I've been on a Banderas film kick lately, and when I discovered that Assassins had been penned by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix, of course), I was doubly enthusiastic. More's the pity for me, as this film is awful. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why it was awful--the acting (save Stallone, for whom I think the word "actor" is a misnomer--he's no more exuberant than those sides of beef he boxed in Rocky) isn't bad, the principals are pleasant to look at, and the plot has a lot of promise. But somehow, I didn't feel this all came together for me. Julianne Moore is a wonderful actress, and it was a pity to cast her as a neurotic, cat-obsessed stereotype (I'm not sure why I see it as a stereotype, but ah well) regardless of how smart and savvy she may have also been. And Antonio Banderas as a psychopath assassin of unknown Hispanic origin randomly firing off quips en espanol--the actor deserves a better role (El Mariachi from Desperado and Armand the vampire come to mind as Banderas at his best). I was expecting a whole lot more thrills and action than Assassins actually delivered, and maybe some viewers will have a difficult time believing I would need something more. On a positive note, Pearl the Cat was outstanding. When a lead's pet is the only saving grace in a film, it's time to shelve the thing.
