User reviews

Saw this on Netflix today, and it's actually quite funny. With support from class actors such as Andy Garcia and Kim Coates, and Andy Howard in a role he plays oh so well - as a bad guy, we got a nice setup here. Zulay Henao is great as the female lead, and the writing is not as lazy as you would expect. The story is pretty much as you would expect from the trailer, so don't expect to be immersed in storytelling, but do expect to laugh and genuinely feel for Kevin James' character.

I gave it a 7, and I'm not sure the premise could have scored more than that, so if you need something to watch on Netflix today, I recommend this.

😂 Ok so that was a flippant statement, as this film presents the most ridiculously far-fetched plot yet for a Kevin James movie. However, credit director Jeff Wadlow for re-writing and adapting the script to fit the Kevin James comedy style, and maintaining a non-stop pace in this action-comedy.

Well-casted, this movie is non-stop action fun and always lets the audience know IT knows YOU know this is just for fun. It never attempts to act like it's more than what it is - a simple slap-stick/action farce with Kevin repeating his now pigeon holed character. It's worthy of no more than a 5/10, but still a fun (albeit mindless) flick to watch when in the mood for such. If you like Kevin James movies, no problem - it's a watch. If you don't, pass on it.

Kevin James makes me laugh. He's always the same, I know, and he doesn't have anywhere near the range of the late John Candy, for instance, but there's something about that Blue Collar Everyman that is appealing.

Here he stars in "True Memoirs of an International Assassin" from 2016. He plays Sam, an insurance man writing the fictional story of an international hit man. He relies on a former operative friend, Amos (Ron Rifkin) to give his book more reality.

One day Amos tells him the story of an international assassin who disappeared and was thought dead, The Ghost, though he insists it's not for the book.

Before you can say The Ghost, of course, Sam has built this phantom into his story. And because his details are a little too correct, he soon finds himself in a heap of trouble.

There are some very funny performances here, especially from Kelen Coleman as Sam's agent/publisher. Her office is at Starbuck's, and she changes her name each time she orders coffee because there are so many writers there, she doesn't want them to know who she is.

Andy Garcia is great as El Toro; Zulay Henao is tough and powerful as a lone female agent in Venezuela; Andrew Howard gives a funny performance as Anton Masovich, strutting around with a loud voice and killing people. The whole cast was top-notch.

This is an action picture so expect things to blow up and see a lot of fighting. It's all in fun. It's Kevin James after all - and right about now, he was just what I needed.

I mean seriously, you have films like Bond, MI and Borne and while all those bring training and other stuff to the table, at the end of the day for us moviegoers it's all about entertainment, at least IMO...

Nothing against those more serious movie types but at times the seriousness of them and the probability of something bad happening at any time is high, thus the belivability starts to decline, again at least IMO.

A movie like this works for me, it's plucky, humorous, doesn't take itself serious yet delivers on action and to some degree certain moments of suspense.

Is this a movie I'm going to remember 10 years down the road? No... But it was a worthwhile watch for the hear and now

First off, this is a good movie. This is an entertaining movie. This is a funny movie. This is a movie that makes you smile.

No, this isn't the best movie of all time and no it's not going to win an Oscar. But, actually Andy Garcia puts in a very notable performance. He makes his character come alive. Garcia obviously comes from the school of thought, "There are no small roles."

There is an innocent quality to this movie and I think above all else this is the reason I was left with such a good feeling while watching it. The story moves along well and at a good pace. The story is also believable, for the most part. There are a couple of times in the plot where the movie is asking us to suspend our disbelief a bit too much, but by the time this happens the story worked in some conveniences which makes this more palatable.

This isn't a perfect movie, but the bottom line is: it is very enjoyable and well made. It knows what it is and doesn't over extend it's reach. And as far as the Netflix original movies with Adam Sandler's company go: it was the best so far!

I also feel this movie would have done very well in the box office if it was in theaters.

