movie the assignment 1997

The Assignment

“The Assignment” is a canny, tricky thriller that could serve as an illustration of what this week’s similar release, “The Peacemaker,” is not. Both films involve an international hunt for a dangerous terrorist, but “The Peacemaker” is a cartoon and “The Assignment” is intelligent and gripping–and it has a third act! Instead of an action orgy, it has more than enough story to see it through to the end and keep us absorbed the whole way. Yes, it ends with a deadly struggle, but as the setting for another stage of the movie’s web of deceit.

The film is centered on a CIA plot to discredit and kill Carlos, the feared terrorist who operated for years, despite the best efforts of the free world’s security agencies to capture him. Donald Sutherland plays Fields, the CIA agent for whom Carlos has become an obsession, and when he finds a U.S. Navy officer named Ramirez ( Aidan Quinn ) who’s a dead-ringer for the terrorist, he devises a risky scheme: He’ll train Ramirez to impersonate Carlos, then use the double to convince the KGB that their attack dog is disloyal. As a result, Carlos will either be dead or, almost as good, discredited in the eyes of his sponsors.

Fields works with an Israeli named Amos ( Ben Kingsley ) in training Ramirez, after first using psychological tactics to persuade the reluctant Navy man to leave his wife and family and become a counter-terrorist. (The scene where Fields shows Ramirez a dying child in a hospital is a direct echo of “ The Third Man “.) Then the false Carlos, is sent into the field to work the deception, which I will not describe.

“The Assignment” is fascinating because its characters can be believed, because there is at least a tiny nugget of truth in the story, and because from the deceptive opening credits, this is a film that creates the right world for these characters to inhabit. Sutherland’s CIA man is especially well drawn: “I don’t have any family,” he says, “and I don’t have any friends. The only people I’ve ever cared about were the ones I’ve killed.” Quinn plays a dual role, as Ramirez and Carlos, and has some tricky scenes, especially one in which a former lover of Carlos helps train him sexually so that he will be a convincing bedmate for another of the terrorist’s lovers.

The screenplay, by Dan Gordon and Sabi H. Shabtai , has action scenes that grow from the story and are not simply set pieces for their own sake. It’s impressive the way so many different story threads come together all at once near the end.

The director, Christian Duguay , is new to me. What he has is a tactile love of film, of images. He and the cinematographer, David Franco, don’t use locations so much as occupy them; we visit Jerusalem, Paris, Vienna, Washington, Tripoli and Moscow (or sets and effects that look like them) and yet the movie’s not a travelogue but a story hurtling ahead.

I have seen so many lazy thrillers. They share the same characteristics: Most of the scenes involve the overpriced star, the villain is underwritten, and the plot is merely a set-up for the special effects, the chases and the final action climax. “The Assignment” gives us ensemble work by fine actors, it has a villain of great complexity (developed through the process of imitating him), and at the end there is a tantalizing situation for us to unravel as we leave the theater.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

• Claudia Ferri as Maura Ramirez
• Aidan Quinn as Annibal Ramirez/Carlos
• Ben Kingsley as Amos
• Celine Bonnier as Carla

Directed by

• Christian Duguay
• Sabi H. Shabtai

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The Assignment

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Christian Duguay

Aidan Quinn

Lt. Cmdr. Annibal Ramirez

Donald Sutherland

Ben Kingsley

Claudia Ferri

Maura Ramirez

Céline Bonnier

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The Assignment (1997)

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The Assignment (1997)

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The Assignment is a 1997 spy action thriller film directed by Christian Duguay and starring Aidan Quinn, with Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley. The film, written by Dan Gordon and Sabi H. Shabtai, is set mostly in the late 1980s and deals with a CIA plan to use Quinn's character to masquerade as the Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal.

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Jack Shaw has experienced the terror first-hand. He's a top CIA agent who's tracked international killer-for-hire Carlos "The Jackal" Sanchez for over twenty years and barely survived Carlos' devastating bombing of a Parisian cafe. Now, he finally gets a break when he discovers Carlos' dead ringer: American naval officer and dedicated family man Annibal Ramirez.

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The Assignment is 8511 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 3796 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Guy Martin's World War 1 Tank but less popular than Among the Shadows.

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Jack Shaw (Donald Sutherland) has experienced the terror first-hand. He's a top CIA agent who's tracked international killer-for-hire Carlos "The Jackal" Sanchez for over twenty years and barely survived Carlos' devastating bombing of a Parisian cafe. Now, he finally gets a break when he discovers Carlos' dead ringer: American naval officer and dedicated family man Annibal Ramirez (Aidan Quinn). With the aid of his Israeli Intelligence counterpart, Amos (Ben Kingsley), Jack trains Annibal to impersonate Carlos through a series of harrowing physical and psychological exercises and draw the real killer out of hiding and into an elaborate trap.

