dromasca Violent thrillers are yet a rather unexplored territory for the big screen Israeli cinema, and I really wonder why. The Israeli reality even if we put aside the political conflict is quite violent at least if one follows the news. While thrillers and detective stories made their way to the TV series, there are very few productions of the genres on big screens. Kirot (which means Walls, although the English title is The Assassin Next Door) is already four years old, and is one of the rare productions in the genre. It is almost a good one, but ...There was no problem for the script writers to extract the medium and the characters that populate the movie. Local mafia is said to be in control of the sex industry, and many of the characters that populate it are of Russian origin, and the sex workers are also coming in numbers from the less fortunate countries of the former Soviet Union. So a former prostitute forced by the Russian mafia to become a killer does not seem to be an extraordinary story. Even less is exceptional the case of the young woman victim of domestic violence, with simple and naive dreams that are never to be fulfilled. These two characters acted by Olga Kurylenko and local rock star Ninette Tayeb are naturally drawn to each other by a shared record of violence and social injustice, by a lack of hope that makes their fate almost unavoidable. The best scenes of the film are the ones where the two get to know each other wining over the distrust and the differences in language and background, starting to trust, then become friends and eventually share fate. The rather non-professional acting backgrounds of both actresses help, bringing freshness, sincerity and emotion in the building relation between the two.The story around is quite expected, and not badly written with the exception of the final which is unrealistic from many respects. The combination of woman killer, women in distress helping each other against violence, mafia movies, all in an Israeli margin-of-the-society environment works well because if does not take over the film, while keeping the interest of the viewers arise and balancing the story so that it does not become too melodramatic. Director Danny Lerner at his second film (he did not make any other film since then) shows quite a talent in directing actors, setting the camera at the right places, building a credible environment an Israeli can recognize. But here is the problem - there was enough good material in the film to make a more blunt social statement, or use some more striking expressive means. Danny Lerner did not undertake this challenge. Daring more and pushing the limits would have helped the film step ahead of the line. It is a decent film, a decent directorial job, and so it risks to be remembered (if at all) - decent, but not more.

effigiebronze This movie reminds me more of Abel Ferrara's MS 45 than anything else. Also, it achieves the impossible: I no longer have the slightest interest in seeing Olga Kurylenko naked.I rated this flicker higher than I normally would, partly because it's a character study grafted onto a shoot 'em up, a sort of sub-genre I'm a sucker for, and mostly for Kurylenko's visceral performance. The action elements are rote and banal; the real interest here is the interplay between the two female characters.Ultimately, despite the tiresome elements, it worked for me as a brutal indictment of the treatment of women in patriarchal societies, of which modern Israel is as guilty as many other supposedly less enlightened places. The crucial opening scene is, I hate to say, dead on and made me cringe; the only change I would have made was turning the Semitic-appearing men into pasty dimwits from New Jersey in Israel on 'religious study'.Most people don't know Israel, particularly Tel Aviv, is a major trafficking point, with the usual merchandise, i. e. poverty-stricken Ukrainian and Moldovian women. Knowing Kurylenko's background (provincial Ukrainian), her performance makes more sense, and is a stunner; I think personally the inconsistencies in her acting are due more to a scatter-shot script than her own skills; although, I gotta question whether she was actually 'acting' as such. This movie and role had to, had to, hit home for Kurylenko. She pulls a scary performance out of her stylish leather coat.Personally, for me, I've spent time around these people in real life; and the guys are just as bafflingly evil as depicted in this movie, the women just as bafflingly confused. The subject material is depressing in the extreme, I guess. The moment where this movie hit me is a scene on a bus, in which Kurylenko is either scrubbed of makeup or made up to look that way; and I realized with a shock she is a dead ringer for someone I once met in real life, right down to the clothes. That woman is now undoubtedly dead.Watch it for the schizoid movie it is: half popcorn, half deadly serious.

kosmasp The action is pretty decent and it stays true to it's origins (language wise, you will hear a few languages spoken throughout the entire movie). It has a strong leading performance by Olga K. (also known for her role in the most recent Bond movie, not that much for her Hit-man turn-up). Apart from that you have good to decent acting throughout, but a few scenes fall short of the premise.This is a very sensible theme and the director did a decent job in portraying that. Still there are quite a few flaws (like length and dialogue choices, clichés) that might hinder you from rating this movie higher. Than again, I just read a 10/10 review and the user sounded pretty convincing. So it's up to you, if you see more than I did or agree with me

keremrs This film is really good. Although there is more than enough adrenaline , I don't think of it as an action flick. The story and the characters are very good. The human aspect of the story is very well conceived. Everything is brutally natural and realistic. Although there are some scenes with some problems, I was so grasped by the film that I didn't care. Although the story is kinda sad, it is never boring. The cast and especially Olga Kurylenko is very good too. Some may say the opposite but yes; I do believe that an ordinary woman without a specific background can be a hired gun as good as Galia. (Dont worry, this is not a spoiler) There are many things in every scene that is so familiar with everyday life but also striking. The "trivialised" woman trafficking and prostitution could not be told any better without the audience looking away once in every 10 minutes. The directing hides itself behind the natural flow of the story but silent quality of storytelling is in every scene. If you are looking for an "entertaining" action movie with a lot of bloodshed, this one is not for you (except for the bloodshed) Well done to all the crew.