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“Beware the Ides of March.” Or so says the soothsayer to Julius Caesar. The mid-March date was known in ancient Rome as a time for settling debts, and in William Shakespeare’s tragedy, it’s a clear warning of the deadly coming events for Caesar – a knifing courtesy of his friends in the Senate. Which is why it makes me think of all the great movies featuring assassins. Here are eight – some funny, some cult favorites, but every one guaranteed to slay.
“Point of No Return” – A robbery perpetrated by a strung-out junkie goes wrong and she’s given a last-ditch second chance: instead of a death sentence, train to be an elite assassin under the control of the government. Stars Bridget Fonda as Maggie, the would-be assassin, and Gabriel Byrne as her handler.
John Cusack in “Grosse Pointe Blank” (Buena Vista Pictures photo)
“Grosse Pointe Blank” – In a romp that mixes comedy, romance and murder-mayhem, John Cusack stars as Martin Blank, a neurotic assassin having a rough patch. He travels home to Michigan for his 10-year high-school reunion, reuniting with the girl he stood up for prom (Minnie Driver) and chased by a rival killer (Dan Ackroyd).
“In the Line of Fire” – A cat and mouse featuring Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) and rogue CIA assassin “Booth” (John Malkovich). Horrigan is the last living agent who served on Kennedy’s detail in Dallas, and Booth taunts Horrigan with this fact all while threatening to assassinate the current president.
“The Accountant” – An autistic young boy with a dysfunctional family and extraordinary math abilities (Ben Affleck) becomes a forensic accountant by day and cold-blooded killer by night. Dual story lines trace his history with an FBI agent and his current assignment uncovering accounting shenanigans at a medical prothesis company.
“No Country for Old Men” – The Coen Brothers tackle the neo-crime Western genre when a Texas hunter (Josh Brolin) claims the remains of a desert drug deal gone awry. No crime is secret, and soon hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is dispatched to retrieve the money – by any means necessary.
“The Day of the Jackal” – The 1973 classic follows a paramilitary group’s intent to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. They eventually resort to professional assistance in the form of The Jackal, a hit man of infamy, who settles down to business as his identity is slowly uncovered by a Paris detective.
“Collateral” – Jamie Foxx plays a cab driver who takes one last high-dollar fare: a man (Tom Cruise) who offers him $600 to make a series of stops. Catch is, the fare is a hit man wiping out witness after witness.
“Pulp Fiction” – Any discussion of movie assassins would not be complete without cult favorites Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), from director Quentin Tarantino’s breakout film. The philosophical pair stand out for their effortless cool and eminent quotability.
© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
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