Lessons for an Assassin (2003)
Criminal Gavin Matthews finds himself an unwilling recruit, who's identity and past has been erased by "The Corporation," a secret underground organization that acts as a rogue "Justice Department," righting the wrongs the courts cannot. Now, held with other "recruits" at The Corporation's training and reeducation facility, Matthews and the others will become useful and professional assassins...or they will be eliminated. As his training is completed, Matthews and his trainer discover The Corporation's true purpose and learn they are to be eliminated when their assignment is complete. Now they must execute their own form of justice before it's too late.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
Being a movie buff as well as a martial artist for over 20 years I really liked this film. It is great to see the Lee legacy live on in a very beautiful woman such as Shannon Lee. The film not only had a lot of good martial arts sequences, but there are actually Jeet Kune Do martial art moves and techniques in this movie that only Bruce Lee used when he taught his students! Robert Vitelli gives an authentic and strong performance in his lead role as Gavin Mathews and is obviously a very experienced martial artist as well.I think anyone watching this film will enjoy the plots twists and turns as well as some kick butt action sequences!
I knew when I picked up the box that it would be a pretty bad movie. Still, I wanted to see Shannon Lee and the movie having Michael Dorn in it looked like it could be a sleeper. It wasn't...Shannon Lee and Michael Dorn did a good job with what they were given. The rest of the movie was pretty bad. I won't repeat what has already been said by others. They put it pretty well.I can see why the actors made the movie. It's easy for me to imagine reading the script and thinking that it had the potential to be better than it turned out to be. Too bad...If you like Shannon Lee, you may not be too disappointed with this movie. I'm glad that I picked it up, but wouldn't watch it again.
It was easy for me to think that a movie I've never heard of starring Shannon Lee with action choreography by Koichi Sakamoto would be cool. I wasn't expecting much. I was fine with an awful plot as long as the action was cool. But this IS a very bad film. It is extrmely slow moving, and there wasn't much reason to like Richard Vitalli who turned out ot be the star instead of Shannon. He is a very stupid character in this movie. It's amazing to see how he drastically changes through the course of the film. I realize it was supposed to be part of his character to be some lazy and incompotent man who becomes cool ala FEMME NIKITA, but it wasn't enjoyable here. Shannon has the best lines in the movie. She did her best to shine and to make this movie watchable. But the material she has to work with is so awful, that it hurts her performance. Seeing her fight again was great, but she had to go against very stupid stunt men who did not know how to fight. Koichi couldn't direct the action the way he usually does (DRIVE) because of this same problem. He didn't even have the rest of the Alpha Stunt Team with him. Action directors can't direct action by themselves. They have to have a team of other people. This is why guys like Yuen Woo Ping and Sammo Hung are so good at it.This is an unfortunate film that shows that the people involved must have needed money. Shannon Lee showed she had great potential to be an action star with ENTER THE EAGLES. This is not a good way to follow that movie up. Stick with that movie and DRIVE for real good action.
I had a coupon for a free movie rental and the movie looked like it might be interesting. I wish I could get my free rental coupon back. I would rather have watched "Battlefield Earth" again.