Asher

Together with the debuting screenwriter Jay Zaretsky, routine-minded director Michael Caton-Jones brings an ordinary (love) story about a solitary tired hitman who expects a better end-of-life than yet another murder order. Asher doesn’t innovate much more than other films, but Ron Perlman’s cool performance and some funny dialogues here and there push it above average level. A crime drama that doesn’t impress nor hurt. [Sitges 2018] (05.10.2018)

A slow but genuinely nice, empathetic and gentle thriller about an aging professional assassin who likes his daily solitary stereotype and work rituals and lives at his own pace. He is suddenly surprised by the chances of spending his twilight years living with a woman by his side. The film is basically like Ron Perlman himself. He is old school, a little tired and partly retired, but he still has it in him - black humor and style, the ability to impress with a correctly chosen grin, and being able to credibly portray the character of a rancher with an accurate line of sight. The film is directed a bit subtly by a director who is practically only capable of doing a gray routine, but it is surprisingly suitable for this material. The film is consistently above average, doesn’t rush and can impact in the right places. (06.10.2018)

Perlman gives Asher flair, Famke Janssen gives it fragility and Brooklyn never loses its appeal, but the story is a cliché. But it’s a cliché that works thanks to the three aforementioned aspects. The lower budget is palpable, but given the film’s low-key nature and focus solely on the characters, that doesn’t matter. (02.02.2020)