The Hitman. It's a ubiquitous movie trope that comes up a lot in any variety of movie genres. But when used right, a hitman can be a key component to an amazing film. In some cases, that character is even the focus of the movie and is the driving force behind the story.
Being a great movie hitman doesn't require one set of variables; these people can come from a variety of backgrounds and have an impressive range of skill sets. They all just have to be really good at killing.
Jules Winnfield & Vincent Vega
Which wallet is his? It's the one that say "Bad Mutha F..." Well, it has something that can't be repeated here on it. This pair of hitmen in Quentin Tarantino's seminal film Pulp Fiction made Samuel L. Jackson a star as Jules Winnfield and returned John Travolta to stardom when he played Vincent Vega. These are two of the coolest SOBs under pressure that you can imagine, which is why Marsellus Wallace trusts them with his dirty work. The duo is linked so thoroughly in the movie you almost can't imagine them apart. Until Bruce Willis kills one of them, at least.
Alejandro Gillick
Sicario is both the Spanish word for hitman and an acclaimed 2015 movies starring Benicio del Toro as a sicario. He's as cold and calculating as they come, part of a CIA plan to take out the head of a cartel in Mexico. The mission was conducted under the cover of being a FBI operation, something the CIA team manipulated Emily Blunt's character, Kate, into being a part of.
Alejandro wipes out his target, including the man's wife and two sons while they all eat dinner. Then, he appears in Kate's apartment to force her at gunpoint to sign a document saying the entire mission was on the up and up. Sicario ends with him just walking away. So cold.
Chuck Barris
Based on the iconic game show host and producer's story, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is about how Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA and trained to be an assassin. It is a strange spy comedy to watch when you realize that this is a fictional version of Chuck which he claims is real to an extent.
He was closely associated with production of the film to make sure his point of view on the story was represented. Regardless, this is an interesting story of a hitman. Plus, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was also George Clooney's directorial debut
Martin Blank
Grosse Pointe Blank is arguably one of the best spy comedies ever made. Successful assassin Martin Blank, played by John Cusack, begrudgingly returns to his hometown for his high school reunion when he takes a job there. He spends much of the movie avoiding work and other assassins while reconnecting with his past. Specifically, he spends a lot of time with his high school sweetheart played by Minnie Driver. Martin is a sweet, endearing guy who is exceptionally talented at killing people. That's husband material right there.
The Bride
A mysterious woman wakes up from a coma, then heads out into the world seeing revenge against those who wronged her. This is the story of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. The Bride works her way through her former assassin family and takes them apart one piece at a time. In some cases, quite literally. She is outstanding with a sword, especially in the scene against the Crazy 88. If you have never watched the Kill Bill movies, put them on the top of your viewing list as The Bride's handiwork has to be seen to be believed.
Ghost Dog
Forest Whitaker is not a name you would expect to see on this list. But if you've ever seen Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, then you shouldn't be surprised at all. Whitaker stars as Ghost Dog, a mafia hitman who lives by the code of the samurai and communicates only by homing pigeon. He's really interesting guy.
Ghost Dog's skill is obvious as is his sense of honor. It's what makes Ghost Dog such a compelling character. Plus, watching him work his way through an entire building of bad guys is impressive.
Nikita
La Femme Nikita, the Luc Besson film sometimes just known as Nikita, is about a young woman who moves from a life as a junkie to being an assassin for as secretive government group called The Centre. Nikita is effective from long range with a rifle or up close and personal if the moment calls for it. What matters is that she gets the job done, though a developing life outside The Centre starts to make her question things. The irony of Nikita is that she found a life by taking life, a common theme among movie hitmen.
Cataleya
Another Luc Besson film, Colombiana tells the story of a woman who survived a cartel hit on her father as a child in Bogota, Columbia. She made her way to Chicago where her uncle trained her in the life of an assassin. He gave her jobs while she sought revenge on those that killed her mother and father.
Zoe Saldana plays Cataleya, a talented and vicious killer who has mastered the art of blending in and surprising her targets. It's a highly underrated movie and character.
Léon Montana
While Luc Besson has made some really terrible movies over the years, he certainly has a knack for creating engaging hitmen in tense action scenes. Léon: The Professional is no exception, and possibly his masterpiece. Jean Reno plays Léon, a hitman in New York who takes in Natalie Portman's character after crooked cops wiped her family out. He agrees to train her as a "cleaner", which all sounds suspiciously like what happened to Cataleya when she was younger. Léon is one of the most efficient killers in any movie, a lesson Gary Oldman learns the hard way.
John Wick
No one could have predicted that a movie about a retired hitman starring Keanu Reeves would become one of the biggest action franchises of the last decade but it did. Each installation in the eponymous franchise has only served to grow John Wick's legend further. The hitman who came out of retirement to get revenge on the people who killed his dog. John's motivations might run deeper than that but it's still the inciting incident of his story. John Wick is easily the most dangerous hitman in the movies today.