An action movie can pump up your adrenaline providing the audience with a jolt of excitement that otherwise they would never dare experience. Let’s face it, people love to see things get blown up or watch a raging gunfight. By people, of course, I am referring to that subset of the population with a Y chromosome; males. There are some women that enjoy a good action flick, for example my wife would much rather watch a ‘Die Hard’ movie than any ‘chick flick’. There are more themes to drive an action movie than you could possibly count. Action and adventure films are able to overlap many other genres and as such are one of the more versatile formats in cinema. One of the more popular directions for this kind of movie to take is the assassin. They are paid to be cold blooded killers and are capable of taking a human life with out a moment of regret. They are murders for hire and will take on an assignment if the price is right. In film there are two basic variations of this theme. One is the mob killer the other works for a much larger organization; the government. Typically when the government becomes involved in the story there is a good sized dollop of conspiracy theories that targets an entirely different demographic of viewers. In the vast majority of cases the assassin is a man. With is cold, dead eyes he tracks his prey until the circumstances are right for the kill. This is the more conventional way to go since men are traditionally seen as the hunter in even the most primitive of cultures. During the many years that ‘assassin flicks’ have been around a few have deviated from this norm by having a woman as the killer. This thematic variation has been around long enough that there are a few benchmark movies to set the standards. One is ‘La Femme Nikita’. It has shown its leadership in the genre with a television show, ‘Nikita’ and an American remake, ‘Point of No Return’, following it. Trying to extend this type of film is ‘Contract Killers’ by film maker Justin B. Rhodes. While Nikita has nothing to worry about and will maintain her place as the queen of the cinema assassins this movie gives her a reasonable run for her money. It will never be on any top film list and there are a number of technical missteps made but when it comes down to action and a beautiful woman in the middle of it the flick delivers. As is the case with an increasing number of independent films this one is making its premier with a straight to DVD release. In this modern era of internet and video on demand many smaller films are taking this route to distribution. In this case the DVD is being released by one of the Indy world’s most noted companies; First Look Studio.

Tasked with the scripting chores are Ric Moxley and Justin B. Rhodes. Moxley has a decent history in writing for action oriented flicks. This is the first feature length screenplay after a few dramatic shorts Rhodes. The fundamental story is pretty familiar. Jane (Frida Show) is a successful killer for hire with one of the more covert sections within the CIA. She is at that point in life where she wants to have a chance at having a normal life. It is difficult to develop relationships when you have to go off and murder some stranger at the spur of the moment. Unfortunately for Jane she had become involved in a vast government cover up and the agency will do everything and anything to keep her under their control. It is a typical ‘just when I want to get out they pull me back in’ story. This plot device has been around for so long since it taps into some basic human emotions. The audience watching these stories is law abiding people who get a veracious thrill watching people flaunt the more basic civilized laws. When the protagonist wants to turn to a more socially acceptable path there is the eternal conflict of good versus evil at play. It becomes something that they can relate to; struggling with doing what is right.

Rhodes is also making his debut as a feature film director with this opus. He did direct a couple of his short scripts prior to this movie. In order for a story like this to work well it has to go beyond just mindless action. There has to be a character arch motivating the carnage. In this case it is Jane’s desperate need to give up killing and return to the life she had before she was recruited by the Agency. The CIA of film is not known too have a liberal retirement policy since any contract killer would know too much to be allowed to go out unhindered in the world. It is necessary for anyone breaking into a new profession to find a rhythm in the work. Mr. Rhodes is still working his pacing as seen here. The movie is uneven in places most notably where he tries to demonstrate the life that Jane left behind. This is just a matter of practice and he has the raw talent available that has to be given a chance to grow and develop.

The film opens with what could easily be the setting of a romantic dinner. There are candles still burning and the remains of a dinner on the table. On a closer look we see signs of some disruption. The wine glasses are overturned, a chair knocked on to its side. A man is sitting across from Jane and asks how work was; she replies dull. David (Jeremy Wood) tries to get up but falters. The shots go between this dinner and what apparently will happen soon; Jane on the floor with the wine dripping on her face. This is a little disconcerting to watch since the timeline is in flux without providing any foundation. It does serve to keep the audience off balance right from the start. We get more in to the present timeline as Jane struggles to get to her feet. The editing here is quick and jerky adding to the disorientation of the scene. In short order we discover that Jane has knowledge of the largest government conspiracy in history. Under no circumstances can she be allowed to leave their influence and control. To keep her in line they frame Jane for a murder; ironically one that she did not commit. This is a bit of a plot whole since her bosses have enough real murders on her so as not to have to devise one. There is the point that the agency doesn’t want any of her assignments to splash back on her.

The film is a reasonable action thriller. It is a popcorn flick that is fun to watch but there is so much more potential that is untapped. I look forward to watching the next movie from Rhodes to see how he progresses.