It’s so much fun. Hawes is so good, so funny, Highmore so nimble and perfectly pitched and everyone else.

You've never met an assassin like Keeley Hawes’ Julie, and for that matter you've never watched a thriller like this either. Come for the cutthroat action and stay for the cutting dynamic at its core.

They may not be revolutionary, and may give you some déjà vu to past Williams joints, but if you're looking for entertaining action, some fun twists and a compelling central character/relationship study, then you will certainly find all of that here.

Although character decisions would have strengthened the story, the overarching narrative was interesting enough to keep me engaged throughout.

The Assassin is also spoiled by being overly derivative, to the point of being distracting. .... None of that is criminal, and doesn’t stop The Assassin from being intriguing and very, very nearly working – but it renders it frustrating.

The Assassin is light, makes very little sense and will satisfy fans of Highmore and Hawes more than casual genre devotees.

If this is Hawes’s audition to become the next 007, then she’s completely let down by thin characterisation and a shoddy, juvenile script.