It has comedy, it has action, romance and good story telling. It's a clever, little lighthearted movie and it deserves a higher rating then it got on here. I honestly feel people are forgetting how to review movies. A movie doesn't have to be dark or brilliant to be good.

Obviously it's not great, but it's definitely totally fine, give it a watch!

I love Kevin James, I'll watch anything with this guy in it. Do you like other movies with Kevin James? Because this is another one. The action is well done and I laughed out loud a few times. There are worse ways to spend a Friday night, I promise.

Kevin James is a writer who people think is actually an assassin but he's so good at writing he becomes the assassin. Someone truly zany came up with this one and it's laugh out loud wild ride funny. It also happens to be shot super nice, which is a total plus!

Seriously, it's on Netflix streaming right now, what are you waiting for?!

I don't often laugh out loud at jokes in movies, but I did three times in this one. The story is silly, it could have done with a bit of tightening up here and there, but on the whole it's just enjoyable nonsense.

A solid seven stars.

An assassin movie. And how would this be different than any other assassin movie, especially considering there's already a movie titled "Diary of a Hitman"?

"True Memoirs of an International Assassin" had a real chance to be different. Kevin James played Sam Larson, a fiction writer working on a book sharing the title of this movie. When the book was published it was called non-fiction, which of course, makes people believe that it was real and that the author himself was the subject of the book. Sam could've insisted on having it relabeled, but the money was rolling in.

The main character of his book was named Mason Carver aka "The Ghost." Sam included events in his book that were very similar to actual events that occurred in real life. This led to him being kidnapped by El Toro (Andy Garcia), a rebel guerilla army leader in Venezuela looking to oust the president. The Ghost had assassinated a Venezuelan president before, so surely he could do it again.

Sam wound up being kidnapped several times and was wrapped in a quagmire of having to kill the president, a drug kingpin, and even El Toro. Everyone seemed to believe he was The Ghost though he exhibited no signs of being an assassin--currently or formerly.

Sam was a scared, bumbling, writer. And that was the good part about the movie. He wasn't an assassin at all and if he got out of Venezuela alive it was going to be with a lot of help and a lot of luck. But somewhere in the back of my mind I was thinking, "Watch him start behaving and killing like Mason Carver, the character of his book" because Hollywood has done that theme so much.

Here's the formula: 1.) mistaken identity 2.) has to, or continues to, pretend to be the one people think he is 3.) gets away with it for some lucky or odd reasons 4.) starts doing the actions of the real person he's mistaken for.

It's such an overdone storyline that I was so hopeful they would stay away from it. I was hoping Sam would continue to be the scared, in-over-his-head writer he was at the beginning which would've forced Hollywood to be more creative to get him out of his situation. No go.

Full disclosure: In my frank opinion, these types of Sandleresque films as a whole get scored way too low. They do not aim high, but usually hit the mark quite accurately.

This film is, simply put, fun. There was not a moment where I got bored or thought about switching to something else. When judging films one must consider the films intentions. of course this isn't Schindler's List or LotR: Return of the king, but what it aims to do, it does wonderfully.

While I was watching this film there was not a moment where I thought 'This is boring' or 'I want to switch to something else'.

If you want a lighthearted, yet action packed comedy/action movie, this one fits there perfectly.

This is a very violent movie but its violence is that of a Tom and Jerry cartoon. It's a farce, a satire, a send-up with lots of hidden gags and visual puns. The lead character is a timid author who writes a fictional story in the first person about an international assassin. After his agent changes the title to TRUE memoirs etc. etc., it becomes a best seller and people start thinking it's a real biography and our author/hero ends up assassinating the president of Venezuela. Why they hit on Venezuela rather than some fictional Latin American country is puzzling because it is the butt of any number of jokes, insults and clichés. Not a great movie but it's a clever plot and there are a lot of laughs.

The first 15 or 20 minutes are very good, until it gets to Venezuela... The rest of the film is comedy actioner by numbers: lazy script, little laughs, a bit of action, all a bit boring and predictable at times. The film is like a lazy, unimaginative rehash of "Romancing the Stone" with Douglas and DeVito, though of course that one was a much better movie. At least the tomb raider-like, ass kicking girl that helps the main character is excellent and pretty hot.

