Top 20 Deadliest Movie Assassins
#20: Fox
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“Wanted” (2008) Practically every member of this bullet-curving Fraternity of assassins impresses, but Fox is especially skilled. As skilled as she is gorgeous (and she’s played by Angelina Jolie, folks!), Fox’s skills with guns and behind the wheel of a car are superhuman to an even greater degree. While she initially carries out her duties to kill future threats to the world, when Fox learns of the corruption of their Fraternity, she turns on her former comrades to fulfill the prophecies they once adhered to - even at the cost of her own life. Deadly, beautiful, and a woman of principle? The best ones always go too soon…
#19: Donald “Red” Grant
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“From Russia with Love” (1963) James Bond has faced many memorable assassins through the years. While it was tempting to choose the great Francisco Scaramanga, the fabled man with the golden gun, [xref] our pick goes to Donald “Red” Grant. An agent of SPECTRE, Grant is charged with shadowing 007 while he pursues a cryptography device; killing anyone who threatens Bond. Of course, that protection only lasts until Bond gets the item - then Grant is prepared to kill him. While Bond manages to use subterfuge to get the drop on him, leading to a brilliant fight scene, Grant still proves a challenging adversary. Ruthless, efficient, and very intelligent, Grant sets the bar high for every killer 007 faces.
#18: Martin Q. Blank
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“Grosse Pointe Blank” (1997) Martin Q. Blank is a professional hitman - he’s got a secretary and everything! However, he’s also pretty neurotic, despite his “moral flexibility.” Attending his high school reunion and rekindling his romance with his ex, Debi, leads Martin to reexamine his life choices and respect for life. Unfortunately, his work follows him, as some of his competitors, as well as some government agents, pursue him and a contract on Debi’s dad. The contrast between Martin’s blasé attitude and his aptitude with violence makes for great comedy, and for an entertaining movie assassin.
#17: Noah “Il Duce” MacManus
“The Boondock Saints” (1999) When a pair of Irish American brothers, Connor and Murphy, decide to rid Boston of organized crime, local mobster Papa Joe calls on assassin Noah “Il Duce” MacManus to deal with them. Il Duce ambushes the duo and their friend Rocco in an epic firefight. They make it out alive, but the trio later walks into a trap and Rocco is killed. However, when Il Duce is prepared to kill the brothers, their prayer reveals to him that they’re his sons, and he joins them in their crusade against crime. The elder MacManus’s iconic look and fearsome expertise with firearms cement him as one of the best parts of “The Boondock Saints.”
#16: Sergeant Raymond Shaw
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“The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) Not every assassin is a willing one. Sergeant Raymond Shaw is hailed as a hero after he seemingly returns from saving most of his army platoon in China. However, his surviving comrade Major Bennett Marco gradually recalls and uncovers that Shaw was brainwashed as a sleeper agent. Shaw was forced to kill their fellow soldiers and is poised to be used against American politicians, by his own mother, no less! Shaw’s conditioning forces him to kill his stepfather’s political rivals, whom he grows close to, while having no memory of it. While Marco manages to partially deprogram Shaw, he still carries out an assassination - on his mother and stepfather instead. Shaw’s status as an unwitting killer has proven influential, but there’s no replacing the original.
#15: The Jackal
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“The Day of the Jackal” (1973) A consummate professional, this unnamed British assassin is known primarily by the alias “the Jackal.” The Jackal is contacted by OAS, a paramilitary organization, who hire him to assassinate Charles de Gaulle, president of France, after their first attempt fails. The Jackal is meticulous in his preparations to kill de Gaulle and ruthless in his dispatch of anyone who stands to expose him. He very nearly succeeds in his attempt on the president’s life, but he’s foiled at the last minute and shot by the police. Charming, pernicious, and competent, the Jackal is a model movie assassin, and one of the better professional killer villains.
