Sunday 23 April 2023

REVIEW: Assassin (2023) - Starring Bruce Willis and Nomzamo Mbatha

Review by Jon Donnis
Well, it is finally here, the last ever film featuring Bruce Willis. I know it has seemed like his last five films were the last, but this is the legit final film of a legendary career.


The film starts out with an older man seemingly a bit confused, a female voiceover is heard saying "this is not my body" and as a young man approaches the same voice says "this is not my son." Before you know it, the older man hits his son with a cane. We cut away to a woman in an ice bath with a wetsuit on, and Bruce Willis looking over her.


Cut to a man in a coma, Sebastian (Mustafa Shakir) used to be a drone pilot until a job-related mishap left him in this state, his wife Alexa (Nomzamo Mbatha) is furious and seeking explanations. We get some flashbacks of their life together. She confronts Valmora (Bruce Willis), her husband's employer who leads a private military operation, for answers. Although she starts the encounter with a gun pointed at his head, Alexa ends up rescuing Valmora from a woman wielding a knife and riding a bicycle. The attacker denies any knowledge of the assault, which is the latest in a string of comparable incidents.


Before you know it, Alexa is donning a wetsuit, getting in that ice bath, and Quantum Leaping into people, to act as an assassin, the main target being career criminal Adrian (Dominic Purcell) who has stolen military tech.

Although the plot is a bit confusing at times, I thought that Bruce Willis is used well in this film, as a supporting character for Nomzamo Mbatha as Alexa, who is the main star of the film.


The Good
A nice idea for a story, which is well-directed. Sad to see Bruce Willis in his final film, but he does a good enough job that it is a nice send-off for him. Nomzamo Mbatha is strong in her role, and I always like to see Dominic Purcell as a bad guy.

The Bad
The plot is a bit silly at times and a bit confusing.

Overall
This is a low budget, straight to digital action thriller, you know the routine now, this is Bruce Willis farewell film, and although he doesn't have a large part in the film, the respect for his career should be enough for you to watch this.
It might not win any awards, but it is a nice little story and at about 83 minutes, it is easy to watch.

I score Assassin a fair 7/10

Out Now on Apple TV - https://apple.co/3N4oZBx