Assassins

Mathieu Kassovitz followed up his phenomenal piece of zeitgesit La Haine with this poignant and striking film, in which he co-stars with cinematic giant Michel Serrault.

Serrault effortlessly dominates the screen in both a charismatic and restrained performance as the aging assassin, Mr Wagner, desperate to impart all that he knows to the young and reckless Max (Kassovitz).

Kassovitz continues to refine and define his directorial style, drawing upon important political and sociological parallels, whilst assembling actors at the very peak of their professions.

If the explosive La Haine offered us glimpses of Kasovitz’s raw talents, then this, his enigmatic follow-up, should certainly be considered cementation of his credentials as a masterful director, with tight, calm control of his material.

Not to be confused with Sly Stallone’s Hollywood blockbuster, Assassins, which came out two years earlier nor Mathieu Kassovitz’s initial short version of the film made in 1992.

Part of Cinémoi’s Michel Serrault Season