Coolest movie hitman, Assassins, Killers for hire
by KyaBakwaasHai | created - 26 Jul 2015 | updated - 22 Oct 2015 | PublicCoolest movie hitman, Assassins, Killers for hire
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1. Léon: The Professional (1994)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama
12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello
Votes: 1,240,589 | Gross: $19.50M
“No women, no kids: that’s the rules.”
–
Anyone who knows hitmen knows Léon: The Professional (1994). Being known as ‘the professional’ gives an idea of how reliable a “cleaner” Leone ‘Léon’ Montana is for the New York City mob. True to his title, Léon does little else besides take out targets. That’s not a recipe for an incredibly interesting character, but all that changes when the man of few words receives an apprentice.
Taking an orphaned Matilda (Natalie Portman) under his wing, Jean Reno and a then-twelve year old Portman made a quirky, funny, and deeply troubling relationship work. The story of a friendless hitman teaching a young girl to follow in his footsteps is a hard sell for even modern audiences, but the film won over many skeptics by oozing style and featuring one of the greatest villains in movie history.
Director Luc Besson is synonymous with compelling action built around highly-trained killers, but as the passing years have proved, there is only one Léon. And paired with Portman – who our readers named as their favorite child performance ever – there’s nothing better.
Murder method: Leon can do it all, whether it's from a distance with a sniper rifle - great for amateurs - or stalking them up close with a knife; the expert's choice.
2. Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 154 min | Crime, Drama
The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
Votes: 2,209,489 | Gross: $107.93M
Jules: “I’ll just walk the earth. “
Vincent: “What’cha mean walk the earth? “
Jules: “You know, walk the earth, meet people… get into adventures. Like Caine from “Kung Fu.””
–
This pair needs no introduction, as Pulp Fiction (1994) guaranteed that director Quentin Tarantino, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson (among others) had long, strong careers ahead of them. As hitman in the employ of Marsellus Wallace, Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega started with a discussion of hamburgers, and ended plastered on the wall of every college dorm.
With too many quotes and personal philosophies to name, the pair of verbose and deadly hitmen didn’t just prove that John Travolta could do more than talk to babies – they embodied the stylized violence and dialogue that would ultimately become Tarantino’s trademark.
There is no other hitman or duo that we would rather employ to get a difficult job done – provided we could come along for the ride.
Murder method: Intimidation and execution is the name of the game here, and they will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger.
3. The Killer (1989)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.
Director: John Woo | Stars: Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, Sally Yeh, Kong Chu
Votes: 50,949
“I always leave one bullet, either for myself or for my enemy.”
–
John Woo’s name has become inextricably linked to Hong Kong action and over-the-top style since his rise to fame in the West – and the reasons why are on full display in The Killer (1989). Following leading man Ah Jong (Chow Yun Fat), a hitman compelled to care for and rehabilitate a young woman injured during one of his jobs, Woo crafted a hitman who was likable, while also deadly to those who deserved it.
The film doesn’t take long to rush headlong into bloody action, inspired fight choreography, and a deep connection between Ah Jong and the investigating detective – successful tropes that became commonplace in Woo’s future endeavors.
Ah Jong’s portrayal as a deadly but compassionate killer amidst overwhelming stylized violence led to a finished product which Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez would both name as an inspiration. The Killer also marks the first example of Woo’s love of doves on screen, which alone warrants its inclusion.
Murder method: Two hands. Automatic pistols. Leaping through the air. Slow motion. Perfect.
4. No Country for Old Men (2007)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.
Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson
Votes: 1,055,002 | Gross: $74.28M
“I won’t tell you you can save yourself, because you can’t.”
–
Anton Chigurh is a no-brainer, as he proved single-handedly that the American southwest – even in the 1980s – was No Country For Old Men (2007). The Coen Brothers have proven their ability to write off-beat characters – even those who kidnap and kill for a price. But with Chigurh, they took depravity and unsettling dialogue to an extreme, and Javier Bardem made good on the writing.
