kill the assignment

Assignment To Kill

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Brief Synopsis

Cast & crew, sheldon reynolds, patrick o'neal, joan hackett, john gielgud, herbert lom, eric portman, technical specs.

When two ships belonging to financier Curt Valayan are lost at sea, private investigator Richard Cutting is hired by an insurance underwriting firm to look into possible fraud. Traveling to Switzerland to investigate the wreckage of a small plane supposedly containing the body of Walter Green, an employee of Valayan's, Cutting meets Matt Wilson, Valayan's top aide. After learning that a man walked away from the crash and took a taxi to Zurich, Cutting tracks down Green's secretary, Dominique Laurant, and asks her to arrange a meeting for him with Green. Although Green confesses that he personally sabotaged the two ships and is willing to sign sworn documents to that effect, he is murdered before he can do so by a powerful gunman known only as the Big Man. Disappointed by Cutting's apparent failure, Dominique sets herself up as a "patsy" for the killers by boldly telling Wilson that she has Green's signed confession. This gives Cutting the idea to bribe a notary to sign some documents and date them prior to Green's death. Once this act is accomplished, he returns to Dominique's hotel and discovers that she has been strangled by the Big Man. Determined to avenge her death, Cutting arranges a meeting with Valayan and warns him that unless he returns the insurance money the underwriting firm will plant a phony news story about his oil holdings. After thwarting an attempt on his own life by pushing the Big Man to his death from a balcony, Cutting returns to Valayan's chalet and persuades him that the planted news story is actually true: Green's documents prove that the doublecrossing Wilson has made a deal with a Middle Eastern country to take over Valayan's oil interests. Once the enraged Valayan has turned on Wilson and killed him, Cutting retracts his offer to hand over the Green documents. As Cutting leaves, Police Inspector Ruff arrives in time to find Wilson's murdered body lying in the center of Valayan's living room.

Peter Van Eyck

Oscar Homolka

Leon greene.

Philip Ober

Fifi d'orsay, cynthia baxter, enzo barboni, john beckman, charles bonniwell jr., william conrad, george james hopkins, stanley jones, william lava, harold lipstein, jean burt reilly, george rohrs, assignment to kill -.

Copyright length: 98 min. Filmed in 1966; locations in Switzerland. The working title of this film is The Assignment .

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States January 1969

Released in United States Winter December 1968

Shot in 1966.

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Assignment to Kill (1968)

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A private eye is hired by an insurance company to investigate a shipping magnate suspected of deliberately sinking his own ships for the insurance money. He finds himself involved in a web of deception, double-crossing and murder.

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Assignment to Kill

1968, Crime/Drama, 1h 42m

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Assignment to kill   photos.

An insurance sleuth (Patrick O'Neal) goes to Switzerland to learn why a shipping tycoon's (John Gielgud) ships are sinking.

Genre: Crime, Drama

Original Language: English

Director: Sheldon Reynolds

Producer: Jimmy Lydon

Writer: Sheldon Reynolds

Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009

Runtime: 1h 42m

Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Cast & Crew

Patrick O'Neal

Richard Cutting

Joan Hackett

Dominique Laurant

John Gielgud

Curt Valayan

Herbert Lom

Matt Wilson

Eric Portman

Peter van Eyck

Walter Green

Oscar Homolka

Inspector Ruff

Leon Greene

The Big Man

Sheldon Reynolds

Screenwriter

William Conrad

Executive Producer

Jimmy Lydon

William Lava

Original Music

E.B. Clucher

Cinematographer

Harold Lipstein

George R. Rohrs

Film Editing

John Beckman

Art Director

George James Hopkins

Set Decoration

Critic Reviews for Assignment to Kill

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Watch Assignment to Kill

• 1 hr 42 min
• 6.0   (499)

Assignment to Kill is a 1968 British spy thriller movie that stars Patrick O'Neal, Joan Hackett, and John Gielgud. Directed by Sheldon Reynolds, the film is a gritty and action-filled story of espionage and assassination set against the backdrop of Cold War tensions. The movie tells the story of an American intelligence agent, John Garrett (played by O'Neal), who is tasked with tracking down and killing a high-ranking Soviet official who is responsible for a number of political assassinations throughout Europe. Traveling between various European locations, Garrett must use all of his skill and cunning to avoid detection while trying to uncover the identity of his target.

As Garrett delves deeper into the shadowy world of espionage, he finds himself caught up in a web of deceit and betrayal that leads him to question his own loyalties and even his morality. Along the way, he meets a number of colorful characters, including a beautiful American expatriate (played by Hackett) who becomes his ally and confidante, and a dapper British intelligence officer (played by Gielgud) who offers both wisdom and danger.

