Assignment to Kill

This film by Sheldon Reynolds is not a bad thriller. It has the advantage of Joan Hackett as the female lead. Two years before she had made a big impression in Sidney Lumet's THE GROUP and here she is, aged 29, being a charming love interest for the tough investigator Patrick O'Neal in a high-octane thriller set mostly in Switzerland. Vicious people keep killing non-vicious people, something called 'the way of the world'. Herbert Lom is a real bad guy who orders people to be assassinated with the insouciance of somewhat flicking ash from a cigar. Poor Peter van Eyck does not last long. Oskar Homolka is a Swiss police chief who bides his time. John Gielgud plays the ultimate king of the baddies, ensconced in a palatial mansion high in the Alps, enjoying the view and behaving with perfect manners. It is all entertaining stuff.

"Assignment to Kill" is far from a perfect film. There are a few plot holes and a lady at the end of the film who is there...but with no real explanation for who she is nor her bizarre actions. Still, despite a few minor problems, I liked the film...mostly because I loved the sort of man Patrick O'Neal played in the film...a seemingly amoral private detective who is hiding some actual ideals!

Some time ago, four shipping accidents occurred in a very short space of time...all to the same company. It seems obvious that the sunken ships were sunk on purpose but there's absolutely no proof. Work by various other detectives working for the insurance company either came up with nothing or they died by what appeared to be an accident. So, they company has sought out yet another men, Richard Cutting (Patrick O'Neal) to look into this case.

This is a highly unusual film in that although O'Neal was the star, he rarely ever got to star in movies. Often he played villains, especially on television shows. Here he's excellent...cool, complicated and not at all like most movie detectives. He's also a man who acts like his moral compass is broken but over time you can see that he actually has a very strong and idiosyncratic conscience.

The trail takes him to Zurich, as a plane crash in the mountains which happened some time ago was just discovered. The pilots' remains were found but it appears as if the passenger might have escaped with their life. Cutting thinks this man might know about the sunken ships...and his part-time secretary (Joan Hackett) might be able to help him. However, Matt Wilson (Herbert Lom) and his goons always seem to be at his heels. What's next? See the film.

Apart from the acting by O'Neal and Lom, the dialog was really nice. It was so good....but the actual details of the story were occasionally poorly thought out...making it a story with a few flaws which I was still able to enjoy. Well worth seeing.

By the way, coincidentally, one of the characters in the story is murdered in Zurich. This same actor died in real life in Zurich only a few months later.

"Assignment to Kill" from 1968 is one of those foreign espionage films that flourished in the '60s, complete with that jazzy, screechy music that seemed to be in every film. Never my favorite.

The cast here includes Patrick O'Neal, Joan Hackett, Herbert Lom, and John Gielgud, and Oscar Homolka.

O'Neal plays a private investigator who is hired by an insurance company to investigate a shipping magnate who seems to be sinking his own ships for insurance money.

It turns out to be more complicated than that, but I'm afraid this film moved so slowly that I lost the thread of the plot and started daydreaming. I always liked O'Neal, Hackett, Lom, and of course, Gielgud, but this script didn't serve them well. The underplaying O'Neal was solid, and as Dominique, I suspect the lovely Hackett was slightly miscast as well as wasted. Both Hackett and O'Neal sadly died young, Hackett of ovarian cancer.

Beautiful scenery, but even with that and a good cast, "Assignment to Kill" is pretty lackluster.

Smart Dialog and a Good Story, Combined with a Competent Cast and Location Scenery, Make this a Slightly Above Average and Little Seen Film. A Private Investigator is Hired by an Insurance Company that Doesn't Like Paying Out Large Claims that are Ambiguous but Legal.

Patrick O'Neal Doesn't Bring Much Charisma to the Table but is Determined and Ultra-Efficient. There is Some Intrigue and One Good Fight Scene and the Movie has Some Modern Late Sixties Flourishes.

One Big Surprise Occurs and there is Some Cleverness to the Whole Thing but Ultimately it Just Isn't that Special. Some Consider this a Neo-Noir and While that is Debatable there is a Case to be Made. It has a Cynical Tone that is Rather Dark in Spots and it is All Played with a Rather Sombre Feel.

The Film was Released in the States on a Double Bill with Little Fanfare, it has been Undiscovered and has a Misleading Title. Overall, a bit Different and Worth a Watch.

This had some really great dialogue throughout, making it an even more pleasurable experience besides the intriguing offbeat plot and great locations. The photography is extremely colorful and looked great with original 35mm Panavision widescreen prints in IB Technicolor. I don't think distributor WB did a very good job of selling this one, which was sadly the case with many of their films when attached to 7 Arts. Another film that should be on tape and (one can only hope) DVD.