165 Of The Best Assassin Movies To Get Your Thrills

Surrounded by legends, the sect of Assassins (or Nizaris as they were initially known) operated in the Middle East from around 638 A.D. Being a small and outnumbered group of religious outcasts, the Nizaris had to perfect their combat skills and make them sufficient to infiltrate their enemies’ ranks, kill, and submit to torture or death if need be. Their unbelievable fighting techniques made the western onlookers, such as Marco Polo, create plenty of embellished legends, trying to explain their abilities and viciousness. But, of course, the most straightforward explanation to their abilities was substance use, and thus came the name Assassins, derived from the Arabic Hashishin, or “hashish users.” However, there’s no actual proof of the Nizaris’ use of such drugs, but it is precisely how the term came to be. Eventually, the English word came to be associated with paid murderers, and the rest is history.

Now, thankfully, we don’t really have to deal with assassins in our lives, but that doesn’t stop us from getting a fair portion of thrills by watching them on the silver screen. And though one might think it’s quite immoral to get a kick out of watching a hitman go about their day, the explanation of why we love it could be much simpler. First of all, assassin movies are a fantasy (at least on some level) – we, regular folk, would never even think of becoming a paid murderer! Second, it’s always mesmerizing to watch a professional do their work, especially so when it involves inherently cool stuff, like fighting techniques. The more impossible those techniques seem, the more we love them. Third, it’s a part of human nature to be mesmerized by something that defies all human limits, and we can’t help but imagine how cool we’d look in their place. And finally, assassin movies usually depict their protagonists (or should it be ‘antagonist,’ when talking about hired killers?) in a very desirable way – fearless, determined, unwavering, and unfaltering – qualities we’d all love to have.

So, get ready for some excellent titillation, as here’s our list of the best assassin movies that have ever graced our screens. Pick one, or watch them all; these action movies will leave you spellbound and wishing for more. What’s more, there’s a thriller for anyone’s taste – from such blockbusters as the John Wick series, to more obscure ones as No Country For Old Men, and classic ones as the Thirteen Assassins, you’ll definitely find what you’re looking for in our list. There’s just one more thing to do, and it’s to scroll down below, check out the greatest assassin movies, vote on the ones that deserve to be at the top, and share this article with your thrill-loving friends.

#1 John Wick

Starring the internet’s boyfriend Keanu Reeves, this neo-noir action thriller could be in the first place on our list just because of that. But it’s way more than ‘just another assassin movie’! With fights inspired by those in anime and martial art movies, with aesthetics and the general mood borrowed from spaghetti westerns, and some of the greatest thriller movies, John Wick is in a category of its own. Dark, gritty, and action-packed, this one is one of our all-time favorites.