Contract Killers

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.

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.

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.

Simply put, this film is not what I expected. There was mediocre acting, mediocre directing, and obviously a very mediocre budget.

And as far as the director rant in the comments, the comments are designed for people with an opinion ABOUT THE FILM, not about how people are watching it. Your personal bias is one that none of us are interested in.

Additionally, your logical fallacy of comparing downloading a movie over the internet to stealing a car and returning it is one of the dumbest, most less thought out comparisons I have ever heard. Not only is there no logic to that statement but I actual give you less credit as a producer and human being for having floated that comment out there in the first place.

If you want a "seen it a million times" film, check it out.