'The Assassin' review: A razor-sharp spy thriller that redefines the genre with Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore
A trail of expertly executed hits sets the tone for The Assassin, a fresh entry in the spy thriller genre that makes its ambition known from the outset. A masked figure takes down a line of armed guards with brutal precision, but the genre’s well-worn tropes are swiftly disrupted once the mask is removed. What follows is not a man on a mission, but Julie — a female assassin played by Keeley Hawes — who stashes away a positive pregnancy test in her tactical suit, with an expression that reads more like resignation than joy. Keeley Hawes stars in The Assassin, a bold, twisty spy thriller blending action, wit, and family tension across Europe in a genre-defying series. The Assassin Several decades later, Julie has traded silenced pistols for seaside silence in a sleepy Greek village, seemingly retired and trying to dodge a group of football-playing local children rather than professional killers. Yet danger doesn’t take retirement lightly, and neither does Julie. Her pa...