“Can you get more American than Disneyland?”

Ryan White deftly crafted The Keepers and Ask Dr. Ruth among other documentaries. Here, White explores Kim Jong-nam, Kim Jong-un's half brother who died suddenly. He explores the lives of the assassins: Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong and how they were potentially manipulated into carrying out the assassination. With social media posts and CCTV footage, the story is riveting and film provides insight into a topic most news outlets were hesitant to explore.

Assassins is a well-documented account that delves into the assassination of Kim Jong-nam and how this event transpired a few years back. White does a good job presenting the information and keeping the audience engaged as this plays out more like a crime thriller, and while it seems multi-faceted on the surface, it turns out that it’s a fairly simple story when it is broken down. So ultimately Assassins is nothing revolutionary within this medium, however, it's still a fascinating watch that can be added to the “how the fuck did this even happen?” list.

Pretty amazing how i looked at the reviews on letterboxd, read the first paragraph of David Ehrlich’s, and deleted mine

The North Korean government duped two women into pulling a “prank” where they smear oil on a man’s face when in actuality they were assassinating Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother Kim Jong-Nan with VX poison and the fact that the basis of the attack was inspired by Jackass is both hilarious and devastating. That being said, I want these same two women to “prank” Donald Trump.

This remains a really wild story, and any retelling of the details will always be fascinating. But as a movie, it's languid and dry, meting out information at a pace that doesn't let it get into much more than a straightforward recounting of events. And that's not really bad, I guess, since it does tell this story competently. But the movie fails to have any real original insight into all this, and its method of relating the events keeps the actual subjects of this story as abstract figures. It feels like there was an opportunity to get to know Siti and Doan better; to really let them speak for themselves. Or maybe it could have gone deeper into the relationship that Malaysia has with North Korea. The movie just keeps bringing up details, touching on these angles that feel worthy of exploration. But it just moves on, staying within the rails of the established story.

Thorough recount of the wild murder plot of Kim Jong-Nam. Watched it with a friend and she pointed out something important that the filmmakers left out. Is there someone who leaked Kim Jong-Nam itinerary out? Given how the North Koreans seemed to have a few months time to plan the murder? The film presented perpetrators as an open secret, but never discussed how the North Koreans know beforehand that Kim Jong-Nam will be at the airport, given how he basically never left Macau for over ten years.
Anyways, a very interesting watch for someone who never followed the case!

This had very little footage of Stallone or Banderas.

But the Malaysian legal system is fucked, so I learned that.

I had totally forgot this even happened, the story is so much more insane than it already is on the surface. #justiceforKimJongNam

(Jackass is briefly mentioned in this movie—Johnny Knoxville’s cultural influence simply cannot be denied)

Assassins does a good job in giving an in-depth recount of the Kim Jong-nam assassination that happened in February 2017 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Assassins doesn’t do much more than display the information for audiences to see, but the story writes itself when it involves such an intricate plot involving double agents, a deadly nerve agent, potential death by hanging, and political shenanigans. Honestly, the film does drag due to its heavy exposition of the situation but Assassins does deliver in its promise to inform and entertain along the way.

what a wild ride. saddens me to see the malaysian govenment jumping at the opportunity to throw these women under the bus.

the whole world is a shitshow. buy yourself an LOL shirt.

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

I love it when a plan comes together..

The face journeys...

Incredible story about the two girls at the centre of the assassination of Kim-jong Nam, the half brother of North Korea’s supreme leader. It ultimately becomes a portrait of a society in which two girls have no agency whatsoever and no control over their own destiny

Cuánta cosa caray.

Me pegó un poquito cuando una de ellas dice: “me da tristeza que estas personas yo no les importara nada como persona, que me vieran como nada.”

:(

Very good doc. Kim is very chub

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

*At Kim Jong Nam’s funeral*

Kim Jong Un leans into the casket and whispers: “It was just a prank bro.”

In case you forgot for even a second that women are always expendable.

well that was actually crazy

I'm happy the women were safe