Assassinations have formed a major plot element in various works of fiction. This article provides a list of fictional stories in which assassination features as an important plot element. Passing mentions are omitted.
Assassination can be regarded as the murder of a prominent person for a motive which is broadly public and political rather than merely personal or financial.[1]
Assassinations in fiction have attracted scholarly attention. In Assassinations and Murder in Modern Italy: Transformations in Society and Culture, as well as analyzing Italian assassinations in their historical and cultural contexts, Stephen Gundle and Lucia Rinaldi explore the films, plays, other works of fiction, and art that the act of assassination has inspired.[2]Nick Cullather has discussed "The Movie Version" of John F. Kennedy's assassination.[3]
This list prefers to highlight less familiar cultural artifacts, while trying not to itemize every Ian Fleming or Agatha Christie title, or every Mafia film. The historical–historically based or historically inspired–takes precedence over the purely fictional and sensational.
John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) – suspense novel; just the 1978 movie version features the attempted assassination of a fictional Greek Prime Minister
Ian Fleming, James Bond series (1953–1966) – spy novel series featuring a licensed to kill protagonist who is described as having carried out assassinations, but rarely actually does so in the books themselves
Alan Moore, V for Vendetta (1982–1988) – graphic novel featuring numerous assassinations of governmental and quasi-governmental officials by the eponymous character, V
Tom Clancy, Debt of Honor (1994) – war novel that ends with the bombing of the Capitol Building, wiping out the entire U.S. government except for the newly confirmed Vice President
The list is organized chronologically by year of release, rather than year of production. Within each year, films based on genuine historical events are listed first, followed by any purely fictional entries.
The Emperor Jones – 1933 film by Dudley Murphy[14] where, on a Caribbean island, an escaped U.S. convict has become a self-styled Emperor, but is now hunted by his rebellious subjects, based on the play by Nobel laureate Eugene O'Neill
Fury – 1936 film by Fritz Lang in which an accused man persecutes those who nearly lynched him, inspired by the 1933 Brooke Hart lynching case where the California Governor colluded with the mob
Five Came Back – 1939 film by John Farrow in which the crash of a passenger plane in the Amazon rainforest allows an anarchist assassin to re-evaluate himself
All the King's Men – 1949 film by Robert Rossen about the assassination of Southern governor Willie Stark, inspired by the 1935 death of Louisiana governor Huey Long
The Gunfighter – 1950 Western by Henry King in which a notorious gunfighter is shot in the back by a tyro, for the sake of the fame
Quo Vadis – 1951 film by Mervyn LeRoy, about the persecution of early Christians, involves the crucifixion of Saint Peter (in AD 64), then the murder of Empress Poppaea by Emperor Nero, and the mercy killing of Nero by his Christian friend Acte, inspired by the suicide of Nero in AD 68
North West Frontier – 1959 film by J. Lee Thompson, set in India in 1905, where a Hindu maharajah is assassinated by Moslem rebels and a British captain must defend his young heir
The Gleiwitz Case – 1961 East German film by Gerhard Klein in which Nazis plan to murder a concentration camp inmate dressed in Polish uniform as a pretext to invade Poland, based on the 1939 Gleiwitz incident
Dr. No – 1962 thriller by Terence Young about the murder of British agents in Jamaica, and the investigation by an agent, James Bond, who is "licensed to kill"
Shaheed – 1965 Indian (Hindi) film by S. Ram Sharma about Indian nationalist Bhagat Singh and the assassination of British police superintendent J.P. Saunders in 1928
Thunderball – 1965 film by Terence Young that opens with James Bond's first on-screen assassination, of an enemy agent
The President's Analyst – 1967 comedy by Theodore J. Flicker in which the U.S. President's personal psychiatrist must evade assassination attempts by U.S. government agencies, the "CEA" and the "FBR" [sic]
Z – Oscar-winning 1969 Algerian film by Costa-Gavras in which a magistrate struggles to prosecute the assassins of an opposition politician, based on the 1963 murder of Greek MPGregoris Lambrakis
Crossplot – 1969 film by Alvin Rakoff where an executive learns of a plot to assassinate a visiting African leader in London
Sleeper – Hugo-winning 1973 science fiction comedy by Woody Allen, set in the year 2173, when rebels have killed a dictator, and a defrosted health food store owner from 1973 is sent to assassinate the dictator's only surviving part, his nose, before it can be cloned
Theatre of Blood – 1973 film by Douglas Hickox in which an overacting Shakespearean actor assassinates his critics in the manner of Shakespeare's most grotesque murder scenes
The Werewolf of Washington – 1973 horror satire by Milton Moses Ginsberg raises the question whether party loyalty is enough to protect the U.S. President when he hires a werewolf as his press secretary
Live and Let Die – 1973 film by Guy Hamilton that opens with the assassinations of several British agents on the orders of Dr. Kananga, ruler of the fictional country of San Monique, later killed by James Bond – the first time 007 is shown assassinating the leader of a country
The Parallax View – 1974 film by Alan J. Pakula about a reporter and assassination conspiracy theorist, and the murders of two U.S. senators, adapted from the novel by Loren Singer
