The 15 Best Assassin Movies, Ranked

As strange as it is, moviegoers are fascinated by the assassin. Paid handsomely for their skills of stealth, marksmanship, martial arts, and general wanton violence, these contract killers have been the focus of some of the most thrilling and emotionally provocative films ever made.

Maybe it’s because many of these hit-people share many viewers’ relationship to their own work — a disdain for the spiritually emptying but financially necessary professions that command much of their life. Maybe it’s because a criminal mastermind of this nature — so devoid of humanity that they reduce human lives to zeros in a bank account — reveals more about the world around them than any other character type.

Or maybe it’s because we just like watching people fight with guns and swords. In any case, we’ve put together our own hit-list of flicks featuring them, ranked based on their quality, legacy, and depiction of these captivating killers.

A potentially divisive pick for this list, “The Accountant” is worthy of reappraisal in our book. Written by “Ozark” creator Bill Dubuque and directed by Gavin O’Connor, it stars Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff, a neurodivergent forensic accountant who finds himself in the crosshairs of a powerful criminal organization when he discovers an incriminating multi-million dollar discrepancy in one of his clients’ books. However, their problems grow exponentially when they send hitmen to silence Christian and discover that he’s a highly-trained killer himself.

Despite making over three times its budget, “The Accountant” wasn’t a critical hit when it was released. Reviewers were extremely critical of the story’s internal logic, pacing, and structure. That said, Affleck’s performance was given due praise, with Christian remaining one of his most unique characters. Streaming has helped the film find new fans who seem more appreciative of what it was trying to accomplish, and when it arrived on Netflix, it snagged the number one position on their most-watched list. There has also been buzz about a possible sequel film or series, with Affleck returning to star.

Two years before director Michael Winner and renowned Hollywood action star Charles Bronson teamed up for “Death Wish,” they made the 1972 thriller “The Mechanic.” This contemplative look into the mind of a professional killer centers on Bronson’s Arthur Bishop, whose lethal partnership with the criminal underworld has afforded him everything but peace, and seems to have cost him his humanity, too. The story sees Bishop attempt to wrestle with this inner dilemma while executing his most ambitious contract yet.

One could argue that, with its character-driven narrative and psychological exploration of an assassin’s unnaturally detached lifestyle, “The Mechanic” helped lay the groundwork for how such characters could be handled in decades of stories that followed. Hollywood even felt compelled to revive it as a modern action franchise (starring Jason Statham) in the 2010s following the “Bourne”issance of the hitman subgenre, perhaps recognizing that Bronson’s killer shared plenty of DNA with Matt Damon’s. As for the original, “The Mechanic” is a pleasantly moody, broody watch with action to spare.

Set in the small, eponymous city in Michigan, “Grosse Pointe Blank” appears at first as a rom-com storyline we’ve seen 100 times before. A hot-shot (John Cusack) with a killer job is forced to leave his fast-paced but superficial world behind in order to return to his hometown, where he grows beyond what he previously thought possible thanks to an unexpected reintroduction to an old flame (Minnie Driver). Except, in this case, said “killer job” is literally a job as a contract killer.

Like the lovers at the heart of its story, “Grosse Pointe Blank” stands out as an early example of a film transcending the subgenre by marrying it to an unconventional but unexpectedly perfect match. (Two decades later, “Deadpool” took a similar route to its $780 million box office run.) It’s far and away one of the best comedies of the ’90s.

Controversial French filmmaker Luc Besson has a vast and varied career in terms of both genre and general quality. His exploration of the assassin’s psychology, however, is arguably unmatched — and, as you might have guessed, this has earned him two entries on our list.

The first is “La Femme Nikita,” a French-language film that follows a young woman on the fringes of society who is sentenced to death for the murder of a police officer — only for the government to step in at the last moment to employ her as a professional killer. Thereafter, she is given the chance to live the kind of life she was never offered as a child, though she must now split it with the physically and morally dangerous life of an assassin.

“Nikita” is one of many underrated female-led action movies that paved the way for hits like “Atomic Blonde” and the “John Wick” spin-off “Ballerina.” It’s fast-paced, psychologically challenging, and visually arresting, with the unique perspective of its title character bringing these aspects together in a package that is yet to be replicated.

Known for his carefully crafted and imaginatively subversive mysteries, Rian Johnson first began making waves in the genre space with the 2012 science fiction thriller “Looper.” Set just a few decades in the future where time travel is technologically possible, it stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe, a specialized mob assassin referred to as a Looper.

Loopers are responsible for killing targets sent back in time for execution and disposing of the bodies in the past. As simple as this sounds, Joe’s life suddenly gets a lot more complicated when his next time-travel-target turns out to be him from 30 years in the future (played by Bruce Willis).