Accepting money to take out targets for an organized crime syndicate is one thing, but killing innocent bystanders as some sort of exercise in fate or existentialism is the mark of a truly disturbed individual. There were no lines Chigurh wouldn’t cross, nobody deemed off-limits or exempt from his handiwork. And at his profession, he is thorough.
He even made the word ‘friendo’ an open threat. For that, we’re willing to forget his haircut. In fact, don’t even tell him we brought the hair up at all.
Murder method: Chigurh introduces the world to the killer potential of the cattle-bolt pistol - a symbol of his oddness, fastidious cleanliness and abattoir-like opinion of a bovine humanity.
5. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Approved | 178 min | Adventure, Western
A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.
Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè
Votes: 808,226 | Gross: $6.10M
“Even a filthy beggar like that has got a protecting angel.”
–
For many, ‘spaghetti western’ is synonymous with names like Clint Eastwood and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). But we can’t forget the bad guys. The face of Lee Van Cleef is recognizable to any western fan as one of the genre’s most iconic villains – and no role more memorable as that of Angel Eyes (‘The Bad’), the gunslinger making good on two contracts at once.
It’s surprising to think of Van Cleef having enjoyed only small TV roles before director Sergio Leone, the creator of the ‘spaghetti western,’ tapped him to appear as a good-hearted military man in For A Few Dollars More (1965). For The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Leone needed a villain; the rest is history.
It wasn’t necessarily Angel Eyes’ motivations that were most captivating, but the man himself. With his beady eyes (which Van Cleef later stated were “the best thing that ever happened to me”) squinting in the desert sun, the film ensured audiences would never forget Angel Eyes and Van Cleef’s lasting career as one of the most iconic villains the old west ever produced.
6. The Day of the Jackal (1973)
PG | 143 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In the aftermath of France allowing Algeria's independence, a group of resentful military veterans hire a professional assassin codenamed "Jackal" to kill President Charles de Gaulle.
Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Edward Fox, Terence Alexander, Michel Auclair, Alan Badel
Votes: 44,748 | Gross: $16.06M
Montclair: "How much do you want?"
The Jackal: "Half a million dollars."
Montclair: "What? Are you mad?"
The Jackal: "Considering you expect to get France in return, I'd have thought it a reasonable price. If you can't manage it, then there's nothing more to be said."
[turns to leave]
-
The Day of the Jackal focuses on a hitman hired by the French paramilitary organization, the OAS, to assassinate Charles de Gaulle, the president of France. After the real-life failed attempt in 1962, the movie focuses on the group hiring a British assassin codenamed the Jackal to give it another try. He's a complete mystery—no one knows his true identity and almost everything about his life story is fictitious.
Through the use of false documents and custom made weapons, the Jackal moves around the world wherever he wants as he and the OAS hatch a plot to kill one of the world’s most prominent leaders. And, fortunately for the film's viewers, the Jackal picks off anyone in his path.
Murder method: Planning and ingenuity - disguising both himself (as a cripple) and his weapon (as his crutch) to get close to his target. It's all ruined by the French though, whose shadowy continental culture of leaning in and kissing each other instead of a bolt-upright handshake means the Jackal misses. Typical.
7. Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A case of mistaken identity lands Slevin into the middle of a war being plotted by two of the city's most rival crime bosses. Under constant surveillance by Detective Brikowski and assassin Goodkat, he must get them before they get him.
Director: Paul McGuigan | Stars: Josh Hartnett, Ben Kingsley, Morgan Freeman, Lucy Liu
Votes: 325,074 | Gross: $22.50M
“Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest in Monte Carlo and came in third; that’s a story.”
–
His name is Goodkat, buy you can call him ‘Mr. Goodkat.’ From the moment Bruce Willis explained the intricacies of the ‘Kansas City Shuffle’ to one of his ill-fated victims, it was clear Lucky Number Slevin (2006) and Goodkat’s role would offer something a bit different from the norm.
Bruce Willis’ current tendency to play tough, threatening men of few words is a far cry from his most memorable role as Detective John McClane, but for Goodkat, the style was a perfect fit. A hitman who lets a handful of sentences suffice (until his guns were needed) more than balanced out Josh Hartnett’s mile-a-minute dialogue, and the discrepancy between the two made the final act even more impactful.