A Boy and His Dog – 1974 science fiction film by L. Q. Jones about a teenage girl who recruits a post-apocalyptic nomad to assassinate her town council as part of a coup
The Next Man – 1976 film by Richard C. Sarafian in which a Saudi minister who wants peace with Israel faces a series of assassination attempts from terrorists
Target of an Assassin – 1976 film by Peter Collinson in which a South African male nurse kidnaps the hospitalized target of a failed assassination, a visiting African President
Black Sunday – 1977 film by John Frankenheimer about a terrorist plot to detonate a blimp bomb over the Super Bowl football game with the U.S. President in attendance
Brass Target – 1978 film by John Hough about a plan in 1945 to assassinate Gen. Patton over his investigation of a theft of Reichsbank gold by U.S. Army officers
22 June 1897 – 1979 Indian (Marathi) film by Jayoo Patwardhan and Nachiket Patwardhan about the 1897 assassinations of plague-control officers, Charles Walter Rand and Charles Egerton Ayerst, in British India
I as in Icarus – 1979 French film by Henri Verneuil where a committee in a fictitious country, after their President's assassination, settles on a lone gunman, but a single investigator is dissatisfied
Harry's Game – 1982 ITV miniseries by Lawrence Gordon Clark in which a British soldier goes undercover in Belfast to track down the IRA assassin of a cabinet minister
Matewan – 1987 film by John Sayles where labour unrest in West Virginia builds to the 1920 Battle of Matewan, with the death of mayor Cabell Testerman, and the 1921 assassination of police chief Sid Hatfield
Aria – 1987 film by Nicolas Roeg in which Albanian King Zog survives an assassination attempt in 1931
Talk Radio – 1988 film by Oliver Stone about a provocative, "shock jock" radio host goading his audience to violence, inspired by the murder of Denver broadcaster Alan Berg in 1984
Betrayed – 1988 film by Costa-Gavras about an FBI investigation into white supremacists after the death of a Jewish radio host, inspired by the murder of Denver broadcaster Alan Berg in 1984
Running Against Time – 1990 science fiction film by Bruce Seth Green where a time-travelling history professor tries to prevent the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy and avert the Vietnam War
La Femme Nikita – 1990 French film directed by Luc Besson concerning Nikita, who is convicted of murder. In prison, she is injected with drugs, simulating death. Officially dead, she is given the choice of either working for the DGSE as an assassin or being killed for real
The Pope Must Die – 1991 comedy by Peter Richardson where an honest Pope, one not controlled by the Mafia, is accidentally elected, so he must be eliminated
Bob Roberts – 1992 satire by Tim Robbins about a corrupt Senatorial candidate who organizes his own phoney assassination and subsequent simulated paralysis
El Mariachi – 1992 U.S. (Spanish) film by Robert Rodriguez about an unemployed musician in Mexico who is targeted by hitmen
The Shooter – 1995 film by Ted Kotcheff where, after the murder of the Cuban ambassador to the U.N., a CIA agent must prevent the lesbian assassin from disrupting a U.S.–Cuba summit
Assassins – 1995 film by Richard Donner about the rivalry between a seasoned hitman and an upstart
GoldenEye – 1995 film by Martin Campbell that features a female assassin and pits James Bond against a fellow agent gone rogue
My Fellow Americans – 1996 comedy-thriller by Peter Segal in which two feuding former U.S. Presidents are hunted by NSA agents under orders from the current Vice-President
The Jackal – 1997 quasi-remake (of The Day of the Jackal) by Michael Caton-Jones where Russian gangsters dispatch an international assassin to kill the FBI Director, and the agency seeks aid from an Irish terrorist and a Basque separatist, but the actual target is discovered to be the wife of the U.S. President
Air Force One – 1997 film by Wolfgang Petersen in which Russian neo-nationalists take over the U.S. President's plane, and execute White House staff, leaving the President to fight to regain control
The Man Who Knew Too Little – 1997 spoof by Jon Amiel, where an American on vacation in England who is mistaken for a hitman involved in an assassination plot
Bulworth – 1998 comedy by Warren Beatty about a suicidal U.S. Senator who pays for his own assassination
Ronin – 1998 film by John Frankenheimer about mercenaries hired to obtain a briefcase from its courier, and the murder of a figure skater
Go to Hell – 1999 comedy by Michael J. Heagle where a tabloid newspaper journalist can recover his soul only by assassinating a Catholic cardinal with demonic connections
The World Is Not Enough – 1999 film by Michael Apted in which James Bond is assigned to retaliate for the assassination of a business tycoon within MI6 headquarters
Chain of Command – 2000 TV film by John Terlesky in which the U.S. President is kidnapped, along with his means for launching a nuclear onslaught
Miss Congeniality – 2000 comedy by Donald Petrie about an FBI agent who exposes a plot to blow up a newly crowned beauty pageant winner
Kandahar – 2001 Franco-Iranian (Dari) film by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, about an exile's return to Afghanistan; stars Dawud Salahuddin who, in real life, was an American-born assassin for Iranian intelligence
Zoolander – 2001 comedy by Ben Stiller in which a vacuous male model is programmed to kill the Malaysian Prime Minister – banned in Malaysia
2009: Lost Memories – 2002 South Korean film by Lee Si-myung in which An Jung-geun's assassination attempt against Itō Hirobumi in 1909 is thwarted, resulting in a time paradox where the Empire of Japan retains its overseas territories after World War II.
