Arrow: League of Assassins

**Arrow: League of Assassins**was a 2009 superhero action film based on the DC Comics superhero, Green Arrow. The film starred Christian Bale, Morena Baccarin, Ray Stevenson, Jillian Murray, Taylor Schilling, Jay Ryan, Liev Schreiber, Ken Leung, Eliza Dushku, Chiaki Kuriyama, Ben Browder, and Brad Garrett. The film was released worldwide on February 6, 2009 and received mixed-to-average reviews and was a box office success, grossing $934.4 million worldwide, a 50% increase of the last film's box office.

## Plot

*The film is presented in a nonlinear narrative, jumping between the present and past. This is a linear summary of the plot.*
7 years ago, two years after the Queen's Gambit sunk, Oliver is in Hong Kong working missions for A.R.G.U.S. without being able to contact the outside world. Oliver works with Maseo Yamashiro and his wife Tatsu. The Yamashiro's also have a ten-year-old son named Akio. Oliver, Maseo, and Tatsu go after the Chinese mob who have a virus that could cause thousands to die in Hong Kong. They manage to collect it but they are stopped by American General Matthew Shrieve who plans to release it to Hong Kong to see it's effects. They steal the vaccine and give it to themselves and Akio and try to stop Shrieve, however the virus is release. Akio's body is too young for the vaccine and he dies. Oliver and Maseo then kill Shrieve. Akio's death makes Oliver go to Coast City instead of home as he feels as though he cannot return to his family this way, while Tatsu and Maseo go their seperate ways.

Two years after Slade's attack on Star City, Oliver, Roy, Felicity, and Diggle continue to help the city while Thea is training with Malcolm in Corto Maltese. Quentin's heart condition is doing bad but he is promoted to Captain of the SCPD. Sara visits Laurel but she is killed by an unseen person with arrows. Laurel grieves her sister but tells Oliver and his team to not tell Quentin, because of his heart condition. The League of Assassins, the group Sara was a member of, tells Oliver to find and hand over Sara's killer in two days or else they kill fifty people every day until they do. Oliver learns that Thea was drugged by Malcolm to kill Sara and does not remember the event. Malcolm has video of the event that he will show to Ra's al Ghul, the leader of the League, unless Oliver turns himself in and challenges Ra's to a trial by combat, which no one has ever beat Ra's at. Nyssa does not believe Oliver would kill Sara but Oliver insists it was him.

Oliver and Ra's fight but Oliver is beat and thrown off the cliff, presumably to his death. One month later, Ray Palmer has taken over and turned Queen Consolidated into Palmer Technologies, with Felicity as his personal assistant, with the two also dating. Diggle and Roy have taken over stopping crime while Thea and Malcolm have returned to Star City. Laurel has taken up Sara's mantle and is calling herself the Black Canary. However, it is revealed that Oliver has survived and is being taken care of by Tatsu and Maseo, who is a member of the League of Assassins. Oliver returns to Star City and goes back to being the Arrow. However, Ra's learns Oliver has survived his wrath and decides to give Oliver the title of Ra's al Ghul.

Ra's starts by framing the Arrow for murder. Roy decides to pose as the Arrow and is put into prison. The team gets a befriended prison guard to pretend to kill Roy, who leaves Star City and Thea, who he had begun dating again. Ra's discovers Thea killed Sara and stabs her, nearly killing her. Oliver finds her and travels to Nanda Parbat, the home of the League, to use their magic Lazarus Pit, which can heal people and has been keeping Ra's young for hundreds of years. Ra's agrees to help Thea in exchange for Oliver becoming Ra's. Oliver takes the deal.

Thea is healed but due to the resurrection has a "Bloodlust", the urge to kill everyday. Malcolm tries to help Thea with her bloodlust, but she does not want the help. Oliver is seemingly brainwashed by Ra's for training and proceeds to travel with Ra's and Nyssa to Star City to release the Alpha-Omega virus, the same one from Hong Kong, upon Star City to kill everyone there. Oliver is revealed to have tricking Ra's and gets back with his team and Nyssa to stop Ra's, learning he wants Star City destroyed because his worst enemy, Damien Darhk, lives there. The team manages to stop Ra's along with Ray, who has built an exosuit calling himself the Atom. Felicity breaks up with Ray after realizing her feelings for Oliver, who she leaves Star City with. Diggle, Laurel, and Thea become Star City's protectors.

In a mid-credits scene, Ray tries to shrink his suit but an explosion occurs, killing himself. In a post-credits scene, Malcolm is now Ra's al Ghul, angering Nyssa, who promises vengence for Sara.

## Cast

* Christian Bale as Oliver Queen/The Arrow
* Morena Baccarin as Laurel Lance/Black Canary
* Ray Stevenson as John Diggle
* Jillian Murray as Felicity Smoak
* Taylor Schilling as Thea Queen
* Jay Ryan as Roy Harper/Arsenal
* Liev Schreiber as Ra's al Ghul
* Ken Leung as Maseo Yamashiro
* James Marsden as Ray Palmer
* Eliza Dushku as Nyssa al Ghul
* Chiaki Kuriyama as Tatsu Yamashiro
* Ben Browder as Quentin Lance
* Brad Garrett as Malcolm Merlyn

## Reception

### **Box office**

The film grossed $934,416,487 worldwide, $301,959,197 in the United States, and $632,457,290 in foreign areas.

### **Critical reception**

*Arrow: League of Assassins* recieved mixed-to-average reviews. The film currently holds a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 59 out of 100 on Metacritic.