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L'Ambassadeur

Original title: The Ambassador
  • 1984
  • R
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
1K
YOUR RATING
L'Ambassadeur (1984)
An American ambassador to Israel tries to bring peace to the Middle East conflict through unconventional methods, but his efforts are hampered at every turn and his personal life threatened.
Play trailer2:42
1 Video
22 Photos
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An American ambassador to Israel tries to bring peace to the Middle East conflict through unconventional methods, but his efforts are hampered at every turn and his personal life threatened.An American ambassador to Israel tries to bring peace to the Middle East conflict through unconventional methods, but his efforts are hampered at every turn and his personal life threatened.An American ambassador to Israel tries to bring peace to the Middle East conflict through unconventional methods, but his efforts are hampered at every turn and his personal life threatened.

  • Director
    • J. Lee Thompson
  • Writers
    • Ronald M. Cohen
    • Max Jack
    • Elmore Leonard
  • Stars
    • Robert Mitchum
    • Ellen Burstyn
    • Rock Hudson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.3/10
    1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • J. Lee Thompson
    • Writers
      • Ronald M. Cohen
      • Max Jack
      • Elmore Leonard
    • Stars
      • Robert Mitchum
      • Ellen Burstyn
      • Rock Hudson
    • 16User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:42
    Trailer

    Photos22

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    Top cast51

    Edit
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Mitchum
    • Hacker
    Ellen Burstyn
    Ellen Burstyn
    • Alex
    Rock Hudson
    Rock Hudson
    • Stevenson
    Fabio Testi
    Fabio Testi
    • Hashimi
    Donald Pleasence
    Donald Pleasence
    • Eretz
    Chelli Goldenberg
    Chelli Goldenberg
    • Rachel
    • (as Heli Goldenberg)
    Michal Bat-Adam
    Michal Bat-Adam
    • Tova
    Ori Levy
    Ori Levy
    • Abe
    Uri Gavriel
    Uri Gavriel
    • Assad
    Zachi Noy
    Zachi Noy
    • Ze'ev
    Yosef Shiloach
    Yosef Shiloach
    • Shimon
    • (as Joseph Shiloach)
    Shmulik Kraus
    Shmulik Kraus
    • Stone
    Yossi Virginsky
    • Asher
    Yftach Katzur
    Yftach Katzur
    • Lenny
    Shai Schwartz
    • Gadi
    Ran Vered
    • Rafi
    Assi Abaiov
    • Reuven
    Avi Kleinberger
    • Abba
    • Director
      • J. Lee Thompson
    • Writers
      • Ronald M. Cohen
      • Max Jack
      • Elmore Leonard
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    5.31K
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    Featured reviews

    6CinemaSerf

    The Ambassador

    No wonder US foreign policy is always such a mess. It's probably because there is a genuine belief that stuff like this might actually be possible. Their ambassador to Israel arrives determined to sort of decades of political unease with the Palestinians just because, well he's Robert Mitchum! Assisted by his security chief "Stevenson" (Rock Hudson) he finds that his wife (Ellen Burstyn) is soon a pawn in a game he must play - at some risk - if he is to improve anything for anyone. Donald Pleasance shows up now and again as Israeli government man "Eretz" but for the most part this is one of those films where the whole is nowhere near the potential sum of it's parts. Indeed, as we progress it comes across as an over-written, politically simplistic and rather woeful opportunity for some stars nearing the end of their careers to have a nice holiday on the Mediterranean. Conspiring journalists, mass slaughters, helicopter chases - and a bit of illicit sex all creep in, but they can't really enliven this disappointing thriller that's really rather devoid of thrills. Rock Hudson's last full role - and not one I expect he'd be so very proud of.
    Michael_Elliott

    Way Too Much is Going On Here

    The Ambassador (1984)

    ** (out of 4)

    Well-meaning but incredibly over-active thriller has Robert Mitchum playing the American ambassador to Israel who is trying to bring peace in the Middle East. While him and his security advisor (Rock Hudson) are getting shot at, his wife (Ellen Burstyn) is banging a man (Fabio Testi) but neither one realizes that some terrorists are video taping their love sessions to blackmail the ambassador. Pretty soon it is revealed that the wife's lover might have terrorist ties himself.

