The Assignment (1997)

Disapointment

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Before watching it, I expected an average action movie without depth, a simple entertainment. Nevertheless, this movie is better than expected. It is really amusing and the characters are well developed. The plot is not original (in fact, I saw other two movies about the terrorist called "The Jackal, which are very good, too). The director Christian Duguay, who also directed another decent action thriller titled "The art of war", knew how to set a fluid and amusing pace which makes you pay attention to the movie during its entire duration (less than two hours, but not short). The cast is rather good. Both the protagonist and the antagonist roles is played by Aidan Quinn (yes, he plays the part of the bad and the bad guys: the soldier assigned to hunt down the Jackal and the Jackal himself because they are supposed to be very alike phisically). Ben Kingsley plays another important role and is very correct. Maybe, the most interesting character is played by Donald Sutherland: he plays the part of the CIA agent who trains and tells the protagonist to kill the Jackal even by blackmailing him. The reasons are never very clear, but we know that he is eager to catch the Jackal. The action scenes are realistic and well-made (specially, the ones of the training and the car chase). The movie has some violent intense scenes, like some showing how the protagonist gets ready to impersonate the Jackal in order to catch him. The rest of the cast does a decent job with no more special mentions. There is nothing relevant about the photography and the sound (it is simply right). In conclusion, the best things of the movie are the intensity of some scenes as well as its pace whereas the worse thing is that it has nothing else remarkable, like a very original plot, amazing action scenes, a beautiful photography, etc. All those who like realistic action movies and thrillers will surely enjoy "The assignment". 8.

How do you catch Carlos the Jackal? A Naval officer, CIA agent and a Mossad agent all work together to find out. See "Day of the Jackal" and "The Jackal" for alternative artistic impressions of the notorious terrorist, but see "The Assignment" for the best all around movie by far! The film is perhaps most notable for its harsh and honest look at the physical and mental training as well as personal sacrifices a spy must undertake in order to become "superhuman." Look out for the scene near Israel's Dead Sea where the hero undergoes special training... fantastic to see these exercises displayed in a film starring 3 great actors (in 4 roles) who compliment each other without overshadowing each other, maybe one of the best spy films of the 1990s!

I'm a huge fan of the spy genre and this is one of the best of these films. The Assignment is based on a true story, which has been somewhat embellished for the big screen, and it really takes you on a fun ride. The film has a great cast, starring Aidan Quinn, Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley.Naval Officer Quinn is a reluctantly recruited by Sutherland after a chance meeting with Kingsley who believes Quinn to be the famous terrorist Carlos the Jackal. Because Quinn so closely resembles Carlos, Sutherland stops at nothing to recruit him because Sutherland is obsessed with the terrorist's capture or death.The training sequences are awesome. Quinn is really put to the test by Kingsley and Sutherland, having to withstand attacks from remote controlled snowmobiles, from eating the same food each day, to being drugged with a hallucinogen. He even has to learn how to make love to a woman the way Carlos would.The film has some great action scenes with Quinn eluding allies because they believe he is Carlos and in his final mission when he is to kill the jackal. Throughout the film, Quinn must struggle with the new personality he has attained versus his own. Will he remain as ruthless and free as Carlos or will he once again return to his life of a good husband and father? If you like the spy genre, this is a must see. The action is used only to propel the story of this thriller forward; no gratuitous explosions or fight scenes. Rating 10 of 10 stars.

2002's the Bourne Identity is one of my all-time favorite movies. however, many fans of the book have complained that the movie had very little to do with the book's plot.The Assignment is the real deal. It's odd that no-one on the "Bourne Identity" threads has mentioned this movie at all. (Well, I jst did.)Besides the excellent plot, I personally found this movie to be as good as any espionage movie I've ever seen, with the possible exception of The BourneIdentity itself.The action is all completely realistic. I especially liked the protagonists' training regimen, which was very inventive.The feel is dark and gritty. There are a few surprising plot twists. The acting is excellent. If you like this genre, I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.