With its gripping storyline, sharp dialogue, and well-choreographed action set pieces, Assignment to Kill is a classic example of the espionage thriller genre. The film's stylish visuals and use of real-world locations lend a sense of gritty realism to the proceedings, while its expertly crafted suspense and intrigue keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

At its heart, Assignment to Kill is a story about the human cost of war and the sacrifices that must be made in order to protect one's country and its citizens. Whether it's through the emotionally charged scenes of violence and suspense, the moments of quiet reflection and introspection, or the thrilling action sequences that punctuate the film, Assignment to Kill offers a thoughtful and engaging exploration of the complex issues at the heart of the Cold War conflict.

Overall, Assignment to Kill is a masterful and gripping spy thriller that offers something for audiences of all stripes. Whether you're a fan of classic espionage cinema or simply looking for an exciting and thought-provoking movie experience, this film is sure to deliver the goods. So, it is highly recommended to watch this movie for those who love action-packed and suspenseful espionage stories.

Assignment to Kill is a 1968 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 42 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.0.

• Genres Drama Crime
• Cast Patrick O'Neal Joan Hackett John Gielgud
• Director Sheldon Reynolds
• Release Date 1968
• MPAA Rating NR
• Runtime 1 hr 42 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 6.0   (499)

• Movies & TV
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Richard Cutter isn't like most insurance investigators. Instead of being equipped with actuarial tables, he's armed with a handgun and a dismissive wit. "Why do you carry a gun?' asks the exec hiring him to probe a case of multimillion-dollar insurance fraud. "It's more effective than a hammer," Cutter replies. Patrick O'Neal brings unshakeable sangfroid to the role of Cutter in this zigzag tale of corporate cover-up and death that's less Bond-like in its pacing and style and more akin to the methodical maneuvering of Harry Palmer. Joan Hackett, Herbert Lom, Oscar Homolka and John Gielgud join O'Neal for moves and countermoves filmed in scenic Switzerland by Sheldon Reynolds (TV's Foreign Intrigue).

Product details

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 2.72 ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Sheldon Reynolds
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 39 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 2011
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Patrick O'Neal, Joan Hackett, Herbert Lom, Eric Portman, Peter Van Eyck
• Studio ‏ : ‎ WB
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00553K8TU
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #13,551 in Action & Adventure DVDs

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Assignment to Kill

Where to Watch

Patrick O'Neal (Richard Cutting) Joan Hackett (Dominique Laurant) John Gielgud (Curt Valayan) Herbert Lom (Matt Wilson) Eric Portman (Notary) Peter van Eyck (Walter Green) Oscar Homolka (Inspector Ruff) Leon Greene (The Big Man) Kent Smith (Mr. Eversley) Philip Ober (Bohlen) Fifi D'Orsay (Mrs. Hennie) Éva Szörényi (Landlady) Cynthia O'Neal (Felice Valayan) Karl Bruck (Waiter) Albert D'Arno (Waiter) Betty Freeman (Secretary) Walter Friedel (Secretary) Walter Janovitz (Waiter)

Sheldon Reynolds

A private eye is hired by an insurance company to investigate a shipping magnate suspected of deliberately sinking his own ships for the insurance money. He finds himself involved in a web of deception, double-crossing, and murder.

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Assignment to Kill

Cast & crew.

Patrick O'Neal

Richard Cutting

Joan Hackett

Herbert Lom

Matt Wilson

Eric Portman

Peter van Eyck

Walter Green

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© 1969 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

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Assignment k.

1968 Directed by Val Guest

A mission that follows its rules to the letter: K for kill.

Philip Scott, the boss of a toy company, is secretly also the chief of a British spy organization. Scott's cover is destroyed when enemy agents kidnap his girlfriend to force him to reveal the identities of his fellow spies.

Stephen Boyd Camilla Sparv Michael Redgrave Leo McKern Robert Hoffmann Jeremy Kemp Jane Merrow Carl Möhner Vivi Bach Werner Peters Dieter Geissler John Alderton Jan Werich David Healy Ursula Howells Basil Dignam Geoffrey Bayldon Joachim Hansen Marte Harell Friedrich von Thun Herbert Fux Jennifer White Karl-Otto Alberty Andrea Allan Alexander Allerson Peter Capell Windsor Davies Heinz-Leo Fischer Alastair Hunter Show All… Olga Linden Myrtill Nádasi Erika Raffael Rosemarie Reede Catherine Schell Helmuth Schneider Friedrich von Ledebur Gert Wiedenhofen Howard Williams

Director Director

Producers producers.

