Lessons for an Assassin (2003) User Reviews

I wasted a free rental

[tracyt1800 · 3/10 · 21 July 2003]

I had a coupon for a free movie rental and the movie looked like it might be interesting. I wish I could get my free rental coupon back. I would rather have watched "Battlefield Earth" again.

A heads up to people who like finding lost gems.

[JackDevoe · 4/10 · 13 August 2003]

It was easy for me to think that a movie I've never heard of starring Shannon Lee with action choreography by Koichi Sakamoto would be cool. I wasn't expecting much. I was fine with an awful plot as long as the action was cool. But this IS a very bad film. It is extrmely slow moving, and there wasn't much reason to like Richard Vitalli who turned out ot be the star instead of Shannon. He is a very stupid character in this movie. It's amazing to see how he drastically changes through the course of the film. I realize it was supposed to be part of his character to be some lazy and incompotent man who becomes cool ala FEMME NIKITA, but it wasn't enjoyable here. Shannon has the best lines in the movie. She did her best to shine and to make this movie watchable. But the material she has to work with is so awful, that it hurts her performance. Seeing her fight again was great, but she had to go against very stupid stunt men who did not know how to fight. Koichi couldn't direct the action the way he usually does (DRIVE) because of this same problem. He didn't even have the rest of the Alpha Stunt Team with him. Action directors can't direct action by themselves. They have to have a team of other people. This is why guys like Yuen Woo Ping and Sammo Hung are so good at it.

This is an unfortunate film that shows that the people involved must have needed money. Shannon Lee showed she had great potential to be an action star with ENTER THE EAGLES. This is not a good way to follow that movie up. Stick with that movie and DRIVE for real good action.

I knew that it would not be good...

[ccrowder · 3/10 · 30 November 2003]

I knew when I picked up the box that it would be a pretty bad movie. Still, I wanted to see Shannon Lee and the movie having Michael Dorn in it looked like it could be a sleeper. It wasn't...

Shannon Lee and Michael Dorn did a good job with what they were given. The rest of the movie was pretty bad. I won't repeat what has already been said by others. They put it pretty well.

I can see why the actors made the movie. It's easy for me to imagine reading the script and thinking that it had the potential to be better than it turned out to be. Too bad...

If you like Shannon Lee, you may not be too disappointed with this movie. I'm glad that I picked it up, but wouldn't watch it again.

"Bruce Lee's Legacy Lives On?" Don't be fooled!!!

[kumanoken · 7 August 2003]

This is the first movie where I have actually felt the urge to ask for

my rental money back, and those of you who know me as former IMDB poster

El Buncho know that I am no stranger to bad movies. This film was simply

that bad.

First of all, I rented this because Shannon Lee (Bruce's little girl,

who is now a serious hottie) is top billed and featured on the box.

Sure, she hasn't made any good films yet, but hope springs eternal. She

has talent, but she needs a script! And she really has very little to do

with the film. This is unfortunately a starring vehicle for Robert

Vitelli (who???), a charisma-free void of a non-actor whose martial

skills are marginal at best. Films that purport to be martial arts films

should at least be able to deliver on the butt-kicking, but this will

make the viewer want to do a bit of butt-kicking on their own (directed

at most of the people involved in this mess).

The plot is a convoluted ripoff of "La Femme Nikita" with Vitelli in the

Nikita role, and the incredibly uninvolving story just lurches along

until it reaches a ludicrous twist ending. And we also are treated to

appearances by two Star Trek actors: Michael "Worf" Dorn and the guy who

plays Dr. Phlox on "Enterprise."

And the final kick in the mouth is that this DVD bears the blasphemous

tag-line "Bruce Lee's legacy lives on." I'm not even related to the guy,

and I was offended for the entire Lee family! Avoid this at all costs;

there is simply no entertainment to be found

"To own something you must become it"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 3/10 · 26 September 2022]

What a stupid film. It made no sense and the supposed twists were hilarious rather than provocative. Most of the film is of a character called Gavin Mathews being trained to be an assassin which could have been interesting but unfortunately Mathews is played by Robert Vitelli who, to put it kindly, is totally uninteresting. For most of the film the actor has one expression and when he shaved off his ginger beard continued looking devoid of emotion. Not sure why the 'Corporation' persisted with Mathews as he was just a continuous pain. Shannon Lee, because of whom I bought the film, was wasted in a badly written role. One feels the movies have never done her justice as she can act and do martial arts convincingly. Also stranded in a thin role is Michael Dorn as the villainous Quinn. One felt sympathy for Ms. Lee and Mr. Dorn being in such an under powered film.

Shannon Lee is Great!

[blakeeyesburning · 10/10 · 24 February 2005]

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen! The non stop action coupled with the insane awesomeness of Shannon Lee makes this an instant kung-fu classic. I especially love Robert Vitelli and the super-amazing kick butt fighting he does. This movie has it all: guns, mystery, action and SHANNON LEE!! It starts out with Vitelli as some homeless punk, but then he gets sucked into a secret assassin school and it turns out that he is some kind of genius. He doesn't like the assassin school (which is run by Star Trek's Michael Dorn!) so he tries to get kicked out and then tries to escape. The plot twists and turns but the action never lets up! See this one twice.

Nonsensical but amusing low-budget action film

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 13 December 2008]

From the opening shootout (that has four different parties shooting at each other, totally confusing the viewer) to the final scene with a psychiatrist, very little about "Lessons For An Assassin" makes sense. Obviously the basic plot is a blatant "La Femme Nikita" ripoff with a gender switch, but the budget is so low it constricts about 80% of the action to a single (underfurnished) building where the "training" takes place. Now this training does help to provide the movie with a few amusing moments, most of them intentional (I presume), especially in the way the ineptness of the main character before his "transformation" is totally exaggerated. Newcomer Robert Vitelli has got some moves and Michael Dorn adds a touch of professionalism, but the main reason I was interested in this movie is, of course, the presence of Shannon Lee, who plays one of Vitelli's "teachers". Shannon looks gorgeous, speaks sensually, and has a number of pleasurable fight scenes. If you can overlook the nonsensical script and the very low budget, "Lessons For An Assassin" does have a few minor goodies to offer. (**1/2)

Poor Shannon Lee and Michael Dorn

[Darkchylde · 31 August 2003]

All I can say about this film is that it appeared to have been filmed in someone's loft or an abandoned building. It also looks as if the budget mainly went to Shannon Lee and Michael Dorn and left nothing for the actual production itself. Avoid this film like the plague.

~DC~

Action packed movie!

[privateuse111 · 13 November 2004]

Being a movie buff as well as a martial artist for over 20 years I really liked this film. It is great to see the Lee legacy live on in a very beautiful woman such as Shannon Lee. The film not only had a lot of good martial arts sequences, but there are actually Jeet Kune Do martial art moves and techniques in this movie that only Bruce Lee used when he taught his students!

Robert Vitelli gives an authentic and strong performance in his lead role as Gavin Mathews and is obviously a very experienced martial artist as well.

I think anyone watching this film will enjoy the plots twists and turns as well as some kick butt action sequences!