As with Ryan Fogels similarly embattled The Dissident, you leave this film with a sobering realisation of the strength governments have to silence opponents, as well as the frightening absence of consequences.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 2, 2022

The film truly comes alive when White focuses on the assassins and, with empathy and nuance, explores both how these women ended up in such an unbelievable situation, and why their stories matter now.

| Mar 12, 2021

Assassins will enlighten Western viewers... [on] the assassination of Kim Jong Nam and shed light on the harrowing and intriguing events surrounding it.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 3, 2021

While this exceptional documentary won't be the only movie to bring the story to the big screen - dramatised versions are guaranteed to follow, and other flicks are certain to mine its minutiae as well - it'll always remain one of the best.

| Feb 19, 2021

This is an extraordinary story and the thorough manner in which White has assembled the material brings one of the most unusual political assassinations ever carried out vividly to life.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 13, 2021

Well-worth checking out.

| Feb 12, 2021

Ryan White's documentary about Jong-nam's death may contain material familiar to keen conspiracy fans, but it's still an extraordinary story.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 2, 2021

A lacklustre documentary content with merely presenting us with facts and rarely exploring deeper, Assassins provides little information that couldn't have been found in a Wikipedia article.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 1, 2021

[White] spins the arrest of Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong - economic migrants from Indonesia and Vietnam respectively - into a parable about political corruption.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 31, 2021

It's like a John le Carré thriller for the Instagram generation. Only it's real.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 30, 2021

The story of the women duped into *checks notes* killing Kim Jong-un's brother is more bonkers - and sad, and gripping - than we've heard. Utterly fascinating; the stuff of a Hollywood thriller.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 29, 2021

It's a fascinating news story, but the film's additional, if entertaining speculations remain just that.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 29, 2021

White's documentary is forensic in its coverage of the trial, but the biggest strength of Assassins is that the director never forgets about the two women involved.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 29, 2021

Siti and Duan's story is an extraordinary snapshot of 15-minute celebrity innocently craved, and then accidentally achieved for all the wrong reasons.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 29, 2021

Much of the success of Assassins does come from the material at hand but White's film is nonetheless impeccably constructed.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 28, 2021

A curious film, a no-frills documentary about a crime of outlandish aspect.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 27, 2021

What an extraordinary story of sexism, violence, diplomatic bad faith and dishonesty on an international scale.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 27, 2021

Tells an extraordinary and almost unbelievable story in a detailed and meticulously crafted way.

| Jan 25, 2021

An extremely interesting account of events for those who might remember the initial incident but don't know the precise details of how it played out.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 25, 2021

This film is fairly straightforward and low-key in its execution, but the access is excellent - and what a story it tells.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 24, 2021