Screenwriting : A Hitman Logline by Jeremy Thornhill

Jeremy Thornhill

A Hitman Logline

I've been trying to figure out a new way to breath fresh air into the "hitman" genre as of late. I got inspired a year ago or so with a small scene that had a great quote from a hitman that I just couldn't let go of. However, I didn't really know how to fit it into a hitman movie that isn't overly cliche or the same old "couldn't kill the target, fell in love with the target, etc." So, I've come up with a couple of concepts, wanted to throw out some ideas and get some peer feedback: 1) A spec ops agent in charge of investigating the world sex trade decides to attack the political and internal corruption that dilutes his industry from the inside by teaming up with a vigilante hitman who's after the people who unknowingly stole a mafia boss's daughter for the trade. 2) A detached hitman questions his morality for the first time when he's anonymously given a new target, his abandoned step-brother, a Washington Senator who's in the running for the next presidential election of the United States. 3) A hitman a few paces from retirement faces a life altering journey when he discovers his long lost teenage son on his front doorstep in a wheel chair, until he uncovers the truth behind this boys mysterious appearance. 4) An aging and undistinguished hitman discovers his granddaughter is in need of a liver transplant, which forces him to take the high paying job that has been passed over by every colleague in the business, infiltrating a maximum security prison to kill an untouchable target.

Steven Michael

I like the prospects for either #3 or #4. It seems that all four have redemption in the theme. The hitman is either forced to confront, or is newly conscious of his past. Being psychopaths, I would imagine there are a couple of ways to thematically portray a hitman's life. For something offbeat (ala Pritzi's Honor) maybe the hitman is completely unrepentant. He/she doesn't understand why a long lost relative or new partner is against his vocation. Could be comedic, or downright dark.

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