Ben Arbeid Maurice Foster

Writers Writers

Val Guest Bill Strutton Maurice Foster

Original Writer Original Writer

Hartley Howard

Editor Editor

Cinematography cinematography, camera operator camera operator.

Herbert Smith

Art Direction Art Direction

John Blezard

Composer Composer

Basil Kirchin

Sound Sound

Jim Shields Cyril Collick

Costume Design Costume Design

Yvonne Blake

Makeup Makeup

Tony Sforzini

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Marjorie Whittle

Mazurka Productions Ltd. Gildor Productions

Alternative Titles

Services spéciaux, division K, Geheimauftrag K, Superspia K, Enviado especial K

Thriller Action Crime Drama

Releases by Date

16 feb 1968, 18 feb 1968, 01 jun 1968, releases by country.

• Theatrical 12

97 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Rosie Lighters ★★½

Top secret but all true

Review by JOELWOODS ★★★★½

Stephen Boyd plays the owner of a toy company named Philip Scott, but that is merely a cover, for he is a spy. His cover is blown which leads to the East German Stasi kidnapping his gilfriend Toni (Camilla Sparv). The great thespian Leo McKern plays the villain Smith. As always, McKern chews the scenery and steals every frame. In the annals of spy films, I would rank this one very highly. I do believe it is a long forgotten movie that has only now just seen its worldwide blu-ray debut courtesy of the fine folks over at Imprint Films. Plenty of twists abound in Assignment K and the scenery is stunning. Switzerland and London England in the swingin '60s.…

Review by Robert Koelle ★★½

Way too much time flirting over gluhwein. Still, I suppose they had to establish the bona fide romance between Philip and Toni, so when she gets kidnapped, we believe that he's really going to work to save her. None of their dialogue sounds real.

I watched this because I thought they would competently recreate the interesting early bits of a Bond film. You know, skiing, night clubbing, maybe a casino. They did, but still managed to make it boring.

I'll admit, some of the twists at the end surprised me. But then again, they usually do.

Stephen Boyd was a dead ringer for my Congressman. Weird.

Review by Dustin Baker ★★★

A pretty cut and dry James Bond-ian also-ran, playing close to the usual beats but at least punctuated with Val Guest's talents behind the camera. There's a great use of locations and some of the camera work has a nice panache. Stephen Boyd is an amiable enough stand-in for the likes of Connery, but he feels more of an "aw shucks" kind of spy rather than one you take too seriously. The film meanders quite a bit, bouncing from spy plot to romance almost without any real switch between the two, as though it'll hit pause on one part to play around in the other and never really intertwines gracefully. Making Boyd's cover be the head of a toy company made me smile, at least.

Review by Tim Leggoe ★★★

I quite enjoyed this nonsense. A film which poses the question “What if James Bond was searching for a committed monogamous relationship and found all of the espionage stuff to be a tiresome distraction?”. Now we know the answer I guess.

Review by Bruno Andrade ★★★

Riscar um palito de fósforo para acender um cigarro no meio do gelo do inverno europeu, montado numa bicicleta, esperando o trem passar, para fazer um trabalho de espionagem.

E ver algum luxo, alguma aventura e algum primor nisso (ainda mais numa cópia VHS baleada).

E ainda há quem fale mal do século XX, o século em que proliferaram os filmes de espionagem internacional que se passavam exclusivamente nos melhores recantos da Europa modernizada e revitalizada (um pouco no sentido Bram Stoker do termo) pelo capitalismo financeiro, o século em que esse mesmo capitalismo permitiu a um Val Guest fazer um filme bacana por ano (e, no caso deste, com os protagonistas de Time Without Pity como coadjuvantes, interpretando vilões…

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"The Assignment'' is a canny, tricky thriller that could serve as an illustration of what this week's similar release, "The Peacemaker,'' is not. Both films involve an international hunt for a dangerous terrorist, but "The Peacemaker'' is a cartoon and "The Assignment'' is intelligent and gripping--and it has a third act! Instead of an action orgy, it has more than enough story to see it through to the end and keep us absorbed the whole way. Yes, it ends with a deadly struggle, but as the setting for another stage of the movie's web of deceit.

The film is centered on a CIA plot to discredit and kill Carlos, the feared terrorist who operated for years, despite the best efforts of the free world's security agencies to capture him. Donald Sutherland plays Fields, the CIA agent for whom Carlos has become an obsession, and when he finds a U.S. Navy officer named Ramirez ( Aidan Quinn ) who's a dead-ringer for the terrorist, he devises a risky scheme: He'll train Ramirez to impersonate Carlos, then use the double to convince the KGB that their attack dog is disloyal. As a result, Carlos will either be dead or, almost as good, discredited in the eyes of his sponsors.