Or daydreaming of sorts. A lot of people had dreams or fantasies like that. Being a hero, being a spy, fighting for a good cause and fighting against evil. And Kevin James or rather the character he portrays here has the same thing going on for him. And it really is fun to watch this. Having seen similar themed movies recently, I have to admit this was more than enjoyable.

And the stunt work is really phenomenal - plus it does not take itself too serious. Some jokes may seem offensive to some, but overall you should not be too sensitive on things, because the mood and tone is overall the right one for this type of comedy. So action, jokes and tension from start to finish - what else do you want? Oh travel to other countries also check ...

For a while as the movie started and proceeded for 15 minutes I thought it was not going to pick up speed. Then i got into the groove and started imagining like my hero. I am familiar with his moves since I like to do the same. I an sure there are lot like me as well. Then came the real part when he is called out for an assignment. Some of it reminded me it was a movie because the impossible were happening but in a humorous way. I was able to settled with that score. As the movie proceeded I thought he will fall in love with the chick but he was a true professional to the core. He knew what was to happen next and so he was well prepared like Sherlock Holmes. He is honest, humble and simple and that was what attracted the war lords. Mysteriously he was always saved at the last second. That was awesome direction by the director. I guess the hero knows it since it is his book of action. Audience like me were momentarily worried about our hero's safety. The female operative is stunning and her good looks did not seem to mesmerize our hero. I must say it was a fun filling movie and quite relaxing . I give it a 7

I have always liked Kevin James, so it was with some expectation that I sat down to watch "True Memoirs of an International Assassin", and I will say that I was more than genuinely entertained by this movie in all its hilarious glory.

The movie starts out quite alright, with Kevin James putting on a wonderfully great action-packed sequence. And I must admit that it had me fooled at first, because I thought that it was putting down the standard of what the movie would be, in case it would be something much different than I had thought. But of course it turned out that it was the events of the fictional character in the book that Sam Larson (played by Kevin James) was writing. But we are indeed of to a great start here.

"True Memoirs of an International Assassin" continues in high speed and combines a great mixture of action, drama and comedy into a very enjoyable cocktail. The storyline is fun, fast-paced and is one that reach out to the audience and takes you on a thrilling ride.

The characters in "True Memoirs of an International Assassin" were as colorful and detailed as the storyline, which really helped the movie along quite nicely. Kevin James was great in the role of Sam Larson / Mason Carver, and he was joined by an equally great Zulay Henao (playing Rosa Bolivar). But the movie also gives us some hilarious performances from Kim Coates (playing President Miguel Cueto), Andrew Howard (playing Anton Masovich), Maurice Compte (playing Juan) and Andy Garcia (playing El Toro).

There is a lot of action scenes throughout the course of this movie, and they were quite nicely executed, especially since they were often spiced up with just the right amount of comedy. And as for the comedy in the movie, well lets just say that it was great and spot on.

I was more than genuinely entertained and amused with "True Memoirs of an International Assassin", and it was nice to see Kevin James back in what he does best. If you haven't already seen this movie and if you like comedies, then you most definitely should take the time to sit down and watch "True Memoirs of an International Assassin".

I am rating "True Memoirs of an International Assassin" a solid six out of ten stars, because it is an all-round hilarious and entertaining movie.

This is honestly the representation of if Spy and Paul Blart Mall Cop procreated at a one star motel one hazy night and created this. I enjoyed the unique shots but I'm on the bend of whether or not this can be classed as a serious film rather than a streaming site action comedy. Also, the plot seemed to ultimately go nowhere? Besides that, the lines the main character said for the comedic bits were super cheesy. But, what really, really, ground my gears was the shitty CGI. You can tell exactly where the green screen was because the characters were very high def and the added backgrounds or whatnot looked really poor. The blending of the two wasn't properly added and spoiled the whole thing.