We won’t spoil the twist, but a hitman who can truly sit back and let a painfully-constructed plan come together – yet still be willing to get his hands dirty (although, not too dirty) is a rare thing; especially when he can still surprise you.
8. Road to Perdition (2002)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A mob enforcer's son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman
Votes: 283,808 | Gross: $104.45M
“Always trust a bank manager.”
–
It’s not every day that one of the greatest living actors decides to trade an Academy Award for a tommy gun, so when Tom Hanks stepped in to play mob hitman Michael Sullivan in Road to Perdition (2002), many took notice. Making a hitman the hero of any story is a risky move, but Michael Sullivan is the heart of the story as not just a mob enforcer, but a husband, a father, a Catholic, and a truly tortured soul.
Bolstered by Hanks’ and Paul Newman’s strong performances, Sullivan represents a rarity in the genre of hitman/gangster films – not a glorified figure of violence, but a historically accurate look at the type of crime many Irish immigrants were forced into in the early 20th Century. Sullivan’s dedication to his friends, family and oldest son was heart-breaking and relatable – a true rarity among gun-toting hoodlums.
Would the comic book adaptation have worked as well without Hanks? Fortunately, we didn’t have to find out.
9. In Bruges (2008)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
After a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.
Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, Elizabeth Berrington
Votes: 460,230 | Gross: $7.76M
“I shoot people for money…priests, children – you know, the usual.”
–
‘Neurotic’ and ‘guilt-ridden’ aren’t words usually used to describe guns for hire – but they do define Colin Farrell’s hitman from In Bruges (2008). Introduced to the hitman Ray (Farrell) and his partner shortly after a contract – Ray’s first – has gone horribly wrong, the decision to lay low in Bruges, Belgium is an unforgettable one for both Ray and the audience.
…It’s a unique getaway to say the least: drugs, (racist) dwarves, and even a tourist couple (from Canada no less) being beaten by a misinformed Ray, are all set against the medieval architecture of Bruges. Add the fact that it takes place amidst the caroling and decorations of Christmas, and the fever-dream mentality of large portions of the film becomes clear.
Besides Farrell turning in one of his best performances to date (winning a Golden Globe in the process) Ray is one of the few hitmen who possess none of the mysticism or preternatural skill usually attributed to the profession – yet his quirk and guilt endear him to the audience more than a murderer is usually capable of.
10. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Votes: 1,187,242 | Gross: $70.10M
[The Bride after quickly dispatching six Crazy 88's] "So, O-Ren? Any more subordinates for me to kill?"
-
Perhaps the most proficient of all the assassins on this list, she walks into any situation - a one on one with the man who ordered her dead, an entire Japanese nightclub filled with sword wielding villains - and comes out the winner, bloody, but better than those who chose to stand and fight. Though her previous career as part of the Deadly Vipers gang is shrouded in semi-mystery, her proficiency with a weapon is crystal clear. For Thurman, already established as part of Tarantino’s camp via her work in Pulp Fiction, “Black Mamba” represented a chance to play off the paternalistic nature of the action film - and she simply soared!
11. Collateral (2004)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo
Votes: 431,778 | Gross: $101.01M
“What? I should only kill people after I get to know them?”
–
With more and more films pursuing bigger budgets and bigger action, director Michael Mann went the opposite direction with Collateral (2004). And boy, did it pay off. Spawned from the mind of writer Stuart Beattie, who imagined a serial killer replacing him in his easy conversation with a cab driver, the full script stayed true to that sense of intimacy, minimal cast, and slow pace.
Jamie Foxx’s Oscar nomination as Max, the driver-turned-wheelman might imply that he was the shining star of the film. But what most surprised moviegoers was Tom Cruise, the quintessential leading man and heartthrob trading his smile and charisma for the grey hair of no-nonsense hitman, Vincent.
Portraying a killer that an audience can be terrified by, and even grow to like (until reminding them why he is to be feared, not trusted) is a difficult task for any actor. The bottom line: Vincent is one of the most chilling, determined, and convincing hitmen we’ve seen in recent years; the fact that Tom Cruise brought him to life only makes him more unforgettable.