#14: Ah Jong
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“The Killer” (1989) A longtime hitman who works for and against the Hong Kong triads, Ah Jong’s life is changed after he accidentally blinds a singer, Jennie, on one of his jobs. Falling for her and desperate to restore her sight, Ah Jong takes one last job to afford an operation. However, when his employers try to kill him instead of paying him, things turn tragic for everyone. Ah Jong’s fate may be heartbreaking, if karmic, but his final battles reveal him as a killer with a code, whose charisma is great enough to even win over the detective trying to catch him! Plus, he plays a mean harmonica!
#13: Lorraine Broughton
“Atomic Blonde” (2017) An MI6 agent at the tail end of the Cold War, Lorraine Broughton is sent to Berlin right on the cusp of the Wall coming down. Tasked with retrieving a list of covert agents and uncovering a traitor known as “Satchel,” Broughton proves a deadly force to be reckoned with, fighting through numerous local thugs and proving a skilled driver. However, she herself is eventually revealed to be Satchel, and kills to protect the secret and frame a fellow MI6 operative for it. Of course, she’s also feeding false intel to the KGB as a triple agent for the CIA. While assassination may not be her job description, Broughton isn’t afraid to take out anyone who jeopardizes her mission or cover…make that covers.
#12: Bucky Barnes [aka the Winter Soldier]
“Marvel Cinematic Universe” (2008-) The long-presumed dead best friend of Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, Bucky Barnes was captured by HYDRA during WWII. Brainwashed as an assassin, given Super Soldier Serum and a cybernetic arm, and preserved in ice, the killer dubbed the “Winter Soldier” has killed plenty over the decades. His attempts on Nick Fury’s life bring him back into Steve’s life before Bucky is brought back to himself. His tragic circumstances and oh-so-badass design make the Winter Soldier one of Marvel’s most fascinating heroes-turned-villains-turned-heroes. And his bromances with Steve and Steve’s eventual successor Sam Wilson are positively heart-melting.
#11: Joe
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“Looper” (2012) A member of a crime syndicate whose members send targets back in time to be killed by their younger selves, Joe is meant to close his loop when his older self is sent back. However, things take a turn when Old Joe thwarts him and goes on a rampage, seeking to kill the boy who will one day become a crime lord and kill his wife. The two versions of Joe are both great characters in their own rights, with the older version going down a darker path to save what he loves, while the younger version finds new meaning in protecting Old Joe’s target and his mother. Joe’s most important assassination ends up being himself, though not in the way time originally intended.
#10: John & Jane Smith
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“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (2005) This married couple are both highly-trained assassins. Neither of them is initially aware of the other’s profession, and both find their marriage dull and lifeless. However, after they encounter each other on the job, they get wise to each other’s other lives before their competing agencies order them to kill each other. Unexpectedly, Jane and John grow closer after their attempted hits, rekindling their romance and joining forces when their agencies do the same to kill them both. Clearly, they were threatened by how great of an assassin power couple they are - and rightly so, since the duo easily wipes the floor with the squads sent to kill them. You know what they say - a couple that slays together, stays together.
#9: Vincent
“Collateral” (2004) When Tom Cruise goes dark, he goes all the way! Vincent is a hitman who pays Max, a cab driver, to drive him around Los Angeles as he kills targets over the course of one night. The psychopathic assassin is brutal in his execution of his targets, though his evening is not without “collateral” damage. In between hits, Vincent waxes philosophical with Max, explaining his views on various topics. He may be divorced from most of his humanity, but some of Vincent’s views on topics like putting off one’s dreams cut surprisingly deep. Vincent eventually pushes Max too far, though, and the duo end up in a face-off that leads to Vincent’s death.
#8: Nikita
“La Femme Nikita” (1990) The titular Nikita is given a choice between a grave and life as an assassin by a shadowy government agency after she’s convicted of murder while in withdrawal. After her training, the newfound literal femme fatale excels at her chosen profession, although she struggles with maintaining a double life and keeping what she does from her boyfriend, Marco. Some close calls and the exposure of her profession to Marco ultimately force her to disappear. Still, Nikita’s time as a hitwoman makes her one of the most memorable female assassins in cinema.
