Product Details

• Actors: Olga Kurylenko, Ninet Tayeb
• Directors: Danny Lerner
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: First Look Studios
• DVD Release Date: August 17, 2010
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003IG06RK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,666 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Assassin Next Door, The" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Galia is an assassin involved against her will with the local sex-traffic mafia. All she wants is to reunite with her daughter in russia. Eleanor is a grocery store clerk who dreams of running away from her abusive husband. The two women unite to take action against their opressors in a fight for survival. Studio: Millenium Media Services Release Date: 08/17/2010 Starring: Olga Kurylenko Ninet Tayeb Run time: 101 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling, moving, and exciting film, August 6, 2010

By 

Jeffrey M. Chambers (Brighton, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Assassin Next Door, The (DVD)

This excellent film - which is well written, directed, and acted - is the story of a woman who has to fight tenaciously to regain her freedom, and to redeem herself (in her own eyes). The central character, Galya, is charismatic and psychologically strong, but she made a terrible mistake four years previously and her subsequent life has become a nightmare - trapped by a criminal gang, forced first into prostitution, then into becoming a gangland assassin. Her fight for freedom is symbolized by her attempts to regain possession of her passport, and her quest for redemption is symbolised by her desire to return home (to the Ukraine) to a hoped-for happier life with her five-year-old daughter. While trying to save herself from the criminals, she attempts to save her friend from her friend's abusive husband.

From the opening scene, where her eyes magnetically draw the viewer into Galya's world, Olga Kurylenko plays her part intelligently and skilfully. She's very good at emotional depth and complexity, and she convincingly projects Galya's conflicting emotions. Also well done is the way she shows Galya's fight for her life and her struggle to maintain her fundamental purity of heart, while being engulfed in the gang's earthly version of hell. She's superb at conveying feelings even when she's not interacting with the other characters. For example, on one wall of her apartment Galya creates a large drawing of herself and her child (it's a symbolic doorway to her paradise) and while she draws, Olga beautifully expresses the fleeting serenity of Galya's creativity, and the way it brings her closer to her daughter (in her imagination).

Ninet Tayeb is excellent as Elinor, Galya's next-door neighbour. For example, there's a nice scene where Elinor tries to excuse her husband. Galya dismissively says "it's not your fault" but Ninet conveys in her eyes that Elinor thinks it really is her fault. Thus, by good acting she shows that Elinor is abused both externally (by her husband) and internally (by her inner critic).

Writer/director Danny Learner cleverly structures the relationships of the characters by placing Galya at the centre, with everyone else in concentric circles around her. Galya is the sun, with Elinor in close orbit. The two women have fully developed characters, with faults as well a virtues. In the cold outer reaches of the film's solar system orbit the men, none of whom have any redeeming features: they have no love, no compassion, no sense of justice. Their only interest is in power (especially power over women). The gang leaders (well portrayed by Liron Levo as the heartless Roni, and Vladimir Friedman as the lyingly manipulative Mishka) are a collection of lost souls who have adopted enslavement and murder, including deliberate murder of the innocent, as a way of life. Their system of "business" would not be complete without its routine betrayals, and of course they betray Galya - the smaller betrayals building up to a larger betrayal.

The film has lots of fine details. For example, the reality of Galya's life is nicely contrasted with idyllic dream sequences (which, nevertheless, are never quite free of anxiety) where she tries to reach her daughter. The interior physical space of her apartment is used as a metaphor for Galya's interior mental space - a place where she tries to find refuge and solace from external events which she can't control. The apartment is grim and mirrors the grimness of her life. But like her spirit, it also has the beautiful door to paradise - the picture on the wall, which symbolises Galya's hope of returning to a better life.

The scenes where the women turn animosity into friendship, and later on friendship into love, are especially good. For example, early on Elinor manages to upset Galya very much by brusquely refusing her help, and a little later Elinor changes her mind and tries to befriend Galya, but by then Galya has her emotional armour in place and her response is frosty. Elinor has to work hard to break through to Galya, and Elinor/Ninet is irresistibly charming in thawing out Galya, and Galya/Olga is delightful in the way she lets herself be thawed out. In another scene, when they're on the bed together, there's a beautiful intimacy where the two women create a little bubble of love round themselves. It's a tender moment in a pair of desperate lives. Lyrical scenes like these constitute a humane slow movement in the violent symphony which is the rest of the film.

The music is good and enhances the plot.

I can't understand why such a good film hasn't been put on general release; it deserves to be much better known.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Olga Kurylenko is Great, August 23, 2010

By 

C. Brown (Port St. Lucie, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Assassin Next Door, The (DVD)

I watched this movie just on the fact that Olga Kurylenko was in it. I first saw her acting in The Hitman & was very impressed with her exotic beauty, expressive eyes & defiant spirit yet displaying vulnerabilty. Her character in Assassin displays very similar characteristics, which works even better in this movie. Other reviewers have already outlined the plot, so I won't go there. This movie has a bit of everything and thats what makes it so good. It has beautiful women that can think & are independent, it has an emotional content that will touch you, great action, a good story line, great music & symbolisms. Olga has very expressive and penetrative eyes which was apparent in The Hitman. She can portray great information & emotion just using her eyes and expressions on her face. She has a very natural presence in front of the camera and therefore very convincing in her role. She was greatly under used in the Quantum Solace & therefore if you saw that movie do not use that to judge her abilities. I think she has all the qualities if she is properly developed and marketed to be one of the best actresses I have ever seen. She is the full package of looks & talent. She can be cute & playful, yet strong and serious as a heart attack. I look forward to her next movie.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent, But Works Better as a Drama Than as an Action, August 31, 2010

By 

Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Assassin Next Door, The (DVD)

Olga Kurylenko is Galia, the titular heroine of "The Assassin Next Door" (original title "Kirot"). She is a Ukrainian prostitute-turned-assassin currently living in an old apartment room in Tel Aviv. With her passport confiscated by the gangster who hires her as assassin, she spends her days waiting for the assignments to kill, dreaming of one day meeting her daughter she left in Ukraine again. But her life changes drastically when Galia meets Elinor (Ninet Tayeb), a woman living in a room across the hall, abused by her wife-beating husband.

The Israeli-French-US film stars Olga Kurylenko, "Bond girl" of "Quantum of Solace," but those who are looking for Hollywood-style "big" actions would be disappointed. Obviously director Danny Lerner is less interested in staging shoot-outs and explosions than presenting the gritty atmosphere of the world Galia and Elinor are living. This approach, together with effective photography, brings tension and realism to the film, especially in the description of the friendship between the two exploited women, but we also have to turn a blind eye to the film's incredible storyline and situations (so, where is the police?)

"The Assassin Next Door" has the brooding mood of "La Femme Nikita," but its theme is close to that of "Thelma & Louise," and the film benefits from the strong performances from the two leads. See the film for its fine portrayal of two women played by Olga Kurylenko and Ninet Tayeb.