Welcome: Login | Logout | Register
Hot: Competitions | Student finance | Personal statement

Search the site:

Franklyn - best ever on screen assassins

FRANKLYN, in cinemas Feb 27th, is set between the parallel worlds of contemporary London and the metropolis of Meanwhile City. Starring Eva Green, Sam Riley and Ryan Phillippe, the film follows the fate of a deadly masked assassin, Jonathan Preest (Phillippe), who must revisit his past in order avenge the death of a lost child.

With remorseless eyes and an obsession for obliteration, Preest is most certainly the kind of guy best kept on the big screen. Whether or not you’re looking for a contract killer, here’s our guide to the most deadly assassins ever to kick ass on camera….

Leon (1994)

Leon (Jean Reno)
With years of heavyweight murder on his mind and a rubber plant for a best friend, Leon (Reno) is certainly the kind of guy that needs to meet new company. Cue the cute but foul-mouthed tweeny Matilda (Natalie Portman) who brings reason back into his life and reignites the lost wrath of his berretta.

Nikita (1990)

Nikita (Anne Parillaud)
Remade into the remarkably titled “The Assassin”, starring Bridget Fonda, Nikita was the original tale that set the wheels in motion for today's bad-ass screen queens. I think a thank you is in order Miss Lara Croft!

Kill Bill (2003)

The Bride (Uma Thurman)
With a sword that slices through everything from 88 killers to eyeballs, The Bride is certainly not the type of girl to leave standing at the altar. She died once, got buried alive and then still managed to punch her way out of her own coffin… beat that, Bill.

Collateral (2004)

Vincent (Tom Cruise)
If you could think of the worst guy in the world that you'd want to offer a lift to then Vincent is your man. Not only will he rally you around on his mission to kill his adversaries, he’ll also make sure that you listen to his meaningless impromptu pop philosophy… “Improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, sh*t happens, I Ching”. Whatever… just tell me where you want to get out!

The Day of the Jackal (1973)

The Jackal (Edward Fox)
The story behind the man hired to shoot De Gaulle, a dead French President who withdrew his country from NATO. The film captivated audiences in the 1970s and is famed for it’s dazzling elongated shots, so good in fact that they even managed to blind audience into thinking this was all true. However one thing is certain… this film would have kicked sooo much more ass if Michael Cain had got the lead role.

JFK (1991)

Lee-Harvey Oswald (& others) (Gary Oldman)
Okay so who did it? Drum roll… the military of course. Well at least that’s what myth-maker Oliver Stone would have us believe. Whatever you think to be true, this film simply raises questions that can’t be answered - unless you buy into all that “magic bullet” BS?

Phone Booth (2002)

The Caller (Kiefer Sutherland)
If you’ve ever cheated on your girlfriend then don’t go and use a pay phone, because it’s more than likely that some crazed murderer, probably Jack Bauer, will decide that you’re the one that needs to be brought down in order to pursue their rather pointless quest to cleanse… erm… humanity? Whatever the movies motives, there’s certainly no doubt that this suspenseful thriller rightfully deserves its place in our all-time assassin’s encyclopaedia.

FRANKLYN IS IN CINEMAS 27th FEB. You can win a Creative Vado with Franklyn here.