    Cannon was known for releasing countless action pictures that were usually rather mindless and just exploited the various subjects that they were covering. Film like DEATH WISH II, MISSING IN ACTION and AMERICAN NINJA were among the studios most popular pictures but THE AMBASSADOR is something completely different. It's clear that Cannon wanted to send a message to the Middle East that peace was possible but unfortuantly for them the movie just went off the rails so to speak. This picture simply tried to do way too much and in the end it's pretty much a complete mess.

    The film is really all over the place in regards to what it's trying to do and it almost seems as if no one could agree on what to do with the picture. It starts off with some incredibly wild and over-the-top action scenes and so far so good. Then you've got a rather sleazy sex scene between Burstyn and Testi, which includes the actress doing some nudity. Again, so far it's fun. You then get into an incredibly long political drama about the whole peace idea and then there's some shocking and incredibly bloody violence that pops up at the end. All the while Mitchum and Hudson are trying to uncover this terrorist plot and get the sex tape back before it reaches the media.

    I'm going to guess Cannon really wanted a serious drama but there wasn't a way to make money on that alone so additional bits of action were thrown in. Thompson, who was working in mainly "B" pictures at this time, manages to build up some nice action but the drama of the story is downright weak and the "message" of the movie is a bit silly to say the least. The film just never really packs a punch or builds up any sort of tension so the non-stop political talk eventually gets boring and when Mitchum's character isn't worried about the sex tape then why should the viewer be?

    The film benefits from its terrific cast and that alone makes it worth sitting through. I think had Mitchum and Hudson switched roles the film might have been better but it was still fun seeing them together. Burstyn in good in her role of the wife and Testi is always dependable. You've also got Donald Pleasence so that's another plus. The film's violent climax features some gory shots that I'm sure shocked most people at the time of the film's release unless they were fans of slashers and were already used to it.

    In the end, THE AMBASSADOR has its heart in the right place but it just never fully comes together.
    5AlsExGal

    Muddled action/political thriller from Cannon Films and director J. Lee Thompson

    Robert Mitchum stars as the U.S. ambassador to Israel who is trying to broker a peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Hardliners on both sides don't want that to happen, so there are assassination attempts, blackmail threats, car chases and terrorists bombings. All that, and I still found time to yawn.

    Co-starring Rock Hudson (in his final film), Ellen Burstyn (who, at 52, has several nude scenes), Donald Pleasence, Italian star Fabio Testi and lots of local Israeli acting talent. Mitchum looks more bored than usual, and he reportedly spent half of the film sloshed. He and Hudson didn't get along, and Hudson was already starting to suffer the failing health that would end his life less than a year later. Some of the action has spark, but most is perfunctory, and there's not much depth to the geopolitical musings. For completists only.

    Go watch the documentary on Cannon Films. It is probably as good as or better than anything they ever produced, and it is a hoot.
    10Kenneth-8

    Exciting little action film that was Hudson's last

    A good little action/suspense thriller that was released by the now defunct Cannon group that has the novelty of dealing with the Israeli-Palestanian crisis with real intelligence and being Rock Hudson's last feature film. It stars Robert Mitchum as Peter Hacker, an American ambassador to Israel who tries to bring peace in the Middle East by unorthodox means, but his adulteress wife, played by Ellen Burstyn, threatens to derail his plans when she has an affair with a PLO leader. To make matters worse, someone threatens to expose a film of the affair if a high ransom isn't paid and the ambassador has a hefty price on his head for certain assassins. Rock Hudson plays Frank Stevenson, the ambassador's loyal security officer/friend who tries to unravel the scheme before the film hits the airwaves.

    Heading a first rate cast, Robert Mitchum plays the lead role with grace and style as a man who tries to accomplish his goals when everything possible is trying to derail him and Ellen Burstyn plays the wife with right note between guilt and steadfast loyalty for her husband. Rock Hudson, on the other hand, is given little to do. He does what he can with the thankless role as the security officer but basically he's just there to try to talk some sense into the ambassador's head and to carry out orders; it's a little sad ending to a brilliant career. The film itself is well-done and first rate with a higher budget and quality than most Cannon films and the location shoots are first-rate. Check it out if you want a Middle-East political thriller with some action thrown into it for good measure.
    5ma-cortes

    So-so and very mediocre film with all-star-cast but really wasted , dealing with Middle East conflicts

