Killshot

This movie has many of the elements I like. The story begins before the opening credits run. There are characters to like and dislike. The music is good. The story is compelling, and the ending is satisfying (even if you do see it coming).

Mickey Rourke plays a jaded hit man. He is very easy to dislike. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays his over-amped protege. His character is so repulsive that I actually enjoyed hating him. Characters that draw that kind of emotion from an audience is good story-telling.

Diane Lane is still a fun actress to watch. She has the looks and the skills to hold at least half the audience. She plays first a witness and then the hunted prey here, and pulls it off well. Thomas Jane, yes The Punisher himself, plays her estranged husband who happens to also be a witness hunted by the two assassins. Witness protection is only a program in this movie, not an actual fact.

It is true that this project went through several changes before we got the current vision. I can't really picture any of the other duos pulling this off with such gusto however. Robert DiNiro and Quenton Tarantino? I don't think so. Viggo Mortenson and Justin Timberlake? Ew. Thank you Disney for selling the rights to this story.

Watch this movie with someone who will see another good performance from an aging Rourke and not the creepy guy who showed up at the Oscars in a white tux.