Assassin Club
| Assassin Club | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Camille Delamarre |
| Written by | Thomas C. Dunn |
| Produced by | Ellen Wander Jordan Dykstra Todd Lundbohm Emanuele Moretti Kieran Corrigan |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Lori Ball |
| Music by | Alexandre Azaria |
Production companies | Film Bridge International 828 Media Capital |
| Distributed by | Paramount Global Content Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Countries | United States Italy |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $188,292[1] |
Assassin Club is a 2023 American Italian action thriller film written by Thomas C. Dunn, directed by Camille Delamarre and starring Henry Golding and Noomi Rapace.[2]
Assassin Club centers around the life of Morgan Gaines, a former Royal Marines officer turned ruthless assassin. Known for his unparalleled sniping skills and ability to survive the deadliest situations, Morgan is a force to be reckoned with. But things change when his mentor, Ian Caldwell, hands him a new contract to eliminate six different targets, each with a million-dollar bounty on their heads. But little does Morgan know; he has unwittingly entered a deadly game where each of the six targets is also an assassin who has been assigned to eliminate Morgan.
Plot[edit]
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (November 2023) |
What Happens To Morgan?[edit]
Assassin Club begins with Morgan Gaines being contracted to assassinate a European trafficking kingpin, Luka Lesek. Morgan is a highly skilled and experienced assassin, and he plans to take out Luka with a precise shot to the head using his rifle. However, before Morgan can pull the trigger, he is shot by an unknown sniper. This unforeseen attack not only wounds Morgan but also causes him to accidentally fire his rifle, alerting Luka and his men to the assassination attempt. With Luka’s men closing in on him, Morgan is forced to think quickly and use his smoke bombs to create a diversion to escape. Despite being pursued by the sniper, who shoots out his car tires, Morgan manages to evade his attackers and hide until things get back to normal. Meanwhile, the sniper continues with their mission and manages to take out Luka.
Confrontation With The Sniper[edit]
Morgan decides to take a break and spend some time with his girlfriend, Sophie. Morgan is hesitant to take on any more assassination contracts as he longs for a more ordinary and peaceful life. Unfortunately, things take a dramatic turn when Morgan and Sophie are followed by a stranger who attempts to attack them. Morgan quickly dodges the bullet before taking the attacker down. However, upon searching for him, Morgan is unable to find any identification or proof of his motive.
Morgan meets Caldwell for guidance. He shows Caldwell pictures of the attacker, and Caldwell reveals that the man is Alec Drakos, one of the assassins hired to kill Morgan. This revelation is a shock to Morgan, as he had assumed the attack was random and not connected to his current contract. However, Caldwell informs Morgan that by taking out Drakos, he has effectively started the deadly game of assassins, and now he has no choice but to complete the mission. Morgan realizes that he is now trapped in a dangerous situation where he must complete the contract and take out the remaining five targets or face being targeted and killed by the other assassins.
Who Is Falk? Why Did Morgan Kidnap Leon?[edit]
As Morgan begins his mission to take out the six targets, he realizes that one of the assassins, Demir, has been killed by Falk before Morgan can eliminate him. As Morgan continues his investigation into the $6 million contract, he kidnaps Leon, a French police officer who is assigned to track down the assassins, and questions him about the origin of the contract and the identity of the person behind it. Leon reveals that the French police have initiated the contract as a way to catch the assassins and are working with an anonymous benefactor who’s provided the funding for the operation.
Soon after, Morgan receives a call from an unknown number, which turns out to be Falk. She reveals that she killed Demir and offers Morgan a proposal to collaborate on finding the person behind the $6 million deal for killing the assassins. Falk understands that they are both in danger and that their only chance of survival is by working together. Despite being hesitant at first, Morgan realizes that this might be his only chance of finding out who is behind the contract and putting an end to the deadly game. He agrees to collaborate with Falk, and together they start investigating and following leads to uncover the truth behind the contract.
What Happens Between Morgan And Caldwell? Is Caldwell Dead?[edit]
With the help of Falk, Morgan discovers that Alec is also a Royal Marines officer, just like him. Morgan then decides to hack into Caldwell’s files to learn more about the truth behind the contract. To his shock, Morgan discovers that Caldwell had set him and Alec against each other deliberately, knowing that Morgan would emerge as the winner. Caldwell had even allowed Alec to know that Morgan was his target, putting Morgan’s life at risk. Morgan is angry and feels betrayed by Caldwell, who was supposed to be his mentor and guide. He realizes that Caldwell had never really cared for him but had only used him as a pawn in his deadly game.
Falk hacks into Caldwell’s files to retrieve information. However, she discovers that Caldwell has purposely withheld information about Morgan’s personal details from her. This leads Falk to poison Caldwell and demand that he give her the information about Morgan in exchange for the antidote. Surprisingly, Caldwell doesn’t betray Morgan this time and transfers Falk’s information to Morgan before she has a chance to delete it. Unfortunately, Falk still gets the information on Morgan and brutally kills Caldwell before leaving the scene.
What Is Falk’s Real Identity?[edit]
When Morgan receives the files from Caldwell, he gets a shocking revelation that Falk is actually Agent Vos, who has been working with the French police. Later, when Morgan receives a call from Falk, he finds out that another assassin, Ryder, has been sent to kill Sophie. Morgan immediately calls Sophie and warns her, but Ryder arrives on the scene. Fortunately, Sophie is able to hide, and Morgan informs the police, causing Ryder to flee before he can carry out the assassination.
