# Favorite Movie Hitman
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 4, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076 "2005-09-04T18:45:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/1 "2005-09-04T18:45:36Z")
I love movies where people someone is targeted to get “whacked”. The best of these films always employ a great hitman–someone with character and a certain way of conducting their business. There are hundreds of examples out there, but let’s try to narrow it down to the best.
My nomination goes to Mr. Shhh (Steve Buscemi) in **Things You do in Denver When You’re Dead**.
Physically, Mr. Shh isn’t intimidating in the least. However, he has that great reputation for being the one guy you don’t want coming after you. As with many hitmen, he is clean cut, cold, and calculating.
Also, if you’ve seen the movie, you know Mr. Shhh keeps on coming–even if he’s taken a few serious shots.
My Honorable Mention Award goes to Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction.
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### Author:  [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/2 "2005-09-04T18:49:04Z")
John Cusack in [[Grosse Pointe Blank](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119229/) immediately comes to mind.
I can’t think of any other specific ones right now.
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### Author:  [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/3 "2005-09-04T18:51:19Z")
Jean Reno as anyone, gets my vote.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/4 "2005-09-04T18:56:56Z")
Definitely Martin Blank from Grosse Point Blank. Solid guy, moral enough in his way, wants out and wants to marry the girl.
Just brilliant. And Ackroyd’s and Joan Cusack’s performances were great as well.
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### Author:  [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/5 "2005-09-04T18:58:09Z")
Two choices that come immediately to mind are John Hurt’s character Braddock in **The Hit** and John Malkovich’s assassin in **In The Line Of Fire**.
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### Author:  [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/6 "2005-09-04T19:48:26Z")
Is Malkovitch’s character a hitman or just a guy who wants to kill the president?
Leon the Professional
La Femme Nikita
Martin Blank
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### Author:  [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/7 "2005-09-04T19:54:03Z")
It doesn’t get any better than **Jules** (Samuel L. Jackson) in **Pulp Fiction**!Except maybe “Stick Walker” in **The Muppet Movie** : “Tell 'em what you do, Stick!” “Kill frogs”😃
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/8 "2005-09-04T20:07:59Z")
The thug who heaves a scantily clad Lana Wood out the hotel window and into the swimming pool in **Diamonds Are Forever**.
James Bond: “Exceptionally fine shot!”
Thug: “I didn’t know dere was a pool down dere.”
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### Author:  [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/9 "2005-09-04T21:16:44Z")
The first two that came to mind are Jules and Vincent from Pulp Fiction and Martin Blank from Gross Point Blank.
Wasn’t Harlen McGuire (Jude Law) a hitman in Road to Perdition? I really liked him.
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### Author:  [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/10 "2005-09-04T21:23:11Z")
Hmf. Jules and Leon are already taken, eh?
That just leaves Marv, of SIN CITY. Honorable mention for those helpless little girls of Old Town.
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### Author:  [@marque\_elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marque_elf)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/11 "2005-09-04T22:48:16Z")
[QUOTE=Push You Down]
Is Malkovitch’s character a hitman or just a guy who wants to kill the president?
It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but I seem to recall a scene where Mailkovich’s character discusses other kills he’s made. If being a hitman means taking money for a kill than I guess he’s not a hitman, just another humdrum psychotic killer.
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### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/12 "2005-09-04T22:58:03Z")
Who was the hitman in **Be Cool** He looked like Murphy Brown’s former house painter.
I liked him alot.
Physcotic, yet had a do-wop hair and Buddy Holly glasses.
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### Author:  [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/13 "2005-09-04T23:07:03Z")
[QUOTE=marque elf]
> [@Push You Down](#):
>
> Is Malkovitch’s character a hitman or just a guy who wants to kill the president?
> It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but I seem to recall a scene where Mailkovich’s character discusses other kills he’s made. If being a hitman means taking money for a kill than I guess he’s not a hitman, just another humdrum psychotic killer.
As I recall, Frank Leary (Malkovich’s character) was a former CIA operative who likely did a fair share of hits for Uncle Sam before he was discarded at the end of the Cold War and forced to go freelance.
Anyway, my pick? I’m going old school and picking Philip Raven (Alan Ladd) in [**This Gun for Hire**](http://imdb.com/title/tt0035432/).
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### Author:  [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/14 "2005-09-04T23:07:32Z")
James Fox’s Jackal in **The Day Of The Jackal** {the fantastic original, not the dreadful remake} is an absolutely compelling character: mesmerisingly cool in his inhuman professionalism, yet absolutely despicable in his utter disregard for life. Needs a place to hole up and avoid the cops? He’ll seduce a woman, then efficiently murder her in the morning to let his trail go cold for a couple more hours. Half of you wants him to succeed in his assassination, the other half is yelling, “For Christ’s sake, stop him!” Nice car, too.
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### Author:  [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/15 "2005-09-04T23:13:21Z")
I’m going to have to go with Geraldo Rivera. Not only is he a journalist, he’s an assassin. So, he’s a Journassassin. And he’s an executioner, so his title is Assicutioner.
It’s an old Conan bit.
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/16 "2005-09-04T23:57:34Z")
Max von Sydow’s “Joubert” in _Three Days of the Condor_. Class and precision all the way.
> [@](#):
>
> I don’t interest myself in “why”. I think more often in terms of “when”, sometimes “where”; always “how much”.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2005, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/17 "2005-09-05T00:13:41Z")
Hate to say it, but Tom Cruise did a credible job in _Collateral_. I also like Damon as Jason Bourne.
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### Author:  [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/18 "2005-09-05T00:25:17Z")
Rocco in Boondock Saints.
“I’m Wyat F\*CKING EARP!”
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### Author:  [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/19 "2005-09-05T00:32:28Z")
> [@Askia](#):
>
> Hmf. Jules and Leon are already taken, eh?
As I recall, the fact they are already taken is your fault, since you turned me on to them in an old thread. 😛
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### Author:  [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-movie-hitman/320076/20 "2005-09-05T00:33:54Z")
Critical Jim (played by Tim Allen) in “Who is Cletis Tout”.
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