Fields works with an Israeli named Amos ( Ben Kingsley ) in training Ramirez, after first using psychological tactics to persuade the reluctant Navy man to leave his wife and family and become a counter-terrorist. (The scene where Fields shows Ramirez a dying child in a hospital is a direct echo of " The Third Man ".) Then the false Carlos, is sent into the field to work the deception, which I will not describe.

"The Assignment'' is fascinating because its characters can be believed, because there is at least a tiny nugget of truth in the story, and because from the deceptive opening credits, this is a film that creates the right world for these characters to inhabit. Sutherland's CIA man is especially well drawn: "I don't have any family,'' he says, "and I don't have any friends. The only people I've ever cared about were the ones I've killed.'' Quinn plays a dual role, as Ramirez and Carlos, and has some tricky scenes, especially one in which a former lover of Carlos helps train him sexually so that he will be a convincing bedmate for another of the terrorist's lovers.

The screenplay, by Dan Gordon and Sabi H. Shabtai , has action scenes that grow from the story and are not simply set pieces for their own sake. It's impressive the way so many different story threads come together all at once near the end.

The director, Christian Duguay , is new to me. What he has is a tactile love of film, of images. He and the cinematographer, David Franco, don't use locations so much as occupy them; we visit Jerusalem, Paris, Vienna, Washington, Tripoli and Moscow (or sets and effects that look like them) and yet the movie's not a travelogue but a story hurtling ahead.

I have seen so many lazy thrillers. They share the same characteristics: Most of the scenes involve the overpriced star, the villain is underwritten, and the plot is merely a set-up for the special effects, the chases and the final action climax. "The Assignment'' gives us ensemble work by fine actors, it has a villain of great complexity (developed through the process of imitating him), and at the end there is a tantalizing situation for us to unravel as we leave the theater.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Brian tallerico, film credits.

The Assignment (1997)

Rated R For Strong Violence, Sexuality and Language

115 minutes

Claudia Ferri as Maura Ramirez

Aidan Quinn as Annibal Ramirez/Carlos

Ben Kingsley as Amos

Celine Bonnier as Carla

Directed by

• Christian Duguay
• Sabi H. Shabtai

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Suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's embassy in Syria on Monday in an escalation of Israel's war against Iran's regional proxies, flattening a building in a strike Tehran said killed a top Revolutionary Guards commander and several diplomats.

Timeline: The Covenant School shooting and the dramatic year that followed

Following the march 27, 2023 school shooting, nashville looks back on a year of hope and challenges..

On March 27, 2023, the Nashville community forever changed when a mass shooter killed six people at a private Christian school, marking the deadliest school shooting in Tennessee history.

The year that followed saw vigils, rallies and cries for stricter gun control as demonstrators flooded the state Capitol. State lawmakers expelled two members before battling in a chaotic special session on public safety that ultimately ended with no major action on gun control. Advocates have vowed to push harder for gun safety laws.

Meanwhile, Covenant School students, parents and staff have worked to heal over the past year while attending classes on a temporary school campus at Brentwood Hills Church of Christ. The school plans to return to its original building in April.

A year later: In a dark year, how a local church gave the Covenant School hope: ‘A beacon in our valley’

Wednesday marks one year since the tragedy. Here is a timeline of key events over the past year. 

March 27 — At 10:11 a.m., a shooter carrying two assault-style weapons and a handgun shoots out a glass door at a side entrance at Covenant School, a private Christian elementary school in Nashville. The shooter, a former student, enters the school and kills six people : head of school Katherine Koonce, 60; custodian Mike Hill, 61; substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61; and 9-year-old third-graders Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs. Police kill the shooter 14 minutes after the initial 911 call.

March 29  — Hundreds of people gather for a vigil in Nashville's Public Square Park to honor the victims. 

March 30 — More than a 1,000 peaceful protestors descend on Tennessee’s state Capitol demanding stronger gun laws. Tensions flare as Republican lawmakers liken it to “an insurrection,” but no one was arrested or injured, and no property was damaged. Legislative business is later halted as three Democratic lawmakers stand at the podium with a bullhorn calling for gun reform.

April 3 — House Republicans move to expel the three members who broke House decorum rules and interrupted legislative business.

April 6 — The House votes to expel two Democratic lawmakers — Reps. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, and Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis — for breaking House rules, putting Tennessee in the national spotlight. Lawmakers fail by one vote to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville.