The Sum of All Fears 2002 thriller in which Fascists plot to trigger a Third World War by framing the Russian Republic for nuking a championship football game attended by the U.S. President.
The Dancer Upstairs – 2002 film by John Malkovich where the terrorist assassinations of government officials are investigated by a Latin American policeman in spite of the imposition of martial law, inspired by the 1992 capture of the leader of Peru's Sendero Luminoso
Tears of the Sun – 2003 remake (of Dark of the Sun) by Antoine Fuqua, set during a fictional Nigerian Civil War, begins with the off-screen assassination of the President (and family) by rebels, along with other echoes of the 1994 Rwandan genocide
Blind Horizon – 2003 film by Michael Haussman about an amnesiac with recollections of his involvement in an assassination plot against the U.S. President
The Hebrew Hammer – 2003 comedy by Jonathan Kesselman where Santa Claus is assassinated by his own son and holiday harmony must be restored by a Jewish crime fighter in a pimpmobile
Die Stunde der Offiziere – 2004 German television film by Hans-Erich Viet about various plans to kill Adolf Hitler, culminating in the Stauffenberg plot
H2O – 2004 CBC miniseries by Charles Binamé where the Canadian PM dies in an apparent canoeing accident, but suspicions point to the Americans
The Manchurian Candidate – 2004 remake by Jonathan Demme in which a U.S. Gulf War veteran is brainwashed into being a corporate agent who, as Vice-President, will assume the Presidency once the newly elected president is assassinated by his former comrade, brainwashed into acting as a hitman
Man on Fire – 2004 film by Tony Scott about a bodyguard and ex-CIA assassin in Mexico whose young charge is kidnapped – remake of the 1987 film, set in Italy
Paradise Now – Oscar-nominated 2005 Dutch-Israeli (Arabic) film by Hany Abu-Assad where two Palestinian suicide bombers in Nablus, despairing of living under unending foreign occupation, are assigned a wedding in Tel Aviv, in retaliation for Israeli assassinations
Syriana – 2005 film by Stephen Gaghan about a CIA assassin who is assigned to kill the foreign minister of an Arab emirate
The Interpreter – 2005 film by Sydney Pollack about a United Nations interpreter who overhears a plot to assassinate a visiting African President
The State Counsellor – 2005 Russian film by Filipp Yankovsky in which a detective in 1891 tries to prevent the assassination of the Tsarist Governor of Moscow by revolutionaries
American Dreamz – 2006 satire by Paul Weitz about a terrorist plot against a strongly Bush-like U.S. President when he appears as a guest judge on a strongly Pop Idol-like TV programme
Land of the Blind – 2006 film by Robert Edwards in which the despotic king and queen of Everycountry [sic] are overthrown and killed by a rebel leader
Rang De Basanti – 2006 Indian (Hindi) film by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra in which a group of university students becomes radicalized while making a movie about the assassination of British police superintendent J.P. Saunders in 1928, so when they, and other anti-corruption protesters, are badly beaten by police colluding with Hindu extremists, one volunteers to kill the Defence Minister[27]
V for Vendetta – 2006 film by the Wachowskis wherein the main character, known only as V, inspired by the 1605 Gunpowder Plot, assassinates numerous governmental and quasi-governmental officials in his quest to topple a fascist regime; based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore
End Game – 2006 film by Andy Cheng[28] in which the assassination of the U.S. President leads to a series of other murders
The Contract – 2006 film by Bruce Beresford in which a notorious assassin, presumably targeting the U.S. President, is himself targeted while under arrest by a citizen
Casino Royale – 2006 film by Martin Campbell that shows how James Bond first became "licensed to kill", through two assassinations
The Hunting Party – 2007 film by Richard Shepard in which journalists in Bosnia attempting to contact a Serb war criminal are mistaken for CIA assassins, inspired by actual events centred on Radovan Karadžić
House of Saddam – 2008 BBC/HBO miniseries by Alex Holmes and Jim O'Hanlon includes the 1982 failed assassination of then-U.S. ally Saddam Hussein in Dujail by Islamic terrorists, but grossly exaggerates the reaction of the Iraqi government
Eagle Eye – 2008 film by D.J. Caruso in which an indignant computer system, outraged by a U.S. war crime, uses ordinary citizens to wipe out the entire upper echelon of the U.S. government, and impose a President of its own choosing
