By Martin Unsworth
Morgan (Henry Golding) is a gun-for-hire hoping to quit the day job and settle down with his girlfriend Sophie (Daniela Melchoir). He’s reluctantly brought back when he’s told by Caldwell (Sam Neill) that he’s been tasked to dispatch seven other assassins. Unfortunately for Morgan, they have the same assignment.
On paper, Assassin Club has all the hallmarks of a John Wick-esque thrill ride. In reality, thanks to the meandering of Thomas Dunn’s script and the somewhat limp direction of Camille Delamarre (The Transporter Reloaded), we’re left with an overlong slog of a film with occasional flourishes. Sam Neill shines in his low-key performance but is wise enough to tap out mid-way. Unfortunately, Golding doesn’t have the screen presence to hold everything together (or perhaps he wisely realised he shouldn’t waste too much energy on the parts of the movie that don’t require guns or knives). Noomi Rapace (Prometheus) does her best in an intriguing dual role but, like everyone else, is let down by the material.
Despite some decent, if sporadic, set pieces, Assassin Club plods along from hit to hit. Long bouts of exposition that are directed with little flair or verve bring things to a snail’s pace, sadly.
Assassin Club is available to Buy On Digital in the US on May 16th and on DVD and Blu-ray June 6th.
