a few character-devices in-amongst the plot progression, but focuses fate well, and contrasts culpability with naivety.

Rating: 8/10 (23 April 2019)

When changing channels, i almost skipped this one entirely, thinking it was only going to be a action-gore-fest / thriller,
but after watching it all the way through, it turned out to be apart from a few seen-it-before character-development plot devices or perhaps from an original book, to theatre, to film, character changes?.. to match what some in movie audiences are used-to, of assassins/hit-men,
apart from a few of those, and without wasting any time on pointless on screen gratuities, that movies about wanna-be gangsters and lone-wolf tough guys, etc... sometimes gamble on and usually lose, in terms of the difference between disposable trash for sadists, compared to something with more of a yes-assassins-are-people-too , inclusive effect, of not quite humanising them, but portraying similarities, a, if not 'the' , were there one,.. a, human side of them,
yet this movie does do that, but not overly-sentimentally, in terms of time spent by the regretful/softie, creating filler for the production to save money, by being asked to spend minute after minute looking out of a window on a train, or into public spaces, with a tear running down their cheeks.
instead, this movie has the regretful/softie, having contrasting, conflicting, emotions, in shorter, reactive, social exchanges, in contrast with his mentor/immediate protector, more in line with true regret's evocative DEPTH, effects, rather than only temporary, supposedly 'passing' emotions, of all assassins.
That simplification of supposedly-all, is well brought down, by this movie, although one more thing, ( contrast of previous-betrayed peers ) could have added another sinister context to the exploitation of the fresh hit-man, that could have better portrayed the exploitation, the nothing-to-lose-since-we'll-just-blow-him-away , betrayal-dynamic that is often behind real world, and fictional, murder.
the focus, however, on the inconstant rather than under-control, emotions, of the fresh, unlucky hit-man, is quite effective as a critical-plot-dynamic, for,..
...if not all, then most of the rest of the writing's use of the differences between the two main characters, and the outside force, the demands from the ruthless bosses beyond/above, which although a kind of dead-end, of character development, since it's a bit of a tragedy, still allows for contrast rather than too similar personalities, that it ends up some homogeneous gang psychopathic-personality tough-talk wasted hour&1/2.
THAT, primarily, allowed it to keep some perhaps unrealistic, but unexpected interplay between the characters, so that as you were exposed to more of their differences, they got further apart naturally, in terms of where they were going, without there needing to be a plot-device AS WELL, as the noticeable theme parts that one might yawn at, from having seen before, and able to predict the ending.
if someone who likes NOT to be able to predict an ending, don't watch this movie, it will seem predictable and 2nd rate.
if however, you can appreciate mostly-seamless, natural acting, good cinematics, a little bit of action, natural production values for the setting to be believable, enter-able-INTO, in terms of being able to quickly get your bearings, rather than having to've read the book, etc...
then this is quite a good one, in terms of a natural setting X being-able-to-be-easily-followed , even if the for tragedy's sake cut version of a original book? or, perhaps not-too-complicated plot, the characters are a little heard-it-before , and the ending predictable.
---------------
one thing that adds a nice touch however, if that doesn't sound worth it, is a fate twist, in terms of re-birthing/reincarnation potentials, from potentials of shaping functions, compared to genetics, in a very broad sense, of UNKNOWNS, after death, intermixed in fate with the main fresh guilty character's inability to resolve his own - a OK is something stepping-in, to compensate for an accident twist, even though, it would be such a slight fate-tweaking, by whichever... that MOST of the movie's choices still seem determined by the main characters.
that happens in tragedies of course, but this one does not make it easy, for the character deserving his, the-gods-can't-agree good fortune, considering his line of employment, even tho he considers himself UNlucky.
quite a good contrast, compared to the culpable experienced immediate boss, and more ruthless one above him.
also good in that sense, in contrasting different kinds of opportunity, in terms of life & death issues, and fate in general, without being too gory, for a movie with assassins everywhere.