Vantage Point – 2008 film by Pete Travis about the seeming assassination of a U.S. President in Spain
XIII – 2008 Canal+ miniseries by Duane Clark in which the first female U.S. President is assassinated, and an amnesiac is suspected
Bangkok Dangerous – 2008 film by the Pang Brothers in which a hitman, following a series of hits on crime lords, learns that he has been assigned the Thai Prime Minister as his final target
Get Smart – 2008 comedy by Peter Segal includes a plot to kill the U.S. President during a concert with a nuclear blast
War, Inc. – 2008 satire by Joshua Seftel where, in Central Asia, after the first fully privatized war, a corporate assassin is sent to kill a competing conglomerate's natural gas executive – a semi-sequel to Grosse Pointe Blank
La Linea – 2008 film by James Cotten about a hitman tracking a Tijuana drug lord
Wanted – 2008 film by Timur Bekmambetov about an overstressed accountant who becomes involved with a hypermasculine girl assassin from an assassins' "fraternity"
Inglourious Basterds – 2009 film by Quentin Tarantino about two fictional plans to assassinate Adolf Hitler, one by a team of Jewish OSS agents, the other by a French Jew
Law Abiding Citizen – 2009 film by F. Gary Gray about the assassinations of Philadelphia city officials by an aggrieved family man
Frame of Mind – 2009 film by Carl T. Evans where a detective discovers film showing a gunman on the grassy knoll at the time of U.S. President Kennedy's assassination in 1963
Watchmen – 2009 science fiction film by Zack Snyder, about a conspiracy to assassinate retired superheroes, based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore, also includes a recreation of the 1963 Kennedy assassination
Formosa Betrayed – 2010 film by Adam Kane in which the murder of a Taiwanese-American professor takes an FBI agent to Taiwan, based on two murders which occurred in 1981 and 1984
The Ghost – 2010 film by Roman Polanski which includes the assassination of a former U.K. PM
Salt – 2010 film by Phillip Noyce in which Soviet-era moles target the Russian and American presidents
Red – 2010 film by Robert Schwentke where a retired CIA agent pursues a plan to kill a war criminal, the U.S. Vice President
The Expendables – 2010 film by Sylvester Stallone about a multinational military force tasked with assassinating a South American dictator
Green Zone – 2010 film by Paul Greengrass about a U.S. soldier who tries to prevent the assassination of an Iraqi general by U.S. government death squads
Machete – 2010 film by Robert Rodriguez about a former Mexican federale whose assassination of a corrupt U.S. senator goes awry
Edge of Darkness – 2010 film by Martin Campbell about the murder of a corporate whistleblower and the investigation by her father
Olympus Has Fallen – 2013 action thriller film in which North Korean terrorists attack Washington, D.C. and take over the White House in which they assassinate the South Korean Prime Minister during a visit and also attempt to assassinate the President of the United States
White House Down – 2013 action thriller movie by Roland Emmerich in which a paramilitary group take over the White House and attempt to assassinate the President of the United States
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – 2014 superhero film in which S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury endures repeated assassination attempts while looking into a conspiracy inside his organization
The Interview – 2014 movie where a TV show host assassinates the dictator of North Korea
Kingsman: The Secret Service – 2015 spy movie where a madman plans to depopulate Earth by using his personal technology (MP3 players and cellphones) to trigger people's combative instincts, driving them to attack and kill one another
The Purge: Election Year – 2016 dystopian science fiction action horror film by James DeMonaco in which Caleb Warrens, the Leader of the "New Founding Fathers of America", and the other NFFA members are killed by a group of rebels in a cathedral, during the film
Death Note – 2017 film directed by Adam Wingard, about a student able to kill people by writing their name in a notebook
Kaappaan- 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by K. V. Anand and written by Pattukkottai Prabakar.The narrative revolves around Kathiravan, a Special Protection Group (SPG) officer who struggles to protect the Prime Minister from a mysterious man who threatens to assassinate him
Assassinated filmmakers
One direct and one indirect victim of terrorism.
