Les tueurs sont lâchés

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.

Saw this 1968 Spy-Thriller with my dad in 1968 at the old Boulevard Theater on Biscayne Blvd. in Miami, Florida. One of Patrick O'Neal's better films. Made during the era of such cold war classic's as Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and Kremlin Letter; for some unexplained reason however, this film never really caught on. It moved at a fast pace, was well acted and well scripted, had adventure, action, romance, humor, and a stunning surprise. Patrick O'Neal did his best work in the late 1960s with Kremlin Letter, Chamber of Horrors, Castle Keep, and Assignment to Kill. Joan Hacket was a shinning light. This rates as her second best on screen performance behind the group. Her death at 49 from cancer was a shock to her fans. Yet, she and Patrick O'Neal are forever caught in time; in their prime, in Assignment to Kill. Can't wait for the DVD to come out one day.

I have to be the skunk at the garden party here. I disagree with the consensus that this is an "overlooked gem" of any kind. The movie is simply interminable, with a rambling, labyrinthine plot line that never quite sorts itself out. When it ends there is a general feeling of "just what the hell was that all about?" There is a plethora of endless, leaden dialogue, especially between O'Neal's and Hackett's characters. There is also surprisingly little real action, and the climactic fight scene between Cutting (O'Neal) and The Big Man (Leon Greene) is simply ridiculous. The only good things about the movie are the wonderful old Technicolor cinematography, and the Swiss scenery. Acting-wise, O'Neal is OK (that voice!) but Joan Hackett's Dominique is annoyingly cutesy/cool. Peter vanEyck's appearance is all too brief. Herbert Lom carries his usual aura of suavely subtle danger, and Oscar Homulka is always fun to watch. The only reason I watched it is that I desperately needed to fill a couple of empty hours. You probably have better things to do.

"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.

Independent investigator Richard Cutting (Patrick O'Neal) is called in by an insurance company. He is to investigate new information about the sinking of ships belonging to ruthless millionaire Curt Valayan (John Gielgud). A year ago one of Valayan's henchman, Walter Green (Peter Van Eyck), was bringing evidence of deliberate sinking to the insurance companies when his plane went down in the Swiss Alps. Now the plane has been discovered but there is no sign of Green, and suspicions that he is alive. Cutting races to track down Green's former secretary, Dominique Laurant (John Hackett), before Valayan's fixer Matt Wilson (Herbert Lom), and his muscle The Big Man (Leon Greene), can find her. Cutting and Laurant meet with Green, who indicates the existence of an "affidavit" attesting to the sinking, before he is killed. The killing arouses the interest of police Inspector Ruff (Oscar Homolka). Without the affidavit Cutting is preparing to leave when Laurant ups the stakes by suggesting to Wilson that she has the affidavit. Cutting knows that Wilson can't allow any "loose ends" and will have to come after Laurant. He attempts to produce an affidavit and finally goes to St. Gstaad to confront Valayan and Wilson. There he gets revenge on Wilson and sets up Valayan for Inspector Ruff.

While the plot is traditional the movie benefits from quite good dialog which seems to arouse the interest of the actors. I've always liked Patrick O'Neal but recognized that his stoic manner limited his performances. In Assignment To Kill he opens up emotionally, particularly in his scenes with Joan Hackett. She, in turn, is a delight and plays the dialog superbly. Let's face it Herbert Lom has been playing villains like this for decades but even he seems to enjoy himself. He adds an additional dimension by relating his activities to Cutting's. Although I found it a little offsetting to hear him addressed as Matt Wilson, Lom is definitely a mittel-European villain! Gielgud is his usual incisive self with arched eyebrow at work. I mentioned Leon Greene simply to note that his career in films started with the dynamic Miles Glorious in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. A few years later he is a nameless thug; I guess even actors have to eat. Homolka, in a small role, is a happy reminder of performances past and Van Eyck is appropriately cynical and world weary.

Technical credits are good, particularly the scenery in Geneva and the Alps.

This film is one of those happy discoveries, which if not an A picture is at least a superior B picture, and deserves a wider audience. It also proves the old adage that an actor is only as good as their material. Here the actors had a good script, by director Sheldon Reynolds, and respond with zest.