The third chapter in the John Wick saga, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, is finally here and action movie junkies drove the film to the top of the box office for its opening weekend.

Since 2014, John Wick has been the “name brand” when it comes to movies about hitmen, assassins, and the like. While he may be one of the genre’s best, he’s certainly not the only one. If you’re having some withdrawal from Parabellum‘s unique (and brutal) mix of fist fights of shootouts, here are a few similar movies you should check out to help with that.

1. ‘In Bruges’ (2008)

 

This black-humored dramedy about two hitmen — Ray (the hilarious Colin Farrell) and Ken (Dominic Gleason) — forced to hide out in Bruges after a hit goes sideways is one of the funniest and most poignant movies in the genre.

Writer-director Martin McDonagh earned an Oscar nomination for his witty original screenplay, and Farrell was robbed of an Oscar nom for Best Actor for his vulnerable, comedic performance as a killer questioning mortality in between pit stops of Coen Bros.-esque absurdism.

 

2. ‘Leon: The Professional’ (1994)

 

If this were a Top Ten list, Leon: The Professional would have a solid claim for the number one spot.

Leon (Jean Reno) is a hitman that likes his solitary life in New York City’s Little Italy. His neighbor is storing cocaine for corrupt DEA agents, and when they find out the neighbor is stealing from them, the agents kill the neighbor and his entire family save for his daughter, the precocious Mathilda (played by a scene-stealing Natalie Portman). Soon, Leon takes the young child under his wing and helps train her to be an assassin — as the bad guys, lead by a scenery-devouring Gary “EVERYONE!” Oldman, hunt them down. Reno and Oldman give some of the best performances of the ’90s, but the movie’s biggest claim to fame is introducing the world to then-child actor Portman. Her Oscar-worthy bonafides are on display here at such a young age.

 

3. ‘Hanna’ (2011)

 

Saoirse Ronan plays an isolated teen, living off the grid and trained by her father (Eric Bana) to be an assassin. That training comes in handy when her father’s old pals at the CIA — lead by a stone-cold Cate Blanchett — come searching for him and the secrets he knows that the CIA can’t afford to ever get out.

Ronan is perfect as Hanna, finding a strong balance between being a badass killer and a teenager just trying to learn about the world in between all the inventive action set pieces.

 

4. ‘No Country for Old Men’ (2007)

 

Javier Bardem’s portrayal of the most evil hitman ever made, Anton Chigurh, earned him a much-deserved Academy Award in this Oscar-winning Best Picture from the Coen Brothers.

Adapted from the Cormac McCarthy movie of the same name, No Country for Old Men follows Chigurh’s bloody pursuit to recover drug money stolen by the average but capable poacher Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). Their game of cat and mouse ropes in a veteran local sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) on the eve of retirement; as the body count increases so does the film’s introspection of good and evil — and whether or not the latter can ever truly be defeated by the former. While this is a more cerebral film than John Wick: Chapter 3, both present a hitman confronted with issues of mortality in ways that are both gripping and resonate.

 

5. ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ And ‘Vol. 2’ (2003, 2004)

 

Quentin Tarantino’s two-part martial arts/revenge epic pitted The Bride (Uma Thurman) against her former fellow assassins — the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. After leaving the squad to get married, the pregnant bride is hunted down by the team and their leader — Bill (David Carradine). Bill shoots the Bride, leaves her for dead, and she slowly but surely gathers the will to embark on one of the bloodiest and greatest revenge stories in movie history.

 

6. ‘La Femme Nikita’ (1990)

 

French filmmaker Luc Besson made a name for himself in Hollywood with the gorgeously-shot La Femme Nikita. Anne Parillaud plays the titular assassin who, after being sent to jail for murder as a teen, is recruited by a secret government agency and trained to be a spy and killer. The well-written story is full of fantastic action scenes, as well as truly dramatic moments where Nikita’s life as an assassin struggles to reconcile with her attempt to live life as a civilian. Nikita is a solid companion piece to, and inspiration for, the John Wick series.

 

7. ‘Equilibrium’ (2002)

 

Writer-director Kurt Wimmer arguably introduced audiences to “gun-fu” with his underrated, low-budget action movie that’s a little bit The Matrix, a little bit peak ’80s action movie.

Christian Bale stars as cleric John Preston in a dystopian, fascist future where emotion is outlawed and controlled by Clerics, the equivalent of police and judges in one. While he’s not an assassin, he does get significant gunplay that would fit right into a John Wick movie. If you haven’t seen this hidden gem from the early aughts, best check it out.

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