Murder method: Vincent would like to say he's an "improvising, adapting, Darwinist, I Ching, whatever," kinda assassin, but then Vincent says a lot. Truth is, he's a tried-and-tested fan of the body double-tap followed by execution-head shot. Cold-blooded.
12. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama
An African-American Mafia hit man who models himself after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Henry Silva, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman
Votes: 96,654 | Gross: $3.31M
“Every day, without fail, one should consider himself as dead. This is the substance of the Way of the Samurai. “
–
Not every hitman or hired gun has a code of honor to live by, but the titular hero of Ghost Dog (1999) takes things to a new level. Following the tradition of the Japanese samurai and the teachings of the Hagakure (‘The Book of Samurai’), Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) brings unprecedented ritual and wisdom to the role of a hired killer.
Motivated not by greed or bloodlust but duty to the mobster who saved his life, Ghost Dog spends his days in meditation and congregation with his homing pigeons. If that alone isn’t enough to prove he’s one of a kind, did we mention his preferred weapon is a katana? Maybe now you understand why it’s one of our favorite cult movies.
Ghost Dog’s weaponry isn’t the only thing that made a mob movie set in New Jersey feel fresh and original – but it didn’t hurt. Ghost Dog’s unique sense of life and death stole the show; after all, it’s one thing to eliminate a target, but to convince the target that dying would make one a greater warrior than trying to fight – that’s a gift.
13. The Terminator (1984)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield
Votes: 920,722 | Gross: $38.40M
"I'll be back"
Without displaying any emotions, Arnold Schwarzenegger made the cyborg killing machine from Terminator into a cultural icon. The T-800 is guided by a computer to be as cold and calculating as possible. He’s more like a horror movie villain than a typical assassin, especially with the way he stalks his target, Sarah Conner (Linda Hamilton), throughout the entire movie.
Playing the only non-human hitman on this list, Schwarzenegger managed to make him the most fascinating character in the film simply by dressing in leather and putting on some shades. Many actors have since tried to copy T-800’s monochromatic look and grim façade, but no one has come close to what Schwarzenegger was able to do with so little.
Murder method: Persistence is a virtue and subtlety is overrated: get armed to the teeth, kick the front door in and keep your finger to the trigger until all that's left of the target is bits of DNA. Repeat if necessary.
14. La Femme Nikita (1990)
R | 117 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Convicted felon Nikita isn't going to jail; she's given a new identity and trained, stylishly, as a top secret spy/assassin.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Anne Parillaud, Marc Duret, Patrick Fontana, Alain Lathière
Votes: 76,208 | Gross: $5.02M
"Mister, is this heaven here or not?"
After a criminal junkie accidentally kills a police officer during a robbery gone wrong, the fiend, named Nikita, is recruited by the French government to become an assassin under their control in order to avoid the death sentence. She is then trained to become a cold, remorseless killing machine, and Nikita does so in kick-ass fashion.
Anne Parillaud absolutely owns the role of a female assassin, as opposed to other women in similar roles who just seem to be playing the part. She’s a natural with a firearm, making you believe that she's a vicious killer. Nikita eventually falls for a man who doesn't know about her murderous profession. But when he finally does find out, Nikita's human side begins to come out, which adds even more to admire about her.
15. The Samurai (1967)
GP | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After professional hitman Jef Costello is seen by witnesses his efforts to provide himself an alibi drive him further into a corner.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Alain Delon, François Périer, Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier
Votes: 56,740 | Gross: $0.04M
"I never lose. Never really."
-
Mixing the Japanese influences of the samurai with the style of a 1940s American gangster, Jef Costello became the template for every other hitman following the release of Le Samouraï in 1967. He’s stoic and professional, and despite years of the gun-for-hire work, he hasn’t even caught the attention of the police. The man is just that good at what he does.
It’s normally a red flag when an actor doesn’t show emotion while performing a role, yet Costello actually succeeds because of that. He’s calm, cool, and collected while going about his murderous business. We also get the glimpse at the private life of the man, who lives in a simplistic manner with his lone bird and books on samurai culture. He’s the thinking man’s hitman, and still one of the best.