Theo van Gogh (1957–2004) – provocative Dutch producer/director
Playhouse 90 (1956–1960) – The 1958 episode "The Plot To Kill Stalin" involved a plot against Uncle Joe.[31]
The Time Tunnel (1966–1967) – The episode "The Death Trap" involves both the 1865 assassination of U.S. President Lincoln and the 1861 conspiracy against him, known as the "Baltimore Plot".
Saturday Night Live (1975–present) – Nightline broadcaster Ted Koppel reports as famous but incomprehensible actor Buckwheat is assassinated on live television, and then Buckwheat's assassin (Murphy again) is assassinated in turn.
Red Dwarf (1988–1999) – The episode "Tikka to Ride" features an elaborate plot which takes place in an alternate timeline where JFK survives due to accidental interference by the Red Dwarf crew. After witnessing the negative result of his survival the crew enlist Kennedy to go back in time to carry out the assassination. The plan works: Kennedy shoots his past self and the timeline is restored. Kennedy grimly thanks the gang for the chance to restore himself to his proper place in history, and fades away as a result of the resetting timeline.
Quantum Leap (1989–1993) – The episode "Lee Harvey Oswald" concerns the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Babylon 5 (1993–1998) – features several assassinations (meaning the targeted killing of a significant political figure, rather than the many other deaths or murders that occur in the show). One of the earliest assassinations is of Earth's President Santiago, in a spectacular scene showing the explosion of the Presidential Spaceship, Earth Force One. The same episode shows his Vice-President Clark being sworn in. The scene is shot as a replica of the swearing in of LBJ, following the JFK assassination, complete with Santiago's widow posed in the background. Clark's assumption of power begins Earth's slow decline into fascism, and it was discovered his faction arranged the assassination of President Santiago.
La Femme Nikita (1997–2001) – a television spy drama, based on the French film Nikita,in which assassins work in a secret government counter-terrorist organization, "Section One". Section One's operatives (assassins) work not for monetary gain nor from ideological devotion, but out of a fear of being cancelled (executed) for sub-standard performance. La Femme Nikita had a run of five seasons and a total of 96 episodes; during its first two seasons, it was the highest-rated drama on American basic cable. Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, who created and produced La Femme Nikita, later went on to create 24.
Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000) – Episode 15, "Noshing and Moshing", is set at the time of the assassination attempt on U.S. President Reagan. One character believes that it was the result of a conspiracy organized by Vice-President Bush.
The West Wing (1999–2006) – In the first-season finale, in the episode "What Kind of Day Has It Been" there is an assassination attempt on U.S. President Bartlet's personal aide, Charlie Young. It is, however, thwarted by the Secret Service. In the following episodes the assassins are discovered to have been members of an organization called Virginia White Pride, a group of racists and white supremacists. In the third season, President Bartlet orders the assassination of Qumari Defence Minister Abdul Ibn Shareef, after it comes to light that the latter has ordered a group of terrorists to blow up the Golden Gate Bridge and is plotting other terrorist acts.
Alias (2001–2006) – Numerous assassinations, real and simulated, take place over the course of Sydney Bristow's odyssey through the underworld of covert intelligence and international organized crime.
24 (2001–2010) – Assassination plots have featured prominently throughout: Season 1 revolves around Counter-Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer's attempts to stop the assassination of Democratic presidential candidate David Palmer. Season 2 ends with the attempted assassination of now-President Palmer. Season 3 involves the assassination by Jack Bauer of his superior Ryan Chappelle at the behest of terrorist Stephen Saunders. Season 4 features an attempt to assassinate U.S. President Keeler by shooting down Air Force One (and subsequently the assassination of the president's son). Season 5's plot begins with a hired killer assassinating former U.S. President David Palmer at the beginning of the first episode, along with the assassination of CTU employee Michelle Dessler. Later in the 13th episode, Christopher Henderson attempts to assassinate Michelle's husband Tony Almeida. Season 6 involves the attempted assassinations of U.S. President Wayne Palmer and former U.S. President Charles Logan. In season 7, the husband of president Allison Taylor is assassinated. In season 8, the president of a fictitious Middle-East country is assassinated; later, after his partner Renee Walker is assassinated, Jack Bauer goes on a killing spree, killing several Russian officials who were members of the conspiracy, and finally targets the Russian president, but his assassination attempt is thwarted by his friend Chloe O'Brien, now acting director of CTU. In 24: Live Another Day, U.S. president James Heller is targeted for assassination.
