Gino Cox "Stiletto" has a better than average cast, which elevates it above comparable low-budget direct-to-video fare. Berenger, Biehn, Forsythe, Hu and others bring complexity and conflicting loyalties to their roles. I was disappointed in Stana Katic as the stiletto wielding avenging assassin. Her role is quite similar to Zoe Saldana's role in "Colombiana." But Zoe was convincing as a lean, mean, killing machine driven by hatred, willing to risk her life for revenge and capable of murder with her hands or a variety of weapons. Stana was less convincing. The script seems under-written. It's a familiar story that has been told better dozens of times. It's populated by interesting characters and there are a few surprise twists and turns, but somehow the audience is left uninvolved. We don't see or understand one character's obsessive love for the assassin or understand how it colors his actions. The assassin's motives are not revealed until the third act, so we're not sure if we should sympathize with her. The action choreography is nearly non-existent. There is one unnecessary car chase that seem more like an elaborate product placement than something that drives the plot. The gunfights and fistfights are unimpressive. The assassinations seem way too easy, although the make-up effects aren't too bad. It's a better than average low-budget B movie, worth watching for the performances of a group of talented B list actors delivering credible performances.

billcr12 Here's a bad female assassin film attempting to be a cross between le femme nikita and the godfather; both far superior movies.A Russian woman(Stana Katic who is actually Croatian and Serbian) as a deadly girl seeking revenge for her sisters' gang rape by a bunch of neo-Nazis somehow tied in with a Greek mafioso type played by veteran actor Tom Berenger in a Brando like Don Corleone lite. what's missing is Coppola and every other aspect of the great Godfather and of course the awesome Marlon Brando.Every gangster cliché is used here from missing money to torture scenes and rival Mexican bad guys in night club shoot out that borders on the ridiculous. I'll give it a 5 as a very average crime- drama with decent acting and a by the numbers script.

Jay Harris First of all,There have been many worse films than this. I did not expect this to be a film to remember, so I was not disappointed.Years back the studios made this type of film to be shown as the lower half of a double bill, with a 69 minute running time. This film is a fast 99 minutes. It is very violent & bloody, what would you expect with the title. STILETTO.Truthfully, the main reason I saw this was because of the star Tom Berenger. 20-30 years ago he was a HUNK.(Looking for Mr Goodbar & Platoon were just 2 of his real good films). He is (of course) much older& plays the nasty,mean crime boss, Tom is still good and does hold your interest. The rest of the acting & production values are only fair.I am not even going to mention the leading lady by name.She is pretty & kills most of the cast,I doubt if she make many films.If you remember Tom Berenger,& like them very bloody,profane and violent see it.Ratings: ** (out of 4)52 points (out of 100) IMDb 4 (out of 10)

info-3268 Just watched Stiletto - great movie. Lots of action. Well known cast -Amanda Brooks is showing all her range - a must see. Think the ensemble cast work really well together. Original revenge story - and you have to wait till the very end to connect the dots. Nice to see Michael Biehn again after an absence for a while. This is the second Villalonga movie i have seen and i like his work. For action lovers its a real treat. Berringer plays a great crime boss - but not in the Italian style. Chemistry between Biehn and Brooks is electric. Amanda Brooks is really hitting her stride. You can feel the anger flowing out. Very convincing in this role.