This is a watchable movie more commendable because of its very modest budget. The marketing blurb was somewhat misleading in saying that a ghost-like assassin was stalking the investigative detective, as if said assassin's identity was unknown. We clearly knew the assassin's identity after his dispatch of no less than four victims in the early part of the movie! The over-riding characteristic of this film for me was the very, very pronounced audio - loud musical score, loud sound effects. But this somewhat annoying quirk had a commendable spin-off....it is one of the very few U.S. movies in which the dialogue was easy to follow - no mumbling here. Boy, what a relief. I don't think I'm alone in being critical of the audio, especially diction in films from the U.S. For this improvement here alone, it deserves six stars rather than five.

The Assassin's Code (2018) is not a bad film, for direct-to-video fare. The major beats are predictable well in advance. The heroes, villains and villains in the guise of heroes might as well be wearing black and white Stetsons and the characters who are about to die might as well be wearing red shirts. Production values are modest, although they do utilize an elegant mansion, casket and several luxury automobiles. Cinematography is unimaginatve, other than a few aerial shots that seem to be stock images. As is typical of low-budget productions, the film relies heavily on jiggly-cam shots which are distracting and shatter willful suspension of disbelief. The action/stunt choreography, car scenes and gunfights seem about thirty years out of date. The love story is not well developed and the reconciliation near the end seems to come out of nowhere. The acting is generally pretty good. Justin Chatwin is credible in the lead and Peter Stormare delivers a nuanced performance. Sprinkled throughout the film are little gems of dialogue and characterization that shine against the unimpressive background. While the film employs a lot of tropes and often seems familiar, it offers a few fresh moments. The damsel in distress scene has a unusual twist.

Michael Connolly (Justin Chatwin) is a rookie detective assigned to checking in on mail box crimes. When a robbery and a murder takes place he is given the high profile job.This is not a who-dun-it in Cleveland. We knows who did it and Michael has a pretty good idea because Yancy Butler tells him and she was no Huggy Bear.. There wasn't much in surprises. The plot was one we could have picked up from any crime film and it would have played better as a Columbo story. The characters kept the film afloat and they could have build the background info by something other than the boring bar scene. Not a bad film, but one I had trouble remembering five minutes later to write a review. Guide: F-word. Sex. no nudity.

I thought the movie was very well crafted. I liked the story line and while perhaps not totally original ad enough twists and turns that it kept you guessing for awhile. Beauty shots of Cleveland were just that, beautiful. I am a Clevelander and thought the production did the city and local talent proud. I really liked Justin Chatwin, he showed he can handle a lead role. Loved the bits oh humor scattered throughout the film. Peter Stormare, was great as usual and has a truly wonderful story telling moment in the film that was worth whatever salary they paid him!