Monk (2002–2009) – The pilot episode centres on the failed assassination of a mayoral candidate, while the first episode of Season 3 involves the murder of the Latvian ambassador in New York City. In Season 3 Episode 12, Monk himself becomes the target of Chinatown hitmen.
Stargate Atlantis (2004–2009) – Several assassination attempts are featured through the series, the most extreme of them being the coup when Ladon Radim assassinates Chief Cowen and his Elite Guard with a hidden nuclear device, taking over as the new Genii leader. On another occasion, the protagonists narrowly protect the 13-year-old Harmony from an attempt on her life ordered by one of her sisters (in order to usurp her position as would-be queen). In yet another incident, Teyla (disguised as a Wraith Queen) and Todd infiltrate a Hive Ship under the guise of negotiations. However, Todd stabs the Queen to death and blames Teyla for it, resulting in her becoming the new Queen.
Lost (2004–2010) – In Season 4, former Iraqi Army torturer Sayid Jarrah works as an assassin for the mysterious Ben Linus. In Season 6, Sayid again becomes an assassin, this time for the Smoke Monster.
House (2004–2012) – In Season 6 episode "The Tyrant", a hospitalized African dictator avoids one assassination attempt before being murdered by a doctor.
Rome (2005–2006) – HBO/BBC/RAI series by Michael Aptedet al. on wars, intrigue, and personal and political violence in ancient Rome. Season 1 includes the assassinations of several historical figures, Pompey, Pothinus, and Julius Caesar. Season 2 includes the assassination of Cicero but, unhistorically, omits Caesarion.
Heroes (2006–2010) – In the finale of the second volume of Heroes, "Generations", former New York Congressman Nathan Petrelli gives a nationally televised speech to the media in Odessa, Texas, regarding the successful stopping of an outbreak of a deadly virus. About to reveal that he has the ability to fly, he is shot in the chest twice, mid-sentence, by an unknown assassin who quickly leaves the scene. Nathan falls into the arms of his brother, Peter, and uses his last breath to whisper his name.
Doctor Who (2005–present) – Series 3 episode 12 "The Sound of Drums" U.S. President Arthur Coleman Winters was killed by UK Prime Minister Harold Saxon (The Master).
The Tudors (2007–2010) – There is an assassination attempt against Anne Boleyn on the way to her coronation, in Episode 3 of Season 2.
Burn Notice (2007–2013) – This series features several minor assassinations in order to cover up the conspiracy that burned spy Michael Weston investigates as he is attempting to clear his name after he becomes affiliated with it. His narration, in which he acts if he is teaching a class of new spies, also discusses the concept several times.
IRIS (2009) – The South Korean TV series details a black ops agency named the National Security Service or NSS, an agency created by Park Chung-Hee that protected South Korea by operations including assassination. One of its agents, Kim Hyun-Jun, goes rogue after completing his assassination assignment in Hungary after being betrayed by NSS Director Baek San and threatened with assassination himself by his friend and fellow NSS operative Jin Sa-Woo. An arms-dealing terrorist group called IRIS also uses assassination to kill off anyone trying to rout out the group and prevent the Koreas from reuniting under peace talks.
Warehouse 13 (2009–2014) – The pilot episode features an attempted assassination of the U.S. president at a Washington museum.
The Event (2010–2011) – The story involves a U.S. presidential assassination attempt.
Nikita (2010–2013) – An updating of the 1990s series, once again focusing on the exploits of a female assassin and her section.
Designated Survivor (2016–present) – A bombing during the State of the Union address successfully assassinates almost the entirety of the United States government, with the protagonist assuming the role of president having been the former administration's designated survivor for the address.
Hell on Wheels (2011–2016) – There is an assassination attempt against Brigham Young by his son Phineas in Episode 7 of Season 5.
Golgo 13 – The TV series details more on Duke Togo's assassination missions
Noir – Anime television series that follows two female assassins' search to understand their past
Darker than Black – Anime television series about ordinary people inexplicably changed into Contractors with extraordinary abilities who typically become cold-blooded killers
Assassination Classroom – Anime television series adapted from a manga by Yūsei Matsui, about junior high students in their school's worst class, tasked with finding a way to assassinate an extremely powerful creature claiming it destroyed 70% of the moon, and will destroy the Earth one year later
Grand Theft Auto series (1997–2013) – features numerous missions which involve assassination
Tenchu (1998–2008) – Same as above, the originator of the next-generation ninja subterfuge gaming genre. Released earlier, more story-driven and somewhat less political, assassination is a trademark feature of the series
Hitman series (2000–present) – Popular tactical stealth game series which involves the assassination of various targets. There has been over eight games in the series so far.
