With George Clooney’s The American, we take a look at five of the greatest movie Assassins
Michael Sullivan in Road to Perdition
Cold, calculated and but at heart a family man, Tom Hanks made a surprising turn as Michael Sullivan, a character who is not afraid to get his hands dirty. The final confrontation between Hanks and Paul Newman in the rain-soaked street is an intense and memorable scene with Hanks proving his versatility; he even manages to pull off the moustache look quite nicely.
Vincent in Collateral
Forget his Orpah antics, Cruise delivered one of his best performances and his standout of the last decade as Vincent, an impulsive assassin, going with the flow or whatever. He’ll chuck a fat Angelino out the window without batting an eyelid…
Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men
Striking fear into any heart that lays eyes on his bowl haircut. Anton leaves fate to decide whether to kill his victims or not. Deservedly winning an Oscar for the role, Javier Barden creates one of the greatest villains of all time.
The Bride in Kill Bill
She sliced her way through 88 trained samurais and even manges tomake someone’s heart explode by finger-tapping their chest, the Bride is fuelled by bloody vengeance, until she gets all weepy eyed at the end… Still she remains one of Quentin Tarantino‘s greatest creations.
Leon in Leon
The years of murder and mysterious solitude have clearly taken their toll on Leon (Reno), a troubled assassin in New York. His best friend is a rubber plant and his pastimes include being bullied by 12-year-old orphan Matilda (Natalie Portman). He does, however, dispatch his victims with lethal efficiency and has been known to hang upside-down from the ceiling and let rip with an automatic weapon in each hand.