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Hitmen

Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore the shady and morally dubious world of hitmen on screen. Featuring interviews with director Ben Wheatley and academic Ginette Vincendeau.

The last few years have seen a number of new entries on the cinematic hit list, from David Fincher鈥檚 The Killer to Richard Linklater鈥檚 Hit Man. TV has also seen its fair share of hitmen in the last year; the reboot of the 2005 Brad and Angelina film Mr and Mrs Smith; Eddie Redmayne donning various elaborate disguises in a Day of the Jackal update, as well as Black Doves. It seems these days hitmen are among TV and film鈥檚 most wanted.

Mark talks to critic Christina Newland about the history of crime cinema's enigmatic icon, exploring everything from cult oddities such as Branded to Kill to the female assassin of the 90's such as Nikita and The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Ellen goes deep on cult classic Le Samoura茂 with Kill List and A Field in England director Ben Wheatley and academic Ginette Vincendeau; they discuss the relationship between hitmen and samurai in cinema.

Produced by Queenie Qureshi-Wales
A Prospect Street production for 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 4

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43 minutes

Last on

Tue 4 Feb 2025 11:00

Broadcasts

  • Fri 31 Jan 2025 19:15
  • Tue 4 Feb 2025 11:00

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