Morgan sends his girlfriend Sophie to Lisbon to stay with her mother because she is pregnant. At the same time, Morgan plans to take down Ryder. During their one-on-one fight, Falk (who is really Agent Vos) plans to kill both Morgan and Ryder to cover up her own involvement in the assassination contract. However, Morgan is able to escape and fakes his own death to trick Falk. Later that night, Leon is searching for Morgan’s body when Morgan surprises and attacks him, revealing Falk’s true identity. Leon believes Morgan and takes him to Falk’s location, where they engage in a brutal fight. Before Morgan can kill Falk, another officer intervenes and attacks Morgan, forcing him to flee the scene.
How Is Maat Connected To Morgan And The Other Assassins?[edit]
Maat is an organization that has been created to bring out all the assassins involved in Yakov Ilych’s death. Jonna has been working with the French police to find out who killed her father. She knows it’s her uncle, but she can’t approach him directly because he might hire an assassin to kill her. Falk, who is actually Agent Vos, manipulates Jonna into offering a $6 million contract to kill all the assassins involved in her father’s death. Jonna agrees because she believes that the same assassins could be used to kill her as well.
When Morgan tells Jonna that Falk is the killer of her father, Yakov, Jonna is shocked because she remembers the killer’s eyes to be gray, not brown. It turns out that Falk has been deceiving Jonna all along and that she is the one who actually killed Yakov. Falk manipulates Jonna into offering the contract as a way to flush out any potential threats to her own identity as the killer.
Is Falk Able To Kill Morgan And Sophie?[edit]
Falk attacks and drowns Sophie in a bathtub. Fortunately, before Morgan enters the room, he notices a tripwire attached to a bomb that would detonate if he walks through the door. Morgan is forced to wait until the timer goes off, but Leon arrives just in time to try and stop Falk. In the ensuing struggle, Falk shoots and injures Leon before escaping the apartment. As Morgan waits for the timer to go off, he is devastated to see Sophie drowning, but to his surprise, Leon manages to pull her out of the water before succumbing to his injuries. With the timer ticking down, Morgan realizes that Sophie is still alive and manages to revive her.
After saving Sophie, Morgan follows Falk and tracks her down on the street. He decides to take her down to prevent any further harm to himself or his loved ones. With a clear shot, he shoots Falk from a safe distance and takes her down. Morgan knows that he cannot stick around for long and flees the scene before someone can catch him.
‘Assassin Club’ Ending Explained: What Happens To Morgan And Sophie?[edit]
The bittersweet ending of the Assassin Club leaves Morgan and Sophie living their dream life together but with the looming threat of Falk still being alive and seeking revenge. Morgan is unaware of the potential danger, but he must remain vigilant to protect himself and his loved ones from any future harm. It’s possible that Morgan may need to go into hiding or take other security measures to ensure his safety. He may also need to keep a low profile and avoid drawing any attention to himself that could reveal his location to Falk or other potential threats. It’s clear that Morgan’s life will never be the same after the events of the Assassin Club.
The final showdown scene between Morgan and Falk is reminiscent of the 2008 movie Wanted, where the main character, Wesley Gibson, uses his newfound assassin skills to take down his enemies with precise bullet shots. Overall, the action sequences in this film are a highlight of the movie, delivering plenty of thrills and suspense, and the fights are well choreographed. However, the characters are underdeveloped, and the acting is wooden, making it difficult for the audience to invest in their stories.
Cast[edit]
- Henry Golding as Morgan Ganes
- Daniela Melchior as Sophie
- Jimmy Jean-Louis as Inspector Leon
- Noomi Rapace as Falk/Agent Vos
- Sam Neill as Caldwell
Release[edit]
The film was released in digital in the United States on May 16, 2023.[3]
Reception[edit]
The film received generally negative reviews, and has a 13% rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews.[4] Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com awarded the film one star, writing "While the ideal viewer of Assassin Club probably understands and accepts the limitations of this bottom-dollar time-waster, even the least choosy genre fans can do better."[5] Verdosa of Screen Rant awarded the film one and a half stars out of five.[6] Martin Unsworth of Starburst awarded the film two stars out of five.[3] John Nugent of Empire awarded the film one star out of five.[7]
Sergio Pereira of Comic Book Resources gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Assassin Club isn't about to knock John Wick off his perch, but it is an entertaining, turn-off-the-brain movie in the same vein as other '90s classics like Assassins and Hard Target."[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "Assassin Club (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Elfadl, Murtada (May 17, 2023). "'Assassin Club' Review: Henry Golding Looks the Part of a Globetrotting Hitman in By-the-Book Actioner". Variety. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Unsworth, Martin. "ASSASSIN CLUB". Starburst. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Assassin Club". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Abrams, Simon (May 18, 2023). "Assassin Club". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Ferdosa (May 22, 2023). "Assassin Club Review: Wannabe John Wick Flick Can't Keep Up". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Nugent, John (April 14, 2023). "Assassin Club Review". Empire. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Pereira, Sergio (May 15, 2023). "REVIEW: Assassin Club Brings the Action While Simultaneously Forgetting the Story". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