© 1997 Allegro Film Productions V Inc. All Rights Reserved.

© 2024 Sony Pictures Digital Productions Inc.   All rights reserved

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• #109 Best Canadian Movies of all time
• "A film of real finesse, style and intelligence, an espionage thriller of the old school"  Mick LaSalle : San Francisco Chronicle
• "If you believe that Elvis still lives or that a millennial invasion of flying saucers is imminent, you might buy the bogus premise." Stephen Holden : The New York Times
• "Intelligent and gripping. (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"  Roger Ebert : Chicago Sun-Times
• "If there's a small saving grace to this crude thriller, it is the work of Montreal-born director Christian Duguay, who shows flashes of real flare." Liam Lacey : The Globe and Mail

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Rotten Tomatoes® Score

In its low-rent way, it aims for every frisson, reversal and shock-tactic -- and mostly succeeds.

Like for most action pics, character development is the first casualty.

Stylish spy flick with a surprisingly good cast.

A non-formula spy thriller without the glitz and romanticism usually associated with this genre.

If there's a small saving grace to this crude thriller, it is the work of Montreal-born director Christian Duguay, who shows flashes of real flare.

The plot raises the keenly important question of whether professionals who fight evil may be corrupted by the ruthless means they employ; but the movie takes too much pleasure in sensationalistic digressions to explore this issue very thoroughly.

Quinn is excellent in the dual roles of Jackal and Ramirez.

Additional Info

• Genre : Thriller, Action
• Release Date : September 26, 1997
• Languages : English
• Captions : English, Spanish
• Audio Format : 5.1

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Watch The Assignment

• 1 hr 59 min
• 6.8   (9,913)

The Assignment from 1997 is a thrilling crime movie directed by Christian Duguay. The movie stars Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland, and Ben Kingsley, who deliver strong performances throughout the film. The film opens with a scene of an international terrorist group led by a notorious criminal, Carlos "The Jackal" Sanchez. He is pursued by an American agent, Anna Lewis (Aidan Quinn), who has been assigned to catch him by any means necessary. However, things take an unexpected turn when Lewis is captured by Carlos and subjected to a controversial experiment that will change her life forever.

Carlos and his team of scientists have devised a plan to turn Lewis into a man. They surgically alter her body to make her more masculine and then give her hormones to alter her voice and body hair. They also give her a new identity as a man, Frank Kitchen. The idea is that Frank Kitchen will infiltrate the American government and spy on their activities.

However, things don't go according to plan. Once Frank Kitchen is created, he becomes the target of a group of people seeking revenge on him for past transgressions. These people take advantage of Frank's new identity to try and kill him, and he finds himself on the run from both his own government and those seeking his death.

The story becomes even more complex when both Carlos and Lewis's employer, Dr. Rachel Jane (Donald Sutherland), begin to question their own motives and the morality of their actions. As the film progresses, the audience is left to wonder who will succeed in the end and what the ultimate outcome will be for Frank Kitchen.

The Assignment explores themes of identity, gender, and morality in a way that was groundbreaking for the time of its release. The film is thought-provoking and full of intense, action-packed moments that keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

One of the film's strengths is its excellent cast. Aidan Quinn delivers a superb performance as both Anna Lewis and Frank Kitchen. He manages to convey the complexity of the character's journey and brings both authenticity and depth to the role. Ben Kingsley is also impressive as Carlos "The Jackal" Sanchez, bringing a sense of danger and intrigue to the character that is compelling to watch. Donald Sutherland delivers as always, bringing his acting chops to the table as the conflicted Dr. Rachel Jane.

Another aspect of the film that stands out is its cinematography. The film is shot in a way that emphasizes the grit and violence of the story, with dark and shadowy visuals that add to the film's overall tone of danger and intrigue.

Overall, The Assignment is an intense and thought-provoking film that is well worth watching. Its exploration of complex themes and the excellent performances by its talented cast make it a standout in the genre.

The Assignment is a 1997 thriller with a runtime of 1 hour and 59 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.8.

• Genres Thriller Action Crime
• Cast Aidan Quinn Donald Sutherland Ben Kingsley
• Director Christian Duguay
• Release Date 1997
• MPAA Rating R
• Runtime 1 hr 59 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 6.8   (9,913)