Surprised by the low ratings on here. I guess Sheep do what sheep do best without an independent thought.

This film is no Oscar contender but it's pretty entertaining and interesting. I thought it would be some cheesy film where the main guy turns out to be some super hero by the end and gets the girl but that didn't happen. We were often reminded that Kevin James was in over his head and while he adapted he still often fell flat on his face in comedic fashion. Quite an interesting adventure in Venezuela and overall kinda decent.

7.5/10

This film tells the story of a man who struggles to write his first novel, which is about an assassin. When his book is released, his agent promoted his novel as a true story. Venezuelans abduct him and hence he gets involved in coups and assassination plans involving multiple fractions of the country.

This is the first film I watched in 4K on my TV, and the picture quality is crystal clear. Yet, the mesmerising picture quality does not make up for the silly story. What happens in the story is very unrealistic and at times downright silly. However, there are a few moments when it is funny, such as the two CIA agents chatting in their office about the author. "True Memoirs of an International Assassin" is made to be a genuine brain-off entertainment.

I saw the ad, liked the idea and started Netflix a few minutes later. In recent years, there were quite some movies with the same basic setting that stood out and were fun to watch, e.g. "The Man Who Knew Too Little" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120483/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_49).

Unfortunately this movie will not become one to be remembered in a few years to come. It is an example of a streamlined, mass-production Hollywood blueprint without any surprises: Everyone with just basic knowledge of movies could easily predict what would happen next. It clearly had budget and the actors are good, but the story was - even with all these action scenes - rather slow and couldn't gain speed.

On top of that, this movie cannot decide whether it's a comedy or an action movie. People will get shot or killed otherwise throughout the movie quite explicitly (sometimes even with rather large sprays of blood), preventing it clearly from being suitable to minors. (Especially since killing of - even decent! - people is shown as nothing of great value.)

To state it clearly: If I would have had to pay admission for this, I would have been upset. Since it came with my Netflix package without extra charge, I was only slightly bored.

Bottom line: 100% average in all aspects, keep it on the long list for a long winter evening...

OK I am a loyal Kevin James fan and expected to get a good laugh and good time from this movie and that is exactly what I got I smiled I laughed and had a very good time here Kevin has now proved to us that he can make anything good even a Netflix movie, those aren't usually the best ya know but this however was a very pleasant surprise for me and my family who watched it with me very little swearing or other obejectable content just a good funny and fun family movie wish there were more like it in the world to just enjoy together as a family and laugh together for once in our lifetime of living keep it up Mr James we want more than just the one make another one of them just like this

It's a funny movie. It's not art but it wasn't meant to be.

Ok, I almost fell asleep watching and hay 3 out of 10 best Kevin James movie ever.

"Sam Larson" (Kevin James) is an aspiring writer who desperately wants to have a spy novel he is working on to get published. Although he has a vivid imagination he depends on a friend named "Amos" (Ron Rifkin) to give him inspiration for his book due to the fact that Amos once worked as a clerk for the Israeli intelligence service and has plenty of knowledge on the subject of espionage. Then one day Amos tells him a story which so excites Sam that he immediately puts every detail down in his book even though Amos had sworn him to secrecy. However, no sooner does his book hit the internet then Sam is abducted by a Venezuelan revolutionary named "El Toro" (Andy Garcia) who believes him to be an infamous assassin known as "the Ghost" and orders him to kill the President of Venezuela. To make matters even worse, he is subsequently abducted by a Russian narcotics dealer named "Anton Masovich" (Andrew Howard) who instructs him to kill El Toro. Not long after that he is abducted once again by a general loyal to the Venezuelan President who demands that he kill Anton. And all three men mean business. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a decent comedy which contained plenty of action from start to finish. Although the acting wasn't great by any means, the plot had several twists and turns along the way which kept things interesting for the most part. Likewise, having a beautiful actress like Zulay Henao certainly didn't hurt either. In short, this was a somewhat entertaining film which I believe some viewers may enjoy and all things considered I rate it as slightly above average.