) who despite caring a lot for Marcus knows he is lying and knows that Marcus is no longer a reliable killer. Then there is Cordelia (Renard), Marcus' old flame and a ruthless killer herself and who also sees that Marcus has become weak. Rounding out the foursome is Chase (Williams) who is really only there to be annoying, British (so therefore, annoying!) and to provide tension within in the group as all he would really like to do is shoot Marcus in the head. So the four squabble, reminisce, have dinner and wait for the inevitable phone call signalling it is time to terminate Marcus.

4 Assassins might, unfortunately, be light on the action but it is still a satisfying little drama about killers contemplating their profession and coming to terms with the fact they have to kill one of their own. Despite the absence of copious action and the confined setting, the film never drags and tension is built quite nicely even if the climax if fairly predictable. The dialogue isn't always quite as sharp and clever as the makers would like to think it is but the cast share genuine chemistry: especially Ferrer and Yun Lee who really feel like old friends and infuse their characters with actual personality. Now, the set up might not sound like the most appealing (a group of contract killers stuck in a hotel room chatting and having dinner) but, as mentioned, tension is built well and the film benefits from some striking photography. Frequent flashbacks are also included as the four discuss previous missions and we get to see them at work: these scenes also feature much of the, limited, action.

There are a couple of nice hand-to-hand combat scenes including a somewhat brutal scene that sees Cordelia taking a beating on her first assignment, a silly sequence involving a car in Wales of all places (!!) and the requisite amount of silencer based gun action. It would have been nice to have a bit more action or at least another fight scene but 4 Assassins still works thanks to the likable cast and stylish production design. It's certainly a B-movie that is classier than you might first think and it's always good to see the much-underrated Miguel (Robocop) Ferrer getting a nice meaty part.

Not Bad.

My main gripe really is the timing, which seemed to get worse and worse the closer to the end it got. It also felt a bit like they were trying to imitate formulas they had seen in other movies, not to say "It's pretentious", which would be a bit too much. The story is OK but not remarkable, I'd even almost say "forgettable". The (very very rare) action is OK, nothing remarkable.

If I'd HAVE TO say either "watch" or "don't watch", I'd immediately say "don't watch", but I don't mean to say that the movie is awful. There are just so many better things to spend 80 (long-ass) minutes with. OK, I seem to need about 10 words more for this to pass.

I must admit that I had initially expected a bit more action from this movie, given the DVD cover for it. However, that being said, I am not saying that this is a bad movie, as it was actually quite interesting.

Just be warned, that this is not a high-octane action movie that is full of adrenaline and rush. No, this is a heavy dialogue-driven story with some very detailed characters. So it might just be a whole other thing than what you ventured in to watch.

The story in "Four Assassins" is about an assassin named Marcus (played by Will Yun Lee) who sits in a hotel room in Hong Kong when three other assassins show up; Eli (played by Miguel Ferrer), Cordelia (played by Mercedes Renard) and Chase (played by Oliver Williams). The latter three are there to make Marcus pay for a job that he botched up and failed to complete.

As I mentioned earlier, then this movie is heavy on dialogue. And it is essentially just the four main characters sitting around in the hotel room and talking, though with some reminiscing towards their past. But still, it was an interesting movie, as the chemistry and the dialogue was good and well planned.

There is a little bit of action here and there, sort of comes in small bursts of adrenaline throughout the movie, and it is just enough to keep the movie interesting and dynamic.

The four people on the cast list for the main characters, actually did good jobs with their given characters, especially Miguel Ferrer, who was overshadowing everyone else here.

"Four Assassins" is not your typical action movie, but it blends in elements from the thriller and drama genre as well, and the end result is a rather good one - an enjoyable movie well worth watching.