With the recent release of The American, starring George Clooney as a seasoned assassin on his last job, Slate asked the question, “Do hired assassins actually exist?”
The answer: sort of, but they have day jobs, too. Those that exist would likely moonlight as drug dealers, extortionists, thieves and pimps. Renaissance men, if you will. (Hey, a criminal’s gotta keep doors open.)
That said, Slate goes on to say, “Trigger-men are often first-time killers, not well-trained international assassins.” And worse, most hits aren’t particularly well paid. (Around $100 a kill. Ouch.)
Ultimately, most high-profile assassinations are carried out by government agencies (like the Mossad in Israel), but even those agencies wouldn’t include a stable of kill-specialists.
Why, it’s like Hollywood is… exaggerating the truth.
About Lu Fong
I thought this trend in assassin movies was a bit far-fetched. It’s a shame such a bloody profession, if you even want to call it that, is being glamorized like it is by tinsel town. I do find epic pieces about ninjas from Japanese movies to be a bit more authentic. Hollywood, haven’t you learned by now? It’s family movies and adventure movies everyone loves. More Toy Story and Indie Jones, less machine guns and snipers!