April 10 — Jones rejoins the legislature after Nashville's Metro Council unanimously votes to reappoint him. Pearson is reappointed two days later. 

May 8 — Gov. Bill Lee calls for a special legislative session on public safety with a push for an extreme risk protection order law that would allow a judge to temporarily confiscate guns from those deemed mentally unfit. Republicans call any “red flag” type law a “nonstarter.”

May 1 — The Tennessee Firearms Association sues Metro Nashville in the fight to release public records related to the mass shooter’s writings. The Tennessean weeks later also sues Metro for the release of records and is joined in the lawsuit by state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga. A judge will later rule that Covenant parents, the church and school can join the case to argue against the records being publicly released. The Tennessean has no plans to publish the writings verbatim and has sought to center coverage on public policy, the victims and the community. A trial date is set for April 2024. 

Aug 3 — Jones and Pearson win back their House seats in special elections.

Aug. 21 — Tennessee’s special legislative session on public safety kicks off with marathon hearings, a growing divide between the House and Senate and news conferences from gun control advocates. 

Aug. 29 — The special session ends in chaos with no significant action on gun control. Covenant parents pushing for gun reform vow to return for the next legislative session in 2024. 

Nov. 8 — Seven Metro Nashville Police officers are placed on administrative assignment after three pages from the Covenant School shooter's notebook are leaked to a conservative media personality. The department was unable to find the source of the leak.

Dec. 31 — The Tennessean names the five police officers who entered Covenant School to stop the mass shooter as the news organization's “People of the Year.”

Jan. 9 — Tennessee’s 2024 legislative session kicks off as Covenant parents and advocates continue to push for stricter gun laws.

Feb. 26 — Lawmakers pass legislation requiring all schools to create a new fire alarm policy. The bill, backed by Covenant parents, is signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee on March 12.

Feb. 29 — In the year since the shooting, a group of women whose children died or survived the attack sprang into action. They formed organizations to lobby for change in the state's gun laws. They went to the state Capitol, where they were a constant presence for months after the shooting. These Covenant moms were highlighted as part of USA TODAY’s Women of the Year program.

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A government proposal to kill a half-million owls sparks controversy

A proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill roughly half a million barred owls to protect the spotted owl has conservationists and animal welfare advocates debating the moral issue of killing one species to protect another.

The proposal , published in November, garnered attention in recent days after dozens of wildlife protection and animal welfare organizations signed a letter opposing the plan .

In a March 25 letter responding to the proposal, a group of 75 organizations urged Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, to scrap what it calls a "reckless" plan. "Non-lethal management actions to protect spotted owls and their habitats should be made the priority action," it read.

But the USFWS says if no action is taken to cull the barred owl population, the northern spotted owl faces extinction.

The barred owl is crowding out its less aggressive relative, the northern spotted owl, in the Northwestern states, according to the USFWS. To ensure the survival of the northern spotted owl, a threatened species, the service is proposing the mass removal of over 470,000 barred owls across California, Washington and Oregon over a three-decade span. The proposed action will also help prevent declines in the California spotted owls, another species facing competition from barred owls, it said.

Animal rights advocates say the proposal is unsustainable

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Human Economy and its lobbying arm, Animal Wellness Action, who co-authored the letter, called the plan "unworkable." He says it's doubtful that the government's plan can be successfully executed across such a long time frame.

"If you don't do it dutifully and religiously every single year for 30 years, it has no chance of succeeding," Pacelle told NPR.

He argues that lethal management programs often succeed on closed ecosystems such as islands, but a management plan covering such a vast region wouldn't be as effective.

Cameron Barrows, a retired emeritus researcher at the Center for Conservation Biology at the University of California-Riverside, says that without a barred owl management strategy, spotted owls will disappear.

"If nothing is done to slow the encroachment of barred owls, you will lose spotted owls," he said. "There aren't a lot of choices left."

To him, the letter opposing the proposal effectively "means 'We'd rather have barred owls than spotted owls,' " he said.

A conservation organization in Washington also supports the proposed action. Birds Connect Seattle published a letter in January citing "preventing extinction" as one of its priorities.

"We are not celebrating this management plan in issuing our support," said Claire Catania, the executive director of Birds Connect Seattle. But, she says, her organization recognizes its necessity.

How far should people go to remedy a human-created problem?

Conservation experts who support the proposal say it's a difficult but necessary plan that will help solve a problem that humans helped create.

In 1990, the northern spotted owl was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act after environmentalists fought to protect the bird's habitat from the logging industry. The threatened designation also means the Fish and Wildlife Service is legally required to protect the northern spotted owl.