16. The Mechanic (1972)
PG | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An aging hitman befriends a young man who wants to be a professional killer. Eventually it becomes clear that someone has betrayed them.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Charles Bronson, Jan-Michael Vincent, Keenan Wynn, Jill Ireland
Votes: 15,648 | Gross: $7.30M
"You always have to be dead sure. Dead sure or dead."
-
Put Charles Bronson in any role and with any cast and he was always going to be the toughest guy on the set. One of his most ass-kicking roles came in The Mechanic, where he played a paid hitman who performed his jobs cleanly, without leaving a trace of evidence. Due to the nature of his job, Bishop must live in complete isolation and never let anyone get too close to him, which just adds to his mystique.
But personality aside, it’s the opening 16 minutes of The Mechanic that land Bishop on this list. Filmed completely without dialogue, this scene shows Bronson's character preparing to make his first hit, focusing on how much care he puts behind each whacking. It’s a brilliant piece of filmmaking that sets up the tone for the rest of the movie.
17. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Martin Blank is a professional assassin. He is sent on a mission to a small Detroit suburb, Grosse Pointe, and, by coincidence, his ten-year high school reunion party is taking place there at the same time.
Director: George Armitage | Stars: John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd, Joan Cusack
Votes: 99,387 | Gross: $28.01M
Dr. Oatman: "Don't kill anybody for a few days. See what it feels like."
Martin Q. Blank: "Alright, I'll give it a shot.
Dr. Oatman: "No, don't give it a shot! Don't shoot anything!"
-
When John Cusack was still one of Hollywood’s most popular actors, he took on the role of Martin Q. Blank in Grosse Pointe Blank. The character is aprofessional assassin who's grown dissatisfied with his work, and the movie revolves around Blank attending his high school reunion, not only to reconnect, but to also take out a target in his hometown.
At the reunion, Blank tells almost everyone that he's an assassin, which Cusack pulls off with deadpan brilliance. It’s this type of nonchalant approach to his profession that leads to one of Cusack’s best performances. Plus, when it’s time to get his hands dirty, Martin is surprisingly adept.
Murder method: The master of the invisible offing, Blank likes to rig his kills like accidents or heart attacks, only opting for 'route one' if things don't go according to plan. He did, however, once kill the president of Paraguay with a fork and accidentally blow up a dog.
18. Crank (2006)
R | 88 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Professional assassin Chev Chelios learns his rival has injected him with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops.
Directors: Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor | Stars: Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Carlos Sanz, Jose Pablo Cantillo
Votes: 262,901 | Gross: $27.83M
Chev Chelios: [lowers gun] Congratulations.
Don Kim: Did I win something?
Chev Chelios: Your life, jackass.
-
In Crank, Jason Statham pretty much plays Jason Statham yet again, and, yes, that's a good thing. As Chev Chelios, the English tough guy takes the role of an expert hitman who's been poisoned and must keep his adrenaline pumping high at all times or else his heart will stop. This means that he has to get in as many high-speed chases, shootouts, and pornographic situations as possible, all in the name of health.
This gimmicky plot leads to a whole mess of overblown action scenes for audiences to eat up. Chelios isn’t like the calm, cool, and collected hitmen that largely make up this list—he’s like a battering ram that enters a room, guns blazing, and takes out his targets in the most extreme ways possible.
19. Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (1977)
R | 93 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A HK cop investigates several similar murders done by Chow's men. Golgo 13, top sniper, is the 4th assassin hired to kill HK drug lord Chow for Americans wanting the HK drug market.
Director: Yukio Noda | Stars: Shin'ichi Chiba, Lun Chia, Etsuko Shihomi, Emi Shindô
Votes: 600
In this foreign gem, Golgo 13 is the name of a master assassin who gets hired by an American crime organization to kill a member of the organization’s Hong Kong branch who has been going into business for himself. Throughout the movie, Golgo gets wrapped into a conspiracy involving these corporations that forces him to leave a trail of dead bodies in his wake through the use of extreme prejudice.
Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon is a classic in the action/thriller genre, and most of the praise goes to star Sonny Chiba, who brings a calm and collected physicality to the role that makes even the most gruesome kills look effortless. Whether shooting his targets, bludgeoning them with his fists, or hurling spears through them, Golgo 13 is a master at his craft.
20. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
PG-13 | 108 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
When Jason Bourne is framed for a CIA operation gone awry, he is forced to resume his former life as a trained assassin to survive.
Director: Paul Greengrass | Stars: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Joan Allen, Brian Cox
Votes: 485,751 | Gross: $176.24M
In a franchise filled with hired guns, it’s hard to choose just one. Still, we're going with Karl Urban’s performance as the ruthless Kirill. He makes an impact at the beginning of The Bourne Supremacy by shooting Jason Bourne’s girlfriend, Marie (Franka Potente), through the head while the two of them are driving over a bridge. This sends Bourne into a suspected watery grave, while his lady is stone cold dead.
From there, Bourne goes after Kirill in what's one of the cinema's best high-speed car chases during Supremacy's final moments. Kirill in one of the only genuinely evil hitmen included in this list, and with good reason.
21. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
PG | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
A diamond smuggling investigation leads James Bond to Las Vegas where he uncovers an evil plot involving a rich business tycoon.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray, Lana Wood
Votes: 113,813 | Gross: $43.82M
The Assassins: Blofeld's go to guys, the immaculately tailored and perfumed double act Mr Wint and Mr Kidd (Bruce Glover and Putter Smith).
Weapon Of Choice: In typical Bond villain fashion, they have quite a repertoire... but it's the scorpion down the back of the neck everybody remembers.
Coolest Element: They're a couple. Bless.
Played by: Bruce Glover (Wint), Putter Smith (Kidd)
Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd deserve one spot in this countdown solely for the reason that they're never apart from each other, no matter the situation. As hired assassins for SPECTRE head Ersnt Stavro Blofeld (Charles Gray), Wint and Kidd are dispatched to take out James Bond by any means necessary. Rather than depend on conventional means to kill their targets, Wint and Kidd use creative tactics like poisonous scorpions and attempted cremations.
Assassinations aside, the most fascinating thing about Wint and Kidd is the implied homosexual relationship between the two. They are even seen holding hands in one scene. It was a groundbreaking direction to take back in 1971, and it helped distinguish the duo from other hitmen in the film world.
22. The Godfather (1972)
R | 175 min | Crime, Drama
The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton
Votes: 2,003,062 | Gross: $134.97M
Clemenza (Richard Castellano): The Godfather
How can you not love a gunman who mandates that the evidence be left behind, but that the bakery fresh cannolis go with him? As the big fat foolhardy muscle for the Corleone family, Clemenza is the lifelong link to the mafia’s immigrant past pushed into the cutthroat world of the modern Cosa Nostra. As played by Castellano in what would be a career defining turn, he’s a larger than life effigy that may not look threatening, but who can deliver the necessary death sentence when ordered to do so. A man of massive appetites, Clemenza’s dedication to his friends is as vast as his ample waistband.
23. Prizzi's Honor (1985)
R | 130 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two professional assassins fall in love.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Robert Loggia, John Randolph
Votes: 26,168 | Gross: $26.70M
He’s an old school hitman for the mob. She’s the new talent brought in for a specific job. Instead of setting each other up and rubbing each other out, however, they end up falling in love. Only when true loyalty is tested do the wedding rings come off and the handguns come out. Critics were either charmed or irritated by Nicholson’s mannered turn here, his voice a lunkhead version of a long abandoned Italian stereotype, but Turner is all sex and sinister allure. Together, they provide the perfect partnership - brains and beauty vs. brawn, contemporary callousness vs. a lifelong desire to remain ‘made.’
24. John Wick (2014)
R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car.
Directors: Chad Stahelski, David Leitch | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 736,221 | Gross: $43.04M
John Wick is a killer, ghost man, he can kill three man armed only with a pencil.
John Wick is so famous that even the policeman, the bartenders, the mafia, all the town knew him.