#7: The Operative
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“Serenity” (2005) This nameless government assassin is sent after psychic River Tam, and the secrets she may have learned from reading the minds of higher-ups. Soft-spoken and extremely capable with a sword, the Operative proves a worthy adversary to the crew of the Serenity. Fully aware of how monstrous he is, but nevertheless devoted to creating peace through atrocities, the Operative hopes for a better world. He bests captain Mal Reynolds in personal combat several times. However, in their last confrontation, Mal gets the drop on him and shows him his truest desire - a world without sin. The Operative is a fascinating character, in that he ultimately realizes that the government he serves and his ideals aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
#6: Jason Bourne
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“Jason Bourne” franchise (2002-) Speaking of government assassins, one of the biggest names in the game is Jason Bourne. Recruited into the Treadstone program, Bourne, or David Webb, as he was first known, is molded into an efficient assassin. Following a career of killing several foreign government officials and leaders, Bourne loses his memory and spends most of his time evading his own government and former handlers, all while trying to uncover his life before. Bourne can handle any vehicle he gets behind the wheel of, is fluent in multiple languages, and he can turn any household object into a weapon. His pursuit of the truth is rarely easy, but his skills and desire to atone for a past he can’t remember make him a great protagonist.
#5: Natasha Romanoff [aka Black Widow]
“Marvel Cinematic Universe” (2008-) The MCU has a plethora of assassins, but our pick for the best can only go to Natasha Romanoff, the quintessential Black Widow. This Avenger is a former assassin who has plenty of red in her ledger. However, her onscreen appearances mostly sees her saving the world. Romanoff is adept in psychological warfare, infiltration, firearms, assassination, and hand-to-hand combat, with her famous scissor move being a particular specialty. Seeing her go from an indoctrinated child spy to a hero that saves the whole universe makes for one incredible character journey, and even now we still want more Black Widow.
#4: Léon
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“Léon: The Professional” (1994) Léon is a “cleaner,” a professional hitman. He’s very experienced and knows all the ins and outs, and can be downright terrifying when he wants to be. However, he’s also alone, with only a plant for company. That is, until a little girl named Mathilda turns up on his doorstep after her family is killed. Léon shows her the ropes of the assassin lifestyle. However, the unlikely pair is eventually tracked down by Norman Stansfield, the corrupt DEA agent that killed Mathilda’s family. Léon dies taking out Stansfield and saving Mathilda. He’s the quintessential hitman with a heart of gold, and his shine has never dulled.
#3: Anton Chigurh
“No Country for Old Men” (2007) On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Anton Chigurh. An implacable psychopathic assassin, Chigurh is like a force of nature. Vicious, sadistic, and adept with both tracking and killing, Chigurh is one of film’s greatest villains. Once he has his mind set on someone dying, he can’t be reasoned with or diverted. The only way to escape Chigurh’s wrath is through random chance, with a coin flip giving his victims a 50/50 shot at seeing tomorrow. We’d say he’s like Death himself, but even the Grim Reaper wouldn’t be caught with that haircut.
#2: Beatrix Kiddo [aka the Bride, aka Black Mamba]
“Kill Bill Volume 1” & “Volume 2” (2003-04) Once a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, Beatrix Kiddo attempts to retire after becoming pregnant with the titular Bill’s child. However, a shot to the head at her wedding, the supposed loss of her child, and one coma later, and “the Bride” is out for vengeance against Bill and her former colleagues. Beatrix’s looks are iconic, her prowess with martial arts and a samurai sword are legendary, and she even survives being buried alive! We may not see much of her on the job, but if her roaring rampage of revenge is anything to go by, Black Mamba was as lethal as her namesake.
#1: John Wick
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“John Wick” franchise (2014-) In the world of the “John Wick” series, you can’t throw a rock without hitting an assassin. John Wick is the killer that makes all others either reconsider their profession or fanboy out about him as much as we do! They call him Baba Yaga, the Boogeyman, for good reason! He’s got several hundred confirmed kills, and until the organization of assassins that runs his world finds someone more badass than him, that number’s only going up! While he may take his share of beatings, John Wick is unstoppable! Knives, guns, books, pencils - put something in the man’s hands, and he’ll kill someone with it. John Wick is the assassin’s assassin, the uber-hitman - the definite article.