But around the same time, the barred owl, originally native to the Eastern U.S., emerged as another threat as it moved West, encroaching on spotted owl territory. Human-driven habitat destruction spurred the barred owls to expand across the country, Catania says. Their move west has since displaced their "smaller, less aggressive cousins," the spotted owl, according to Cornell Lab of Ornithology .

The spotted owl's habitat — old-growth forests — has become "very patchy" due to deforestation and are accessible to the more adaptable barred owl, says Barrows , the UC Riverside conservation researcher.

"This is a problem that humans have created. This wasn't nature happening on its own," Barrows said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service's proposal, outlined in a draft report assessing its environmental impact, is the latest attempt in a more than two-decade effort to save the spotted owl from extinction. A decade ago , the FWS began a four-year experiment to kill up to 3,600 barred owls in the northwest. According to Barrows, this strategy "slowed down but didn't stop" the barred owl invasion.

The public comment period for the proposal closed in January. A final proposal is expected in this spring or summer, NBC News reported .

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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The Assignment

• An American naval officer is recruited for an operation to eliminate his lookalike, the infamous terrorist Carlos The Jackal.
• 1986. In his civilian clothes while on shore leave in Jerusalem, Lieutenant Commander Annibal Ramirez of the US Navy is captured and interrogated by who he eventually learns is Mossad in a case of mistaken identity. Because of the resemblance, they believed him to be Carlos the Jackal, one of if not the most wanted and dangerous terrorist in the world. Shortly following, Henry Fields, using the alias Jack Shaw, he the Paris deputy chief of CIA counter-terrorism whose primary mission for at least the past ten years has been to get rid of Carlos in any way possible, tries to recruit Ramirez to work on a covert CIA-Mossad operation to stop Carlos' terrorist activities with the ultimate goal of Carlos' capture or death. The plan is for Ramirez to impersonate Carlos, in the process discrediting Carlos in the eyes of his current KGB backers, and thus effectively ending his career as a terrorist, with nowhere he can longer hide. After an initial reluctance on Ramirez's part, Shaw is able to convince him to do the job. The rigorous training is to ensure that Ramirez not only looks like Carlos, but instinctively behaves like Carlos, even to those closest to him, which also means how he makes love as one of Ramirez's interactions is to be with one of Carlos' old girlfriends. Beyond the potential problem of getting caught by Carlos or his associates, Ramirez may have problems stomaching his work and reconciling it with his real life as a military man. If he is able to carry out the mission and survive, the bigger question becomes whether being Carlos will have transformed his inherent being permanently. — Huggo
• An American naval officer is recruited by the government to impersonate the most vicious and cold-blooded terrorist there is in order to catch him. But are things really what they seem to be? — Steve Richer <[email protected]>
• The film opens to the sounds of a couple having sex. Afterwards, Carlos the Jackal (Aidan Quinn) kills a spider in its web with his cigarette and evicts the woman(Lucie Laurier) from his room because he claims he has work to do. He is seen donning a disguise, and he walks to a cafe where CIA agent Jack Shaw (Donald Sutherland) is sitting at a table outdoors. He recognizes Shaw and asks for a light. Shaw does not recognize Carlos, because of his disguise, but he turns to watch Carlos enter the cafe. He watches as Carlos detonates a grenade, killing dozens of people. The film shows an event of attacking the OPEC meeting by the Jackal and his fellows in 1975. In the present day, Carlos is apprehended in an open air market and brutally interrogated by a Mossad commander named Amos (Ben Kingsley). Carlos claims to actually be a US Naval officer named Annibal Ramirez whose identification was lost in the chaos of his arrest. Amos confirms his identity and lets him go, stunned that Ramirez looks exactly like Carlos. Back at home, Ramirez is visited by Shaw who tries to recruit him to play Carlos' double. Ramirez is so embittered by his rough treatment in Amos' hands, that he insists he will sue and flatly rejects the idea of portraying Carlos. Shaw persists, wooing Ramirez on several occasions. He finally convinces Ramirez by showing him a child in a hospital who he claims is a victim of one of Carlos' bombings. Amos and Shaw train Ramirez at a remote location. Much of his training is devoted to situational awareness and internalizing details of Carlos' life. His training concludes with one of Carlos' ex-mistresses training Ramirez in how to make love like Carlos. The plan to catch Carlos revolves around convincing the KGB, which supports much of his terrorism, that he has begun to work with the CIA. The team lures one of Carlos' girlfriends to Libya, where Ramirez meets up with her, successfully posing as Carlos, even during their lovemaking. The girlfriend has become an informant for the French, however. Several French agents arrive at their apartment, and Ramirez is forced to kill them to survive. He is horrified at having to kill allies in his undercover operation. Carlos sends an assassin to kill the girlfriend in France, ordering him to leave Europe through London. The assassin happens to be in Heathrow airport at the same time as Ramirez, and he quickly realizes he is an impostor after Ramirez doesn't recognize him. The assassin forces Ramirez into a bathroom and a struggle ensues. Amos rushes in and manages to kill the assassin before being fatally shot. After Amos' death, the CIA shuts down the mission and Ramirez returns home. Back with his wife, he makes love to her as Carlos would, and she is disturbed by the change in his personality. The next day, at his son's little league game, he gets into a confrontation with another father and nearly kills him. Shaw bails him out of jail, and both men are clearly suffering deeply by not being able to finish their mission and kill Carlos. They head to East Berlin and conspicuously meet with each other. The KGB sees Ramirez meeting with Shaw and assumes Carlos has turned on them. They raid his hotel, but as they try to arrest them, he escapes. Shaw and Ramirez are waiting outside the hotel for him, and Ramirez fights Carlos on the bank of a river. It's impossible to tell which is the real Carlos during the struggle. As one of the men is being held under water by the other, Shaw comes upon them and shoots the man above the water several times. He realizes that he has shot Ramirez, and Carlos swims away. Ramirez presses Shaw to leave him and chase Carlos, but Shaw insists that their plan has worked and Carlos is a marked man by the KGB. One way or another, Shaw points out that Carlos' days as a terrorist are over. The deaths of Ramirez and his family are staged by Shaw, and in the final scene, the family are safely cavorting on a beach. Ramirez moves to kill a spider in its web with his cigarette, but appears to change his mind.