In hindsight, “Looper” is something of an outlier in Johnson’s body of work — but that doesn’t mean it’s any less fun. When we reviewed it over 10 years ago, we found it to be his best directorial effort yet, and the film holds up to this day (especially as an example of Willis’ better late-career roles).

One of if not the darkest films made by Joel and Ethan Coen, “No Country for Old Men” is every bit as haunting now as it was when it was released in 2007. The assassin featured in this story is the antagonist — the terrifyingly relentless Anton Chighur, embodied in an Academy Award-winning performance by Javier Bardem.

When an average Texas hunter (Josh Brolin) happens upon millions of Cartel dollars stranded in the desert after a gunfight, Chighur is hired to retrieve the sum at any cost. Like other Cormac McCarthy villains, Chighur is an unstoppable force of nature operating with ruthless efficiency in an otherwise grounded world, making his very presence feel like a confirmation that some inhuman, spiritual evil exists beyond our understanding.

“No Country…” as a whole is an undisputed masterpiece, and is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made. The only reason why it’s not at the very top of this list is that, due to the nature of the story and its protagonists, the assassins present in the film take a backseat to cowboys and sheriffs. That said, if you’re fascinated by this sort of character, “No Country for Old Men” should be at the top of your watchlist.

The titular character of Jim Jarmusch’s “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” (played by Forest Whitaker) is an unusual but skilled and highly-principled assassin who works for the Mafia in New York City. Though he exists outside their criminal compact, he owes a life debt to a Mafiosa — and, in line with the code that guides his life, he honors this debt even when given the dangerous task of assassinating a made man.

In many ways, “Ghost Dog” is the most unusual film included on this list, and may not precisely line up with any expectations you have going in. Then again, that’s a massive part of its undeniable charm. In addition to the excellent direction by Jarmusch and its parade of memorable fight sequences, Whitaker is in top form as a killer trying to keep his soul intact, and fans of his work should note “Ghost Dog” as a high point in his career.

It’s hard for us to offer you a more intriguing line-up for a movie than Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, and director Michael Mann — though we could try by adding in Jada Pinkett-Smith, Mark Ruffalo, and Javier Bardem. They all assembled in 2004 to make “Collateral,” a tense neo-noir thriller that largely takes place inside of a taxi cab driving around Los Angeles.

Foxx stars as Max, a cab driver who unwittingly picks up a contract killer (Cruise) planning to complete an ambitious hitlist in a single night. As the evening continues and Max is forced to play the role of getaway driver, he and his backseat captor develop a fascinating relationship. “Collateral” masterfully achieves a tone that balances explosive action and thrills with the somber, contemplative feeling one might get by gazing out the window of a car at night to watch the city outside pass them by. The constraints of its premise also add to the film’s energy, leading to an ending that will leave you second-guessing the path of your own journey.

As the dominant action movies of the 2000s, there’s no debate that a film from the “Bourne” franchise deserves to be on this list — the only challenge was picking which one was best. In our view, that honor goes to the series’ first installment, 2002’s “The Bourne Identity.”

Directed by Doug Liman and written in-part by “Andor” executive producer Tony Gilroy, it follows the eponymous action hero Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) after he is discovered half-drowned and shot numerous times, with no memory of who he might be or what he might have done in his life to deserve such a fate. When armed men begin hunting him down, Bourne discovers he is capable of incredible feats of violence that can only be explained by exploring his past.

If you’ve yet to see the original “Bourne” trilogy, you’d be best served by going into the first film with as little information as possible. This twist-heavy ride is the definitive action thriller of our time, the fingerprints of which can be found on most films made in the genre in the decade that followed.

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson became awards season favorites when they collaborated with writer-director Martin McDonagh on the 2022 period dramedy “The Banshees of Inisherin.” At that time, however, they had already worked together on “In Bruges,” a lesser-known but just-as-brilliant feature released over a decade earlier.

Farrell and Glesson play hitmen who are forced to retreat to the titular Belgian city after one of them botches a job. With no one to kill, they must find new ways to occupy their time and attention, leading them down unexpected paths that challenge their very identities.

Like much of McDonagh’s work, “In Bruges” ingeniously mines comedy from the bleakest parts of a person’s soul. Back in 2008 when we reviewed the film, we positively likened it to both “Grosse Pointe Blank” and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” Time has arguably proven it to be a feature that stands on its own, and provides viewers with an experience they’ll be hard-pressed to find in any other destination.

We told you we’d get back to Luc Besson. If you’re a fan of his work, chances are you immediately surmised that his second film featured on this list would be none other than “Léon: The Professional.”

