Day of the Assassin

"Day of the Assassin" has an overall score of 4.4 on IMDB...which seems way too high! After all, the film is very cheaply made and it looks it! Even hiring some American actors who were way after their prime (Chuck Connors, Glenn Ford, Henry Silva, Richard Roundtree...who doesn't even talk in the film, as I assume they were paying him by the word) didn't help this one much...especially since Connors seemed way too old for such a macho role.

The plot involves some sunken treasure and mysterious documents from a Shah's boat and lots of different people are willing to kill to get it. And, throughout Mexico, they run about killing each other--some in completely ridiculous manners (the parasailing murders was beyond dumb).

The bottom line is that the film is pure cheese. The action bits are often poorly done, the edits seem as if they were done by a monkey, and the dialog is at times pretty awful. There really is very little to like about the film.

Glenn FORD is in this for barely 5 minutes (if at all that "long") and has exactly 3 scenes. Either his pay-check was so low or he was so "expensive" that he was only paid for sitting (or the producers could only afford to pay him for sitting) in 2 of the 3 scenes, which he has at the beginning and in his 3rd scene in the last 3rd he is then shot (so ridiculously, that this is indeed funny). He was 63 when this was made, but actually he looks older. It's a shame that such a SUPERB actor spent a day of his life playing in such "beep", but then again he probably didn't have to leave his house at all (I don't know where his 3 scenes were shot, but it could have been in his house or some nearby hotel, all that has probably taken 1 hour or less). And it's still the best this movie has to offer. Look at Fords' eyes when he does his lines: rolls them like to say "Oh God, pardon me being in this one. When is this over ?". Sad, but then again weirdly funny as well.

All the other cast are have-beens, too, but one nevertheless wonders, how they all got into this one. I mean there's Henry Silva in it (also for less than 5 minutes, also 2 or 3 scenes, but he survives), he was 51 then, but also looks older, Richard Rountree was in it, then 37, moving slowly like on dope, Chuck Connors, then 58, looking like 70, but from what I have seen of him he must have born looking like 70 (he always looks that way) and "the princess" was 41 then and certainly had her heydays behind (but don't be mistaken, she's still the most "juicy" person in this sad flick). It indeed seems that everybody involved in this movie aged considerably between the time he (or more likely his/her inept small-time agent) signed the contract (to be in this) and when the few scenes were shot.

All the other cast looks like retired bookkeepers or controllers as well.

Still, this cast 20 years earlier ... would have been a competent cast.

There are hardly any action scenes in it (too expensive), and the few, which are, are cheaply made (sure, the budget must have been a shoestring) and incompetently staged. Anyway, lovers of unintentional fun will have a field day.

I managed to sit through it for app. 30 minutes, until I first hit the "fast forward" button to swallow some unbearable "action" scenes: men, hardly able to run, "running" with all sorts of guns on roads and between trees. Then I watched in normal speed here and there, but most of it fast forward.

Inept dialog, too (but again, some funny moments).

The storyline: forget it (they all want some piece of paper, some sort of list ... what it contains - never explained ... who cares anyway).

But still, there's something worth mentioning: the music. Not that it is first rate, but at least it is pretty competent: BEBU SILVETTI composed some disco-influenced funk-pieces for this wast-of-time-movie and what is even more remarkable, it was actually released on vinyl LP-record on some obscure backyard US-label (Texas, if I recall correctly) on behalf of the composers permission. Contains on the back cover a long list, in which countries this vinyl may be sold and in which not. But it most likely sold less copies than there are countries mentioned on the cover. :-) Very rare, of course, and nice cover, too.

For Glenn Ford & Henry Silvas 6 scenes and the music I gave it 2 instead of no star. How this gets 4,7 on the IMDb is beyond me. 30 voters ... 4 gave it 10 !! Fun voters ?? I'd be happy if one of them would explain on the discuisson board, which splendid scenes I missed through my fast forwarding ... thanx! :-))

NOT worth the effort of tracking it down (unless you are Quentin Tarantino, but he'll know that one anyway, I bet :-)) ).

This film seems like it should be better than it was. I realize Chuck is the lead and he is pretty old, but what is age? Just a number! No, he is not the problem, the problem is even after watching this thing I am still not sure what was going on. This is mainly due to the fact that so many of the leads in this film are brown haired guys wearing similar leisure suits so I am like, "Is that guy good?" or "I thought he was working with Connors and now he is burning him!" to "I thought that guy burned Connors..."

The story, um, not going to lie, I have no idea what was going on here. All I know is that it boils down to Glen Ford hiring Chuck to retrieve some piece of paper that is worth two million dollars. Meanwhile, a bunch of guys get killed on a boat then a guy parasailing drops bombs on the killers, Shaft does not speak a line of dialog and it is unclear where he stands until the end, but at least you can tell him and Chuck apart from the myriad of dudes with brown hair!

I kind of liked Connors in this, and then that dude that he referred to as Macho man was good too as I was finally able to differentiate the characters by the end. I just thought the film could have used a bit more action than just running and slow car chases.

So, not great at all, but enjoyable in its way. Could have used some more action, maybe some nudity, but that being said what does one expect from a Italian, Mexican, Spanish and possibly American co production? Most of the time a film like this is going to be bad, but fun to watch as while I could not tell what was going on as they did not a good job of storytelling, at least I got to see a man shoot a flare to end the film!

Day of the Assassins is one of those cheesy low-budget action films where one vehicle bumping into another results in an instant explosion, and where a wooden shack marked 'Explosives' is guaranteed to go up in a ball of flames. The hero (or anti-hero in this case) is unflappable and irresistible to women (despite his advancing years), the location is exotic, and the bad guys couldn't shoot a barn door at ten paces. Directed by the usually reliable Brian Trenchard-Smith, the movie consists of a series of incompetently staged action scenes, with the flimsiest of plots to tie them all together: a group of mercenaries vie to get their hands on a list of great importance (contents unknown).

There's a few unintentional giggles to be had watching star Chuck Connors, in his late 50s at the time, struggling to keep his breath while running around, Glenn Ford and Henry Silva pop up for an easy paycheck, Richard Roundtree is wasted as a mute killer who is pushed over the edge of a quarry, Trenchard-Smith delivers a few juicy squib effects, and the gorgeous Susana Dosamantes provides some welcome eye candy (hunky Jorge Rivero doing the same for the ladies), but for the most part this is about as gripping as your average episode of The A-Team.

It looks like a real nice luxury resort and I'm sure the inducement for being in this film was the American and Mexican stars got to stay there while shooting Day Of The Assassin.

A whole bunch of international adventure types are at this resort when an attack is made on the Shah of Iran's yacht sending it to the bottom of the bay. Reputed treasure is supposed to be there. But mysterious Greek tycoon type Glenn Ford type has hired Chuck Connors to get a list that went down with the boat.

Connors has lots of competition, some familiar faces from the spy game.

Glenn Ford is about as Greek as Barry Fitzgerald, hope his pay check cleared.

Richard Roundtree made out best, he plays a mute assassin and hence had no stupid dialog to recite.

Day Of The Assassin is a joint Mexican-American dud.