    This middling movie boasts a star-studded cast , such as : Robert Mitchum , Ellen Burstyn, Rock Hudson , Fabio Testi and Donald Pleasence . This movie's opening prologue states: "The Middle East is a powder keg, ready to explode. A melting pot of conflicting religious and political factions. Israel, with a population of 4 million, is surrounded by 8 Arab countries with a population of 80 million. A group known as the P. L. O. (Palestinian Liberation Organisation) has vowed never to recognize Israel's right to exist and to fight on until a Palestinian homeland is realized. Lately, there are signs that the P. L. O. Is willing to talk peace with the Israelis. A Syrian based splinter group of the P. L. O., the SAIKA, the most extreme of all existing terrorist groups in the area, spreads terror on both the Israelis and the Arabs in order to stop any possibility of peace negotiations. Within Israel there are two major conflicting points of view : The moderates, who are ready to sit at the table with the P. L. O., and the right wing extremists who refuse to accept a Palestinian state in the region. The MOSSAD is the intelligence agency of the state of Israel and protects the official Israeli government position.¨ As an American ambassador (Robert Mitchum) is sent to the Middle East to attempt to solve the area's deep political problems. In Israel he tries to bring peace to the Middle East , but things go wrong , as he quickly becomes the target of terrorist attacks and while extremely criticized by all factions , resulting in being blamed for the nation's unrest . To make matters worse , his wife (Ellen Burstyn) is having a thorny affair with a suspect man (Fabio Testi) . The President ignores him , forcing the ambassador to fend for himself , as his personal existence and his own life are threatened . Meanwhile , his security official (Rock Hudson who was in poor health due to AIDS) saves his life in an assassination attempts and tries to help him resolve the conflicts around them . His career is in jeopardy... His marriage is in ruins... And his life is in danger... HE'S THROUGH NEGOTIATING.

    A well intentioned film in which a kindly ambassador attempts to solve a long conflict through unconventional methods , but his efforts are hampered at every turn . Based on Elmore Leonard's 52 Pickup and ramade a year lar under its own title ¨52 Pickup¨1986 by John Frankenheimer with Roy Scheider , Ann-Margret , Vanity , John Glover , in fact , both movies were produced by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus and The Cannon Group . Interpretations are passable , such as Robert Mitchum who plays in his usual style as a controversial U. S. ambassador to Israel trying to solve the Palestinian question which takes a turn when his wife well played by Ellen Burstyn begins having an affair with a PLO chief finely performed by Italian Fabio Testi . Rock Hudson in his last theatrical movie role plays Mitchum's chief security officer , giving a regular acting as the resourceful agent who along the way helps him . However , supposedly Robert Mitchum and Rock Hudson did not get along with each other .

    The motion picture was professional but middlingly directed by J. Lee Thompson , though it has some disappointing scenes , shortcomings , failures , flaws and gaps . He previously had a nice track record in the English cinema from 1950 until 1961 , directing good Western (McKenna's gold , White Buffalo) and all king genres as Sci-Fi (Conquest and Battle of planet of apes), terror (Reincarnation of Peter Proud, Eye of the devil), adventures (Flame over India ,Kings of the sun, Taras Bulba , Tiger Bay) and Warlike ( Guns of Navarone, Von Braun , Chairman , The passage) . His two biggest successes turned out to be ¨Guns of Navarone¨and ¨Cape Fear¨. Thereafter , the filmmaker's career subsided in a morass of slickly realized but ordinary films. He moved into the field of international spectaculars , at which point his filmmaking seemed to lose its individuality . J. Lee Thompson working from the 50s in England, finished his career making Chuck Norris (Firewalker) and Charles Bronson vehicles (Caboblanco, Evil that men do, Messenger of death, Death Wish 4 : Crackdown, Caboblanco, St Ives). Rating : 4.5/10, average , only for Robert Mitchum, Rock Hudson hardcore fans.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      During most of the filming in the winter of 1983-84 the two leading stars, Robert Mitchum and Rock Hudson, reportedly did not get along with each other. A life-long alcoholic, Mitchum was said to have been frequently drunk on and off camera, and often verbally clashed with Hudson who was in poor health which held up production for days.
    • Goofs
      The guy in shades who keeps stalking the ambassador's wife through the streets vanishes from the story after detonating a bomb that almost killed her. His fate is never revealed and he's never seen again.
    • Quotes

      Frank Stevenson: There are people out there who'll slash your throat for fifty bucks American.

    • Connections
      Featured in Electric Boogaloo (2014)

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    FAQ

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • January 11, 1985 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Ambassador
    • Filming locations
      • Negev Desert, Israel
    • Production company
      • Northbrook Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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