Harmony Korine’s latest cinematic offering, ‘The World’s Greatest Assassin,’ is an ambitious yet misguided attempt at pushing the boundaries of cinema. Unfortunately, the film falls short of its aspirations, delivering an interminable and meaningless experience that fails to engage or provoke.
Korine, known for his provocative and envelope-pushing films like ‘Spring Breakers’ and ‘Gummo,’ sets out to create a film that challenges conventional storytelling and explores the nature of violence and masculinity. However, ‘The World’s Greatest Assassin’ quickly devolves into a misogynistic trash fire, filled with gratuitous nudity and empty philosophical musings.
The film follows a seasoned Floridian hitman (Jordi Mollà) who endlessly monologues about his self-proclaimed status as the world’s greatest assassin. His musings on the nature of good and evil, the old world and the new, become increasingly tedious and repetitive as the film progresses. The plot, such as it is, involves the hitman’s mission to kill a demonic crime lord, but this storyline is quickly abandoned in favor of Korine’s rambling and nonsensical commentary on the state of the world.
Korine’s attempts to create an anti-Hollywood statement by replacing title letters with numbers and using infrared photography ultimately fall flat. These gimmicks add nothing to the film’s substance and only serve to distract from its glaring flaws. The film’s misogyny is particularly jarring, with countless bikini-clad women shaking their bodies around to the accompaniment of a demonic voiceover urging them to “dance, bitches, dance.” This gratuitous use of female nudity is both offensive and unnecessary, adding nothing to the film’s narrative or themes.
Korine’s claim that this film is “more like a video game” is equally misguided. While the film does feature some video game-like elements, such as the hitman’s arsenal of weapons and his ability to regenerate health, these elements are used in a superficial and meaningless way. The film lacks the interactivity and narrative structure that are essential to a successful video game experience.
In the end, ‘The World’s Greatest Assassin’ is a self-indulgent and vapid film that fails to live up to its provocative premise. Korine’s attempts to push the boundaries of cinema result in a hollow and moronic experience that is more likely to elicit groans than gasps. Unless you are a die-hard fan of Korine’s particular brand of provocation, you are well advised to avoid this latest cinematic misfire.
