In this Silver Pictures production, veteran assassinRobert Rath (Sylvester Stallone) has earned his reputation as thebest in the business and is all but ready to retire his weapon whenhe discovers Miguel Bain ("Desperado's" Antonio Banderas) waitingin the wings, ready to steal his thunder. It becomes a personalchallenge to Rath to remain in the game long enough to terminatehis opponent. In this colorful battle of wills, hitmen Rath andBain duke it out to see who's the quickest and the most cunning ineliminating their carefully chosen targets.Director/producer Richard Donner (the "Lethal Weapon" franchise)keeps this film moving with plenty of intense action scenes,explosions, chase scenes and white-hot firepower, all well balancedby Banderas' light-hearted "chit-chat" and Stallone's classicallystoical performance. Julianne Moore is refreshingly witty andvulnerable as the eccentric Electra, a woman Rath was to kill butends up befriending. Stallone, Banderas and Moore not only workwell together, they bring out the best in each other due to their different acting styles.Overall, "Assassins" is a film that shines for its thrills, color,humor and suspense that lasts right to the very end. And, althoughthe film's premise revolves around the art of murder, itsaudience-pleasing conclusion revolves around redemption. Starring Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Banderas and Julianne Moore. Directed and produced by Richard Donner. Written by Andy and Larry Wach- owski. A Warner Bros. release. Action. Rated R for violence and language. Running time: 137 min.