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Thompson: Bay FC would not be denied good vibes in its inaugural home game

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was collusion, clear as day. A conspiratorial collection of events aimed at hijacking this moment. A vibe heist at PayPal Park.

The weather was antagonistic: a brisk cold complemented by ominously gray clouds, teases of rain landing like threats as the storm loomed on the horizon. Then the head referee was on one. Eventually, the Houston Dash joined in the hatin’ festivities.

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But all failed. The home opener for Bay FC , the glamorous new expansion team in the National Women’s Soccer League , would not be denied its jubilation. The significance and spirit of the evening was too strong for the attempts of disruption. This was too long in the making, too expensive to waste, too meaningful to be missed.

Saturday night belonged to Bay FC. To American women’s soccer and the area so vital to its history and growth. The occasion infused by the legacy of World Cups past, by the mojo of former CyberRays glory, for the sheer Gold Pride of the region.

“When you think about that, you have to think of the Founding Four,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said, evoking the gravitas of Bay FC’s faces, Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton and Aly Wagner.

“This was really their vision. Their vision of bringing women’s professional soccer to the Bay Area, knowing the connectivity — not just with girls’ soccer but in colleges around here — and how incredibly supportive they knew the community would be. … I think it’s clear that women’s professional soccer belongs in the Bay Area.”

Weather wasn’t stopping this shine. It only added motivation to rack up on Bay FC’s hoodies and scarves. An early yellow card, even a penalty kick awarded after VAR review, only galvanized the Bay Area’s newest legion of fanatics.

Even Houston’s second-half surge that handed Bay FC a 3-2 defeat — capped with Havana Solaun ’s tauntingly perfect ball into the lower left corner, the game-winner in the 10th minute of extra time — wasn’t enough to kill the high of the evening.

The ticket windows at the stadium entrance were closed, boasting “SOLD OUT” signs. Thousands lined up before the gates opened at 5 p.m., and thousands more waited even longer for food and merch.

By the 7 p.m. kickoff, the capacity crowd of 18,000 was on tilt. It’s the largest crowd for a women’s professional club soccer game in Bay Area history, surpassing the 16,174 at Spartan Stadium on July 16, 2001, when the Bay Area CyberRays hosted Mia Hamm’s Washington Freedom. Everyone understood the assignment.

Many in the building this night remember the days of the Women’s United Soccer Association, and the 2001 inaugural home opener at for the CyberRays, a team featuring Chastain as the star along with LaKeysia Beene and Brazilians Katia and Sissi. Some, no doubt, were among the five thousand or so at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward, when the FC Gold Pride — featuring Marta , then the best in the world, and Team USA’s Shannon Boxx — went out with a bang, winning the 2010 Women’s Professional Soccer title and entering that squad into the conversation of greatest women’s teams ever.

This felt like Take Three of women’s professional soccer in the Bay. It felt like this special night was stacked on past special nights. An unspoken but understood defiance could be felt. This passion seemed, at least in part, a declaration that this time would be different. A roaring refusal to let this team’s fate end up like the last two.

