The Assignment (1997): Cast, Box Office & Plot
The Assignment is a 1997 crime thriller directed by Christian Duguay, starring Donald Sutherland as Jack Shaw / Henry Fields, Aidan Quinn and Lucie Laurier. It runs 1 hour 59 minutes and earned $332,597 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 59m (119 min)
- Director
- Christian Duguay
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Triumph Films
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Assignment About?
The premise of The Assignment without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Jack Shaw has lived the terror firsthand. As a veteran CIA operative he has chased the international hitman Carlos “The Jackal” Sanchez for over twenty years and barely survived the assassin’s devastating café bombing in Paris. When he learns that the killer’s perfect double is Annibal Ramirez, an American naval officer and devoted family man, Shaw must race to stop the deadly doppelgänger before more blood is shed.
The Assignment Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- espionage
- character repeats someone else's dialogue
- overhearing sex
- reference to a bank account
- inspired by a true story
- married man
- u.s. embassy
- induced hallucination
- fake funeral
- assassination squad
- french intelligence
- jerusalem israel
+38 more Show fewer
- meeting one's doppelganger
- doppelganger
- u.s. naval officer
- abandoned prison
- implied sex
- female masturbation
- killing a spider
- tripoli libya
- cunnilingus
- norfolk virginia
- epilogue
- cia central intelligence agency
- cia agent
- mossad agent
- male rear nudity
- the jackal character
- female rear nudity
- man wears underwear
- kgb agent
- terrorism
- flash forward
- opec
- hostage taking
- lieutenant commander
- bethesda naval medical center
- connecticut
- ex girlfriend
- man punches a woman in the face
- female topless nudity
- ambush
- jumping between buildings
- execution of a spy
- sex on a desk
- interrupted sex
- blackmail threat
- car bomb
- faked death of family
- saint martin
The Assignment Cast & Characters
Donald Sutherland leads the cast as Jack Shaw / Henry Fields, with Aidan Quinn as Annibal Ramirez / Carlos and Lucie Laurier as Paris Lover. Directed by Christian Duguay; 16 actors are credited in all.
- Director Christian Duguay
-
Donald Sutherland as Jack Shaw / Henry Fields -
Aidan Quinn as Annibal Ramirez / Carlos - Lucie Laurier as Paris Lover
- Claudia Ferri as Maura Ramirez
Also Starring in The Assignment
· 12 more- Mitchell David Rothpan Joey Ramirez
- Ben Kingsley Amos
- Céline Bonnier Carla
- Liliana Komorowska Agnieska
- Al Waxman Carl Mickens - CIA
- Vlasta Vrana KGB Head Officer
- Gregory Hlady KGB Aide
- Von Flores Koj
- Kliment Denchev KGB Technician
- Frédéric Desager KGB Agent
- Gabriel Marian Oseciuc KGB Agent
- Yonathan Gordon Yoni
More from Christian Duguay
More films directed by Christian Duguay, best-rated first: A Bag of Marbles, The Art of War, Extreme Ops and Ride Above.
The Assignment Plot Summary
What happens in The Assignment from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Carlos the Jackal (Aidan Quinn) makes a chilling entrance in 1974, blending charisma with danger. The sequence opens with a heated moment of intimacy, then a cruel detail: he kills a spider with a cigarette before evicting the woman from his room. He slips into a disguise and walks into a cafe where a CIA operative sits at a table. The agent, Donald Sutherland as Henry Fields, doesn’t recognize the man in front of him due to the ruse. Carlos casually asks for a light, and when the moment of recognition never comes, the Jackal detonates a grenade, tearing through the room and leaving dozens dead in the wake of his calculated violence.
Full summary
The whole story of The Assignment, scene by scene
The Assignment Box Office
The Assignment grossed $332,597 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$332.6K
- US & Canada
- $332.6K
The Assignment Trailers & Videos
The trailer of The Assignment.
How Well Do You Know The Assignment?
9 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 9
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
Which actor portrays CIA operative Henry Fields?
Cars in The Assignment
46 cars on screen, including the 1972 Jaguar XJ6 Series I and the Jawa 350.
-
1972 Jaguar XJ6 Series I Important role -
Jawa 350 Important role -
Jeep CJ-7 Important role -
1976 Lada 1500 2103 Important role
Seen The Assignment?
Movies Like The Assignment
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Assignment, Assignment K and The Assignment.
The Assignment FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office and post-credit scenes of The Assignment, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Assignment?
The Assignment runs 1 hour 59 minutes (119 minutes).
When was The Assignment released?
The Assignment was released on September 28, 1997.
Who directed The Assignment?
The Assignment was directed by Christian Duguay.
More films by Christian Duguay Who is in the cast of The Assignment?
The Assignment stars Donald Sutherland as Jack Shaw / Henry Fields, Aidan Quinn as Annibal Ramirez / Carlos and Lucie Laurier as Paris Lover, among 16 credited actors.
How much did The Assignment make at the box office?
The Assignment grossed $332,597 worldwide.
Does The Assignment have a post-credit scene?
No. The Assignment has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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