Ragnarok Online (2001) – An MMORPG where the player can choose to become an assassin as a second job class
Splinter Cell (2002) – Stealth action game which ends with an assassination of a powerful political leader
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004) – Several assignments (some mandatory, some optional) involving assassination are included in this game, and the endgame involves the player deciding whether to assassinate one or both of the game's vampire clan leader antagonists
Shinobido (2005) – Heavily stealth-based video game centred around feudal-era Japan and its inhabitants. The protagonist is a ninja, who is given contact killing missions among others, and becomes a politically heavily involved reconnaissance agent, thief and mostly, assassin
Total War (2006) – a strategy game series where the player can send assassins against opponents
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006) – role-playing video game in which one may join an assassins' guild, the Dark Brotherhood. Also, the main storyline opens with an emperor being assassinated; the entire game hinges on this event
The Godfather: The Game (2006) – the game features several missions with the goal to assassinating high-ranking members of the Five Families, including the Dons
Team Fortress 2 (2007) – features one class, the spy, whose purpose is to assassinate other players. He features a knife among his weaponry that will kill instantly if it is a stab to the back of a character
No More Heroes (2007) – The player is an assassin called Travis Touchdown who is the 11th ranked assassin of an organization called the UAA. The game leads the player to fight against the top 10 assassins of the UAA
Call of Duty: World at War (2008) – In the first level of the Russian campaign, the player participates in the assassination of a Nazi general responsible for Stalingrad atrocities
Fallout 3 (2008) – The player is tasked by an organization known as the Brotherhood of Steel to assassinate John Henry Eden, the self-proclaimed President of the United States
MadWorld (2009) – The gameplay revolves around how creatively you murder other contestants in a game called "Deathwatch"
Assassin's Creed II (2009) – The player assumes the role of a young nobleman-turned-assassin named Ezio Auditore da Firenze. The plot takes place in Renaissance Italy
Just Cause (video game series) (2006–2018) – United States agent Rico travels to the fictional island-nations of San Esperito, Panau, Medici and Solis to assassinate the regime's corrupt dictators
Fallout: New Vegas (2010) – The player can assassinate three major political leaders, then cannibalize them to receive a special in-game bonus, called a Perk
Batman: Arkham City (2011) – The secondary mission "Shot in the Dark" involves contract killings. The League of Assassins are also part of the main plot
Dishonored (2012) – Corvo Attano sets out to assassinate a conspiracy line to restore the rightful Emperess, Emily Kaldwin, on the throne. There are non-lethal alternatives to assassination targets
Payday 2 (2013) – the Payday gang assassinates Ernesto Sosa, a fictional drug lord, who had been attacking weapon shipments of 'The Butcher,' an arms smuggler.
Grand Theft Auto V (2013) – Franklin, Michael, and Trevor assassinate rival criminal leaders and other targets in both main and side missions of the game's story mode. Players can also take part in assassinations in Grand Theft Auto Online.
↑ Murders within families are often termed assassinations if the family members are very prominent. This would be true of Roman Empire poisonings, or the 2001 slaughter of the royal family in Nepal. The murder of the well-known actor Phil Hartman by his wife in 1998 does not qualify. Is the 1978 murder of actor Bob Crane assassination? No. Is the 1987 murder of singer Peter Tosh by robbers assassination? If the motive is extortion, no. If an author writes a novel proposing a broad conspiracy, then yes. Is the 1948 death of actor Solomon Mikhoels assassination? Yes. It was orchestrated by Stalin. King Charles I? No. Executed publicly, after a trial. Tsar Nicholas II? Yes. Executed secretly, with his children, without a trial. There will always be a problem with a precise definition and applying that definition to specific cases.
↑ Nicholas Cullather, "History, Conspiracy, and the Kennedy Assassination", Retrieving the American Past, ed. Marc Horger (New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2005), pp. 301–30
↑ The film mistakenly refers to the assassination of General Dyer following the Amritsar Massacre. In fact, it was Governor O'Dwyer who was murdered, in London in 1940. Dyer had died of natural causes in 1927.
↑ Director Andy Cheng is second unit director and stunt co-ordinator on Twilight, the noirish teen vampire romance.
Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a person—especially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by grievances, notoriety, financial, military, political or other motives. Many times governments and criminal groups order assassinations to be committed by their accomplices. Acts of assassination have been performed since ancient times. A person who carries out an assassination is called an assassin or hitman.
Giuseppe Zangara was an Italian immigrant and naturalized United States citizen who attempted to assassinate the President-elect of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, on February 15, 1933, 17 days before Roosevelt's inauguration. During a night speech by Roosevelt in Miami, Florida, Zangara fired five shots with a handgun he had purchased a couple of days before. He missed his target and instead killed Anton Cermak, the Mayor of Chicago, and injured five bystanders.
