Assassination Games

Right now you can watch Assassination Games on streaming — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 464 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Jean-Claude Van Damme sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Assassination Games is worth clearing space for. The plotting gives Assassination Games its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. Brazil is a contract killer, willing to take any job if the price is right. Flint left the assassin game when a ruthless drug dealer’s brutal attack left his wife in a coma. When a contract is put out on the same coldblooded drug dealer, both Brazil and Flint want him dead – one for the money, the other for revenge. Jean-Claude Van Damme and Scott Adkins lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2011. Assassination Games is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in Assassination Games. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Jean-Claude Van Damme anchors it, but the writing does the real work. If you are going to commit to one crime drama this month, make it this one.