“Orphaned
and with a history of
bucking the system, a young American
is catapulted into the world of counter-
terrorism after his much loved fiancée
is brutally shot down in a terrorist attack
on holidaymakers on a Spanish beach,
and he seeks a dangerous and foolhardy
retribution in American Assassin...”
WHILE ON HOLIDAY TOGETHER IN SPAIN, former tearaway Mitch Rapp (an extraordinary
portrayal by Dylan O'Brien) proposes on the beach to his girlfriend Katrina
Harper (Charlotte Vega in an all too brief appearance).
But their happiness is short-lived. His dreams are shattered when terrorists
attack the beach, shooting randomly into the crowd and slaughtering anyone left
standing, including his beloved Katrina. Until he met her, he had lost interest
in almost everything after his parents were killed in a car crash…
“American
Assassin
is a fast-moving,
energetic and hugely
gripping thriller with the
relentless Dylan O’Brien
heading a remarkable
cast of believable
characters...”
A
devastated Mitch survives and gradually recovers from his physical injuries,
but he is left emotionally disturbed with an understandably obsessively bitter
lust for revenge. Eighteen months later, in Providence, Rhode Island, he hatches
a plan and begins to get himself into shape, learning how to shoot and how to
fight.
Spending hours on the Internet checking Islamic history, he allows himself to
be recruited into the terrorist cell he is convinced is responsible for Katrina's
death; but during a meeting in Tripoli, Libya, he discovers he is being tracked
by the CIA who raid the building and kill the extremists.
Impressed with his steadfastness but aware of his naïveté in thinking he would
get away with his ruse, Irene Kennedy (Sanaa Lathan), the Director in charge
of Counter Terrorism, wants Mitch to join her division of the CIA, a decision
reluctantly shared by fellow Director Tom Stansfield (David Suchet).
Following a gruelling selection process at Roanoke Valley, Virginia, during
which Mitch proves his determination and resilience under the extreme pressure
and daunting trials of ice-cold, iron-willed former US Navy SEAL Stan Hurley
(Michael Keaton), Mitch is ready for action.
And action it is all the way. The theft of Russian plutonium leads to the realisation
that someone is planning to build a nuclear bomb and the most likely culprits
are the Iranians.
Irene and Tom visit the Iranian Embassy in London and speak with Minister Behruz
(Navid Negahban) and General Rostami (Joseph Long), whom Tom instantly distrusts
and who strenuously denies having anything to do with the plutonium. But if
it is not the Iranians who are planning a nuclear strike then who is, and why
and where?
Having investigated a wave of apparently random attacks on military and civilian
targets, the CIA has recognised a pattern to the violence. As the mission crosses
boundaries of loyalties and trust with the odd red herring, Tom and his team
have to think quickly on their feet as they enter a frantic race to prevent
the mysterious operator from pressing the detonator to set off the Third World
War.
Based on the best-selling Vince Flynn (1966-2013) series of novels of the same
name and by it's nature sometimes exploding into violence, American Assassin
is a fast-moving, energetic and hugely gripping thriller with the relentless
Dylan O'Brien heading a remarkable cast of believable characters.
American Assassin also features: Shiva Negar as Annika; Taylor Kitsch
as Ghost; Scott Adkins as Victor; Alaa Safi as Javeed; Khalid Laith as Sharif;
Mohammad Bakri as Ashani; and Shahid Ahmed as Adnan Al-Mansur; and Sharif Dorani
as Iranian Nuclear Physicist. Stunt Co-ordinator Buster Reeves also appears
as The Martial Arts Instructor.
Music is by Steven Price; Director of Photography is Enrique Chediak, ASC; Screenplay
by Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz; Produced
by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, pga, and Nick Wechsler, pga; and Directed by Michael
Cuesta.
*
Packed
with epic action scenes that will set your heart thumping, the brutal espionage
thriller American Assassin is released on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD and VOD
by Lionsgate in the UK on 15 January 2018 (the movie will also be available
to download on 8 January 2018). Certificate: 18 | Running Time: 111 Minutes.
DVD Special Feature — Alamo Drafthouse Q&A
BD/UHD Features — Target Acquired: Creating an American Assassin | Finding
Mitch Rapp: Dylan O'Brien | Transfer of Power: Hurley & Ghost | Weaponized:
Training & Stunts | In The Field: Locations | Alamo Drafthouse Q&A.
"American Assassin is a fast-moving, energetic and hugely gripping thriller
with the relentless Dylan O'Brien heading a remarkable cast of believable characters"
— Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“Orphaned
and with a history of