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an agreement which includes some form of compensation, monetary or otherwise. It is an illegal agreement. Either party may be a person, group, or organization. Contract killing has been associated with organized crime, government conspiracies, dictatorships, and vendettas. For example, in the United States, the Italian- and Jewish-American organized crime gang Murder, Inc. committed hundreds of murders on behalf of the National Crime Syndicate during the 1930s and '40s.
The Day of the Jackal (1971) is a political thriller novel by English author Frederick Forsyth about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French dissident paramilitary organisation, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France.
John"Handsome Johnny"Roselli, sometimes spelled Rosselli, was a mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped that organization exert influence over Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. Roselli was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in a plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
Jason Bourne is the title character and the protagonist in a series of novels and subsequent film adaptations. The character was created by novelist Robert Ludlum. He first appeared in the novel The Bourne Identity (1980), which was adapted for television in 1988. The novel was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 2002 and starred Matt Damon in the lead role.
Shall We Tell the President? is a 1977 novel by English author Jeffrey Archer. A revised edition was published in 1986.
The Sentinel is a 2006 American political action thriller film directed by Clark Johnson about a veteran United States Secret Service special agent who is suspected of treason after an attempted assassination of the president reveals that someone within the Service is supplying information to the assassins.
Evening in Byzantium is a 1978 American two-part, four-hour made-for-television drama film produced by Glen A. Larson Productions and Universal Television, and directed by Jerry London, about the Cannes Film Festival being overtaken by terrorists. It stars Glenn Ford, Vince Edwards, Shirley Jones, Eddie Albert and Erin Gray, with Edward James Olmos in a small role. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Irwin Shaw.
Assassination, the murder of an opponent or well-known public figure, is one of the oldest tools of power struggles, as well as the expression of certain psychopathic disorders. It dates back to the earliest governments and tribal structures of the world.
The assassination of John F. Kennedy and the subsequent conspiracy theories surrounding it have been discussed, referenced, or recreated in popular culture numerous times.
Brass Target is a 1978 American suspense war film based on the 1974 novel The Algonquin Project by Frederick Nolan. The film was produced by Berle Adams and Arthur Lewis and directed by John Hough. It stars Sophia Loren, John Cassavetes, Robert Vaughn, George Kennedy, Patrick McGoohan and Max von Sydow.
Operation Long Jump was an alleged German plan to simultaneously assassinate Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the "Big Three" Allied leaders, at the 1943 Tehran Conference during World War II. The operation in Iran was to be led by SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny of the Waffen SS. A group of agents from the Soviet Union, led by Soviet spy Gevork Vartanian, uncovered the plot before its inception and the mission was never launched. The assassination plan and its disruption have been popularized by the Russian media with appearances in films and novels.
The CIA Kennedy assassination is a prominent John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theory. According to ABC News, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is represented in nearly every theory that involves American conspirators. The secretive nature of the CIA, and the conjecture surrounding the high-profile political assassinations in the United States during the 1960s, has made the CIA a plausible suspect for some who believe in a conspiracy. Conspiracy theorists have ascribed various motives for CIA involvement in the assassination of President Kennedy, including Kennedy's firing of CIA director Allen Dulles, Kennedy's refusal to provide air support to the Bay of Pigs invasion, Kennedy's plan to cut the agency's budget by 20 percent, and the belief that the president was weak on communism. In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) concluded that the CIA was not involved in the assassination of Kennedy.
The Tall Target is a 1951 American historical crime film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Dick Powell, Paula Raymond and Adolphe Menjou. Powell stars as a police sergeant who tries to stop the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at a train stop as Lincoln travels to his inauguration. It is based on the alleged Baltimore Plot.
11/22/63 is a novel by American author Stephen King about a time traveler who attempts to prevent the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy, which occurred on November 22, 1963. It is the 60th book published by Stephen King, his 49th novel and the 42nd under his own name. The novel required considerable research to accurately portray the late 1950s and early 1960s. King commented on the amount of research it required, saying "I've never tried to write anything like this before. It was really strange at first, like breaking in a new pair of shoes."
Abraham W. Bolden is a former United States Secret Service agent. He was the first African American assigned to the presidential security detail, appointed in 1961 by John F. Kennedy. In 1964, Bolden was fired from the Secret Service after he was charged with accepting a bribe in relation to a counterfeiting case he had been investigating. Convicted by a jury, he was sentenced to six years in federal prison. Bolden always alleged that he had been framed by members of the government in order to intimidate and silence him. He was eventually pardoned by President Joe Biden in April 2022.
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Jozef Gabčík, c. 1942
Jan Kubiš, c. 1942