That silent pact was crystallized when Bay FC forward Asisat Oshoala ’s 19th-minute blast in the box was blocked right to the feet of midfielder Deyna Castellanos , and she ripped it off the top left corner of the post and into the net for the first home goal of this new era. The roar was loud enough to keep the storm back.

A moment the Bay will always remember. 🏹 @deynac18 scores her first @NWSL goal for #BayFC at the 19th minute of our Inaugural Season Home Opener. #BAYvHOU #BLegendary #WeCameToPlay pic.twitter.com/A9xMAMpOpx — Bay Football Club (@wearebayfc) March 31, 2024

“So it felt like a win before the game, during the game, because the fans,” Bay FC coach Albertin Montoya told reporters after the match. He seemed to get a little choked up. It makes sense the swell of love embedding his team would be touching to him. He was on the coaching staff for the CyberRays in 2003 and was the head coach of that championship Gold Pride squad. And he’s been an assistant coach at Santa Clara and Stanford, both epicenters of Bay Area women’s soccer.

“Eighteen-thousand plus — we haven’t seen that in the Bay Area. Ever,” Montoya said. “The last time we had a team here and I was coaching, we probably had 2,000, 3,000 max. It’s surreal. The energy. The excitement. All the young players watching these stars.”

That was the symbolic victory of the night. This movement didn’t need a win. Because it’s not banking on some fortuitous cosmic alignment. This is a $125 million investment in a surging entity with a quarter century of data and history. This isn’t the desperate attempt to start a wave, as it was in 2000, but the Bay’s rightful turn to surf what’s been steadily escalating.

The Bay Area didn’t start this particular pitch party, as it did in the past, but it’s fa sho’ turning it up.

Bay FC is serving as a ceiling-raiser for the NWSL, which has survived its fair share of adversity to reach this point of promise. The $53 million expansion fee Bay FC paid — courtesy of its chief backer, Sixth Street Partners, a global investment firm in San Francisco — is a game-changer for the still-expanding league (and even the WNBA ). Nine months after Bay FC’s deal was announced, the Portland Thorns sold for $63 million . Two months later, the San Diego Wave sold for $120 million .

Bay FC set a world record when it paid nearly $800,000 for the transfer fee of Madrid CFF forward Racheal Kundananji . It was just the latest gesture in the all-out commitment to making this work. From the stellar merch to board members stocked with elite experience, this is a choreographed assault.

Bay FC only had some eight months to get off the ground. But this was after decades of fermentation. The sweetness of now-ancient glories, seasoned with the bitterness of failures, stewed in the conviction of what’s possible here.

“They obviously had a relatively short runway to get up and running,” said Berman, the commissioner, “but they’ve resourced the team appropriately and really galvanized the community in the right ways. … I think there’s an incredible future here.

“What you’re seeing happen,” Berman continued, “is a collective recognition that investing in women’s soccer is an investable proposition. … Women’s sports has reached that inflection point. That turning point has happened. It definitely isn’t an isolated moment. This is a movement that is happening across our industry.”

That was ever so clear when Kundananji punctuated the night. Pushing down the right side, she crossed back towards the middle. With space to do her thing, she planted and struck an immaculate ball with her left foot. It had enough air under it to elude the defenders in the box, and still enough pace and bend to get around the keeper. It nestled beautifully inside the left post, tying the game at 2 in the third minute of extra time.

Will always remember the day @KKundananji made her @NWSL and #BayFC debut with a goal 💥 #BLegendary #WeCameToPlay — Bay Football Club (@wearebayfc) March 31, 2024

Kundananji went and grabbed a Zambian flag from the sideline and ran back onto the pitch, extending the fervor in the stadium.

It was a display of scoring excellence from women’s soccer’s most expensive player. It was also a down payment on a guarantee of future brilliance, funded by the investment in Bay Area’s communal fervor for soccer, for women, for innovation, for community.

Never mind the goal the defense would give up in seven minutes. Professional women’s soccer is back in the Bay. Nothing was going to kill these vibes.

(Photo of Bay FC celebrating Deyna Castellanos’ first-half goal Saturday: Lyndsay Radnedge / ISI Photos / Getty Images)

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Marcus Thompson II is a lead columnist at The Athletic. He is a prominent voice in the Bay Area sports scene after 18 years with Bay Area News Group, including 10 seasons covering the Warriors and four as a columnist. Marcus is also the author of the best-selling biography "GOLDEN: The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry." Follow Marcus on Twitter @ thompsonscribe