''Assassin'' is a 2023 American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

film starring Nomzamo Mbatha,

Dominic Purcell Dominic Haakon Myrtved PurcellO'Connor, B,Break Out". ''Men's Fitness''. December/January 2007 Issue; retrieved 18 December 2006. (born 17 February 1970) is a British-Australian actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Lincoln Burrows in ...

and

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series '' Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero ...

(in his final film role). It was directed by Jesse Atlas, in his feature film directorial debut, written by Aaron Wolfe, and is based on Atlas and Wolfe's short film ''Let Them Die Like Lovers''. ''Assassin'' was released by

Saban Films Saban Capital Group LLC is an American investment firm based in Los Angeles, California focused on media, entertainment, and communications investments. Formed in 2010 by Haim Saban, Saban Capital Group owns Saban Films, part of Univision Comm ...

in select theaters and VOD on March 31, 2023.

Plot

A private military operation, led by Valmora, invents futuristic microchip tech that enables the mind of an agent to inhabit the body of another person to carry out covert, deadly missions. But when Agent Sebastian is killed during a secret mission, his wife, Alexa, must take his place in an attempt to bring the man responsible to justice.

Cast

* Nomzamo Mbatha as Alexa *

as Valmora *

as Adrian *

Andy Allo Andy Allo is a Cameroonian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. She released her first of three albums in 2009, and joined Prince's band, The New Power Generation, in 2011. She had a recurring role in three episodes of the comed ...

as Mali *

Mustafa Shakir Mustafa Shakir (born August 21, 1976) is an American actor known for his portrayal as Bushmaster in ''Marvel's Luke Cage'', Big Mike in ''The Deuce'' and Jet Black in ''Cowboy Bebop'' (2021). Biography and career Shakir was born in North Caro ...

as Sebastian * Fernanda Andrade as Olivia * Eugenia Kuzmina as Trainer *

Hannah Quinlivan Hannah Quinlivan (born 12 August 1993), also known as Jen Wu () and stage name Kun Ling (), is a Taiwanese Australian actress and model. Life and career Hannah Quinlivan was born in Taipei, Taiwan and raised in New South Wales, Australia. ...

as Special Agent

Production

On April 29, 2021, it was announced that

would star in ''Soul Assassin'', a thriller film in which Nomzamo Mbatha and

entered negotiations to star. Filming began on June 15, 2021, in

Bessemer, Alabama Bessemer is a southwestern suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. The population was 26,019 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is within the Birmingham-Ho ...

. In July 2021,

acquired the distribution rights to the film. In the same month, Barry Jay Minoff was cast in an undisclosed role, while Jeff Elliott was revealed to have produced the film, through Endless Media Brickell & Broadbridge International, alongside 120dB Films. In August 2021,

was cast in an undisclosed role. The film was retitled to ''Die Like Lovers'' and later to its current title ''Assassin''. ''Assassin'' is the last film to star Willis, who retired from acting because he was diagnosed with

frontotemporal dementia Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or frontotemporal degeneration disease, or frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder, encompasses several types of dementia involving the progressive degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes. FTDs broadly present a ...

. By May 2022,

and Fernanda Andrade were cast.

Release

''Assassin'' was released by

in select theaters and VOD on March 31, 2023. The film was originally set to be released in September 2022, under the title ''Die Like Lovers''.

Box office

As of June 26, 2023, ''Assassin'' grossed $65,407 in Turkey, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

Critical reception

Dennis Harvey, of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', gave the film a negative review, writing that "the multinational cast seems assembled for reasons other than serving defined character needs. None of them are able to rise above the vague material".

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...

, of ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'', gave the film a 2/5 rating, saying "it's sad to see Bruce Willis in his final film, lacking his trademark twinkle". Robert Kojder, of ''Flickering Myth'', gave the film a 1.5/5 rating, summarizing that it's "an illogical and dull flick that doesn't even thrill when it shifts into action mode".

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 14555174 2020s American films 2020s English-language films 2023 action adventure films 2023 action thriller films 2023 directorial debut films 2023 films 2023 independent films American independent films American thriller films Features based on short films Films shot in Alabama Saban Films films