John Wick is very skillful , he managed to do impossible task, he can head shot everyone in the dark.
in short John Wick is a ruthless killer.
25. Blow Out (1981)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz
Votes: 62,656 | Gross: $13.75M
He’s the Lee Harvey Oswald to John Travolta’s sonic Abraham Zapruder, the soft-spoken yet very calculated killer who’s trying to guarantee a win for the other side… by any means necessary. Few knew Lithgow when he made this appearance in DePalma’s political thriller. Though he had appeared in the director’s Obsession, and had a memorable moment as a rival stage genius in Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, it was the ruthless role of Burke that announced bigger and better things for the theater ace. Indeed, within two years, Lithgow was nominated by the Academy for Best Supporting Actor - twice. He should have got a nod for this amazing turn as well.
26. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
R | 99 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
Director: Stephen Chow | Stars: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen, Siu-Lung Leung
Votes: 150,316 | Gross: $17.11M
The Assassins: The Harpists (Gar Hong-hay and Fung Hak-on).
Weapon Of Choice: A Chinese harp, which they can somehow play in such a way it fires sonic swords at victims.
Coolest Element: Identical smocks, hats and shades, like the Oriental Blues brothers.
27. Get Carter (1971)
R | 112 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
When his brother dies under mysterious circumstances in a car accident, London gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate.
Director: Mike Hodges | Stars: Michael Caine, Ian Hendry, Britt Ekland, John Osborne
Votes: 36,598 | Gross: $0.39M
The Assassin: A London gangland hitman known only as 'J' (Karl Howard) and hired to, as the title suggests, 'get' Jack Carter (Michael Caine).
Weapon Of Choice: A Remington sniper rifle, ideal for the long-distance mopping up of loose ends.
Coolest Element: Watch the opening of the film again. Carter's killer is on the same London-Newcastle train as Jack.
28. Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
R | 86 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller
A man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.
Director: Michael Davis | Stars: Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, Paul Giamatti, Stephen McHattie
Votes: 154,816 | Gross: $12.81M
The Assassin: Hertz (Paul Giamatti), a hitman on the hunt for a baby.
Weapon Of Choice: State-of-the-art Hammerson guns; Hertz has first dibs because the gunmaker is his client.
Coolest Element: The hitman's ethos - "Guns don't kill people. But they sure help."
29. Ichi the Killer (2001)
R | 129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun
Votes: 59,857 | Gross: $0.02M
The Assassin: Ichi (Nao Omori).
Weapon Of Choice: Rage. 90% of the time he's a cowardly cry-baby, but get him angry and he goes loco.
Coolest Element: Psychologically conditioned with false memories, Ichi is roused by the mistaken belief that his targets are the same people who bullied him in high school.
30. The Boondock Saints (1999)
R | 108 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Two Irish Catholic brothers become vigilantes and wipe out Boston's criminal underworld in the name of God.
Director: Troy Duffy | Stars: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, David Della Rocco
Votes: 249,992 | Gross: $0.03M
The Assassin: The notorious Il Duce (Billy Connolly), hired to take out the Boondock Saints, aka Connor and Murphy McManus (Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus).
Weapon Of Choice: A portable arsenal of handguns, held in place by a bespoke gun vest.
Coolest Element: Il Duce is really the McManus' dad.
31. Branded to Kill (1967)
Not Rated | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After a botched assignment, a rice-fetishizing hitman finds himself in conflict with his organization, and one mysterious, dangerous fellow-hitman in particular.
Director: Seijun Suzuki | Stars: Jô Shishido, Mariko Ogawa, Annu Mari, Kôji Nanbara
Votes: 10,165
The Assassin: Japan's enigmatic Number One Killer (Koji Nanbara).
Weapon Of Choice: Mind games - his method is break down victims mentally before completing the hit.
Coolest Element: He announces to Goro Hanada, the Number Three Killer, that he plans to kill him - and then moves in with him.
32. The Great Silence (1968)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama, Western
A mute gunfighter defends a young widow and a group of outlaws against a gang of bounty killers in the winter of 1898, and a grim, tense struggle unfolds.
