Majorthebys Charming and brutal

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

lobosolo0333 I truly wanted to rate this film higher but there are too many plot holes and the unreal, downright dumb ending made me mark it down. Overall, the plot was good but the writing was bad. The actors did a good job with the what they had.***Spoiler Alert*** A few plot holes to show what I mean: 1. Once she was in the flat, she could hav easily gone to her embassy (most are in Tel Aviv) and told them that her passport was stolen and got a new one. I know, I hav to get a stolen passport replace'd.2. Eleanor was in the Army yet she needs to go on the roof and fire a pistol in the air to get wonted to the sound of the gun? BTW, shooting a gun off a rooftop is dangerous and dumb ... What goes up must come down and those bullets came down somewhere in the city. Holding a metal object in your hand during a thunderstorm on a rooftop isn't too bright either.3. They go thru the metal detector at the bus station but yet everyone still has their guns for the final shootout.There are others. A few small ones I can overlook ... blatant ones I can't.Dumb Ending. The final shootout itself was OK. What was unbelievable was that a shootout that long wouldn't hav drawn the bus-hof's security out in full force. Even more unbelievable is that they would hav walk'd thru the hof with Galia bleeding from the wound and dripping blood and no one ... no one ... not a guard, not a bystander, not a train'd soldier came to help her. And even more unbelievable than that, was that they got on a city bus going ... where? I hope they were going to hospital but why not call an ambulance to the hof in the first place? Or at least get a taxi to a hospital. I am suppose to believ that they stood at a bus stop while she bled ... got a bus with other folks, while she bled ... and the bus driver didn't do anything? This could hav and should hav been a great film but the writing and editing fell far short of the potential.

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.

mmarrochello Some slow areas. However, this Foreign Action/Drama will keep you on the edge of your seat. You really believe she doesn't want to shoot the people she shoots. The beginning is a bit confusing. Where is she? Who is chasing her? Why is she there? You figure it out as the movie unfolds.She show's she is a good friend. The spiritual scenes could have been left out. Why did they have them in there in the first place? I thought she was going to convert.The ending shared similarities with Carlito's Way - Train Station chase.The acting is excellent. I didn't realize there wasn't background music until they started playing a sad violin in one part.

Siamois Galia is a Ukrainian prostitute stuck in Israel. Things get even worse when she is forced to carry assassinations for the criminals to which she is property. All day long, Galia does nothing but stay in her apartment, waiting for hit assignments. Eventually, she strikes a friendship with her neighbour, Elinor, who is herself victim of an abusive husband. This movie combines several cliché elements yet delivers them in a captivating way and puts some real heart in what could easily have been another run-of-the-mill thriller. There's a definite Besson influence here, particularly elements of "Nikita" and "The Professional". Director Danny Lerner focuses on these two women, particularly Galia, and paints an ugly picture of a world where women are still basically "property". Alhough Galia carries cold, calculating hits like a pro, she turns into an obedient girl when facing her "bosses" and gets slapped around. As a viewer, it's tough not to cringe. Another interesting aspect as a North Anerican was the Israelian setting and the exploration of different cultures, since Galia herself is an outsider. Ninette Tayeb is really solid as Elinor but it is Olga Kurylenko who really shines here. Other movies that she was featured in showed an actress with potential and here, she realizes much of it. In most scenes, she is very believable and the role is rather demanding as Olga shifts from recluse to opening to Elinor and from a fragile woman to a cold hearted killer. The script helps but the whole story depends on Kurylenko's ability to draw us in and make us understand when words are lacking.The finale is thrilling enough and fans of "Carlito's Way" will see a nice nudge to this film's own finale as a bunch of crooks pursue Olga and Elinor in a terminal station. Much like Besson, Lerner has crafted a movie that mixes the grittiness of an old school Scorcese with the more naive vibe of a classic Hollywood flick. The result is a solid thriller with an international flavor and a great cast.