The Assignment

The Assignment

‘The Assignment’ could also be called ‘The Peacemaker’ because it is clever. However, unlike this week’s other release, it is a thriller. This film involves an international hunt for a dangerous terrorist just like the latter but while being intelligent and gripping with its third act! It has enough story to take us through to the end and keep us enthralled along the way instead of an action orgy. It concludes with another stage of the movie’s web of deceit in a fatal struggle.

The movie revolves around CIA efforts to discredit and kill Carlos, who was feared as a terrorist for years despite being sought after by every security agency in the free world. He has become an obsession for Fields (Donald Sutherland), a CIA agent; so when he comes across Ramirez (Aidan Quinn), a U.S. Navy officer who bears an uncanny resemblance to Carlos, he hatches an audacious plan: Training Ramirez as if he were Carlos before using him as Carlos’ double agent on KGB who would then think their attack dog has gone rogue thereby putting Carlos into either death or disrepute amongs his sponsors both results being equally desirable for Fields.

Ramirez is trained by Amos (Ben Kingsley) under Fields’ watchful eyes; however, prior to employing psychological methods that would eventually make him leave his wife and family behind becoming counter-terrorist operative himself which succeed after showing him dying child from one hospital scene borrowed directly out of context from ‘The Third Man’. Thereafter we witness events during which false Carlos carries out deceitful activities whose detailed description I will not provide here.

This film captivates primarily because its characters are believable based on some form reality plus there is always truth hidden within fictions including those told by Hollywood films like this one where opening credits mislead audiences into thinking they are entering world created solely for them but which turns out true history might have been altered slightly.

CIA man played by Sutherland is particularly well developed: ‘I don’t have any family or friends.’ He says. ‘The only people I’ve ever cared about were the ones I’ve killed’. Quinn also does great job double acting role portrayed by him; as Ramirez who later becomes Carlos whereas other actors never knew what it meant having former lover trained sexually assist another lover in sleeping with terrorist so that he might pass for real bedmate during clandestine operations.

Dan Gordon and Sabi H. Shabtai’s script does not rely on action scenes as mere set pieces but rather integrates them organically into the narrative structure while still managing to tie up many loose ends all at once towards climax. This was my first encounter with Christian Duguay behind camera; his work here exhibits tactile affection for films themselves where together alongside David Franco behind lens they didn’t just go out shooting movies at various locations but rather inhabited those places allowing us see sights like Jerusalem, Paris, Vienna, Washington, Tripoli and Moscow (or their respective facsimiles) without getting bogged down by geography lessons since this remains a fast-paced story throughout.

I’ve come across a lot of thrillers that were lazy. They have few things in common: Just about all the scenes include the overpriced star, they don’t give the villain enough character, and the plot is just an excuse to get from one set piece to another the special effects, the chases, the final action climax.

“The Assignment” offers ensemble work by good actors, has a villain of great complexity (developed through I must say a fairly unusual process of imitation), and at the end leaves us with a question we’d like to take home and think about.

Watch The Assignment For Free On Gomovies.