Director: Sergio Corbucci | Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff, Vonetta McGee
Votes: 18,019 | Gross: $0.05M
The Assassin: Mute gunslinger Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant), who specialises in killing other bounty hunters.
Weapon Of Choice: The law. Silence's method is to provoke his target in drawing first, so he can shoot them in self-defence.
Coolest Element: The fact he doesn't say a word.
33. Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Five different criminals face imminent death after botching a job quite badly.
Director: Gary Fleder | Stars: Andy Garcia, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe
Votes: 29,713 | Gross: $0.53M
The Assassin: Taciturn gunman Mr Shhh (Steve Buscemi).
Weapon Of Choice: His unnerving habit of showing up and standing there, letting his targets crumple into fear and panic under his withering gaze.
Coolest Element: The smart counter-casting of motormouth Buscemi as a guy who just stares at victims with those big bug eyes.
34. 13 Assassins (2010)
R | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya, Ikki Sawamura
Votes: 68,424 | Gross: $0.80M
The Assassins: A baker's dozen of samurai, hired to kill a ruthless lord before he becomes too powerful.
Weapon Of Choice: A converted village, transformed into a bespoke killzone with lots of hidden traps.
Coolest Element: Flaming cows!
35. Three Days of the Condor (1975)
R | 117 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A bookish CIA researcher in Manhattan finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow
Votes: 62,104 | Gross: $41.51M
The Assassin: Frenchman Joubert (Max Von Sydow), hired by the CIA to cover up a covert operation.
Weapon Of Choice: Private enterprise - he'll happily change allegiances if the price is right.
Coolest Element: His old-school European courtesy.
36. Sin City (2005)
R | 124 min | Crime, Thriller
An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.
Directors: Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba
Votes: 792,540 | Gross: $74.10M
The Assassin: Miho (Devon Aoki), an enforcer who protects the prostitutes of the Old Town.
Weapon Of Choice: Quite the collection of nick-nacks, including a pair of samurai swords and a Swastika-shaped throwing star.
Coolest Element: As revealed in the graphic novels, she's also a whizz on roller blades.
37. Kick-Ass (2010)
R | 117 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a superhero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloë Grace Moretz, Garrett M. Brown
Votes: 591,627 | Gross: $48.07M
The Assassin: Pint-sized eleven-year-old Mindy Macready aka Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz), trained by her father Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) to become a vigilante. Technically, not an assassin, but the clue's in the name.
Weapon Of Choice: Surprise - after all, who expects a kid to be able to fight like that?
Coolest Element: The potty mouth.
38. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
PG-13 | 126 min | Drama, Thriller
An American POW in the Korean War is brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for an international Communist conspiracy.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury
Votes: 79,571
The Assassin: Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), a Korean War veteran brainwashed to murder a Presidential candidate.
Weapon Of Choice: Plausible denial. Shaw is programmed to kill under auto-suggestion and then forget everything he did.
Coolest Element: Shaw's blatantly untrue character testimonial, conditioned into his platoon: "Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life."
39. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Samantha Caine lives in a small town with her daughter. Eight years ago she emerged, two months pregnant, from a nearby river with no memory of her past or who she is. However, she's getting closer to finding out about her past.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Yvonne Zima, Craig Bierko
Votes: 85,413 | Gross: $33.33M
The Assassin: Suburban housewife Samantha Caine (Geena Davis), in reality amnesiac CIA killer Charly Baltimore.
Weapon Of Choice: A simple rabbit punch will suffice when all else fails.
Coolest Element: She's also in the goddamn P.T.A.
40. Goldfinger (1964)
PG | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
While investigating a gold magnate's smuggling, James Bond uncovers a plot to contaminate the Fort Knox gold reserve.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Sean Connery, Gert Fröbe, Honor Blackman, Shirley Eaton
Votes: 201,982 | Gross: $51.08M
The Assassin: Auric Goldfinger's mute henchman Oddjob (Harold Sakata).
Weapon Of Choice: Everybody remembers the razor-tipped bowler hat, but Oddjob shows comparable creative flair with a can of gold spray paint or a car crusher.
Coolest Element: He's also a loyal, hard-working butler. Every home should have one.
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