Jean Reno is the titular hitman, a French killer who makes a living doing the Mafia’s dirty work in New York City. Infamously, he plays opposite a 13-year-old Natalie Portman, who plays a young girl mentored by Léon in her feature film debut. Portman has since described herself having a mixed relationship with the film, given its portrayal of the relationship between hers and Reno’s characters. Besson’s then-wife — who was 16 years old when the film was made — has said it was inspired by their relationship.

With regard to films about assassins, however, there’s no denying that “Léon” is among the very best in terms of direction, choreography, and performance. It’s also arguably Besson’s best film to date.

While “No Country for Old Men” was a western that featured assassins and hired guns in supporting roles, “Unforgiven” places them at the center of the narrative. It begins with a horrible and vicious assault on a sex worker, which leaves her scarred and deeply traumatized. When the women who work with her learn that the town sheriff (Gene Hackman) will only fine her attacker, they pool their money together to entice hitmen from out of town to exact their revenge.

A few states away, retired killer Will Munny (Clint Eastwood, who also produces and directs) hears about the reward. Despite his desire to raise his children in a morally upright way, his financial needs are too dire to ignore this opportunity. He thus leaves home for one last job, alongside his old friend and colleague Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman).

“Unforgiven” is a slow but very rewarding burn that builds to its devastating finale step by step. As Will continues his journey back toward bloodshot and violence, Eastwood strips him of his morality in the stark and brutal ways only he can. Be advised, the film is not an easy watch, but fans of assassin films and westerns alike will surely appreciate its unflinching approach to the darkest parts of these genres.

In some respects, it would have been more appropriate to include the original “John Wick” film on this list, not least of all because it in large part shaped the last 10 years of popular action cinema in America. But to do so at the expense of its most recent and perhaps final installment would be to dismiss the latter film’s supreme quality, as well as the series’ remarkable ability to top itself with each new entry.

Having been dragged back into the colorful criminal underworld he left behind by the deaths of his wife and dog, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has ultimately found himself at odds with powerful figures. Unfortunately for them, no character in modern cinema (or perhaps cinema at large) thrives on vengeance and conflict like the Baba Yaga. In the face of hundreds of assassins and a global organization with unlimited resources, John embarks on a multi-continental quest to slay those that would rob him of his freedom.

From start to finish, “John Wick: Chapter 4” is a masterstroke of modern action filmmaking by director Chad Stahelski, capturing the series’ trademark kinetic fight sequences in new and surprising ways while carrying an ambitious story that borders on the epic. It’s a breathless 169 minutes that refuses to let you go for even a moment, particularly during its awe-inspiring Parisian finale that sets a new standard for action set pieces moving forward.

Okay. We admit it. We’re kind of cheating here. Though “Kill Bill” was initially conceived of as a single film, writer-director Quentin Tarantino did ultimately release it in two volumes. But in our defense, the only people who’d be upset by this decision to list it as one entry are almost certainly those who have yet to witness what is without a doubt one of the greatest action stories ever told.

For those that count themselves among this group, “Kill Bill” stars Uma Thurman as “The Bride,” an ex-assassin who plans to leave her life of violence behind for love. This plan is slain almost as soon as its begun, along with her fiance and the guests of her wedding. The culprits, of course, are her former killer colleagues — as well as her boss, ex-lover, and the father of her unborn child, Bill (David Carradine). With a single shot to the head, Bill believes he’s put an end to The Bride. When she wakes up years later in a hospital, however, not a single obstacle will stop her from killing every last person responsible for her sorrow.

“Kill Bill” sees Tarantino using his unique talents, influence, and quirks debatably to their greatest effect. It is a story that simply could not be told by any other filmmaker, and exists as an endlessly exciting and surprisingly emotionally effective work of art that more than deserves the killer reputation that precedes it.

Aside from the fact that they feature assassins in prominent or leading roles, one thing the vast majority of films on this list share in common is that they would not exist without the influence of director John Woo or his seminal 1989 classic “The Killer.” Produced in the preeminent action filmmaker’s home country of Hong Kong, it follows a contract killer (martial arts legend Chow Yun-fat) who finds himself consumed by guilt after he unintentionally blinds a woman (Sally Yeh) during what is supposed to be his final job. In order to save both her sight and his own conscience, he must remain an assassin until he can pay for her medical procedure.

It’s nearly impossible to do justice to the astounding fight choreography and direction with mere words, as the cast flawlessly executes masterfully constructed contests of skill that still surpass those seen in most modern action films. But what makes “The Killer” even more extraordinary is that this technical work and violent spectacle are layered on a story that, even without the shoot-outs and fist fights, would be emotionally captivating as a simple psychological drama. Though its legacy is only marginally tarnished by Woo’s remake of the series for Peacock, “The Killer” is unquestionably a historic and unimpeachable action film, and is in our opinion the greatest assassin movie ever made.