Name: Retro Film Review: The Assignment (1997)
Item: The Assignment
Rating: 40
Author: @drax

(source:tmdb.org)

There are few examples of fiction and real life influencing each other like the story that started with Frederick Forsythe's novel The Day of the Jackal. In that novel, fictional account of the attempted assassination of real life French president, the most memorable character was mysterious, deadly and seemingly unstoppable assassin known only by his nickname The Jackal. Soon, the real life provided character very much like Forsyth's fictional creation - Ilich Ramirez Sanchez a.k.a. Carlos, Colombian leftist who, just like many leftist youths in those days, opted for the violent methods in the struggle for better world. The result of his efforts was the series of extremely spectacular terrorist outrages and even more spectacular successes in avoiding world's police and intelligence services. The media soon started using "The Jackal" as part of Carlos' nickname, and after a while, fiction writers like Robert Ludlum became using his character in their books. This was followed by film makers, including Canadian director Christian Duguay whose 1997 thriller The Assignment had its release coincided with Carlos' real life capture.

The plot of this film begins in 1970s Paris where CIA operative Jack Shaw a.k.a. Henry Fields (played by Donalds Sutherland) meets Carlos (played by Aidan Quinn) minutes before Carlos' bomb detonates, taking dozens of innocent lives. Ever since than Shaw became obsessed with capturing Carlos but the first real opportunity arrives only in 1980s when Carlos gets captured in Israel. Mossad operative Amos (played by Ben Kingsley) is disappointed when he finds that the man in custody is actually Annibal Ramirez, US Navy officer of Cuban descent who just happens to look like Carlos' twin brother. For Amos and Shaw discovery of Ramirez represents an opportunity for a daring plan to finally get rid of the world's most dangerous terrorist. The idea is for Ramirez to take Carlos' identity, infiltrate his organisation and convince Carlos' KGB sponsors that their prime asset intends to defect to Americans. Ramirez agrees to take part in this scheme and goes through intensive training during which he must learn to walk, eat, talk and even think like psychopathic killer. When he is finally ready to go with the plan, circumstances conspire to make that mission very difficult.

The Assignment had intriguing concept which required special kind of effort from the film's leading star. Aidan Quinn took this job seriously and invested all of his talents to handle difficult role of a devout family man forced to transform into everything he had hated. Unfortunately, director Christian Duguay took completely different approach in directing this film, emphasising style over substance. The result is series of shots that give away too much MTV influence and audience never suspends its disbelief. Furthermore, The Assignment shows somewhat too naive view of the international espionage world. Otherwise dependable character actors like Donald Sutherland and Ben Kingsley also make this film look cheaper by their rather dispirited performances. In the end, The Assignment suffers less because of its own flaws and more because of real life – it lost its relevancy, not only because of its chief villain sitting in French prison, but because of even worse villains in the world today, those that make Carlos almost harmless in comparison.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on February 12th 2004)