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The Assignment is a sad case of when a good villain is crafted for a mediocre movie.
Characters & Storyline
Frank Kitchen [note] Michelle Rodriguez [/note] is the most basic of hitmen. He was a ward of the state, has no family, friends, significant others, and no real personality either. All he is good at is killing people. But when he kills the wrong person, perhaps the only person Dr. Rachel Jane [note] Sigourney Weaver [/note] loved, she decides to get her revenge. She gets her revenge by setting Frank up and turning him into a woman. Castration and all [note] Just to prove how much of a man Rodriguez turned herself into, prep for a lot of pre and post-surgery nudity [/note]. Leaving this guy who was a man, identified as a man, and wanted to continue his life as a man, with only the mental state of a guy. Thus setting up a revenge tale which is a response to another act of revenge.
Highlights
Sigourney Weaver and Tony Shalhoub
Dr. Jane is a very weird villain. Perhaps the most interesting villain you may find in an action movie. Not just because she is a woman [note] For really, how many female villains are there? [/note], but because she almost has the reasoning for you being on her side. All Dr. Jane wanted was to avenge her brother. Someone who might have been a junkie and an idiot, but isn’t talked about as someone who committed any serious crimes. So with how cold we see Dr. Jane, you could imagine this dope of a brother was perhaps the one soft spot in her heart. With that, can you blame her for maiming a man? Transforming him into a woman to, not punish him, per se, but give him a fresh start? The ability to put Frank Kitchen in the grave and possibly redeem himself?
Now, I won’t pretend Dr. Jane is a saint who deserves pity. After all, she did hire people to find her the homeless and those without family and friends for experiments. But, if there is one thing I’d love to see more of, is villains who only became such because of the hero or what the hero stands for.
As for Tony Shalhoub as Dr. Galen, he was the Clarice to Dr. Jane’s Hannibal Lecter. He made a character who was very straight forward someone interesting. He challenged her, annoyed her, and brought out her eccentricities and passion. And while the duo may not have ultimately been able to save the film, they made an extraordinary effort.
Criticism
Michelle Rodriguez – In Almost Everyway Possible
There was a time long ago when Rodriguez seemed like she could really be something. However, she has long regulated herself to the woman who could hang with the guys. She was the soldier, that bad ass chick, an around the way girl if you will. With that, arguably, she has become as lazy as most action stars become – with the exception of maybe Tom Cruise. Because the writing is more about the stunts and action, she has never had to challenge herself. Because she was often the token woman, the one woman who was an exception to all the testosterone, she just adapted to what was around her.
So with a film like this, one which she seemingly wants to be taken serious as an action star, instead of just the token woman or sidekick, it’s sad that she doesn’t make a strong case for more opportunities. For between her acting, dialog, and also the way she handles being a man, much less a man made into a woman, you are almost surprised this was released at all. Nevermind as a video on demand release.
This Lacks Style
Another issue is, despite both Weaver and Rodriguez know for action movies which have redefined their specific sub-genres, this movie has nothing which seems on the level of their past work. Frank’s use of .45 calibers are all bang and no style. He kills off his enemies without any sort of flinch-worthy moments or even something which would lead your jaw to drop. It is pretty much mindless violence in the worse way possible.
Overall: Negative (Skip It)
While Shalhoub and Weaver attempt to redeem the damage done by Rodriguez and her character, it just isn’t enough. For this movie, while featuring them, is about the revenge of Frank Kitchen. Someone who seems so generic, so contrived, you are almost surprised this isn’t starring Steven Segal. Though what makes this movie so bad is that it takes itself seriously. As if Rodriguez is really doing something with her performance and is on the level of Shaloub or Weaver. That is, rather than embarrassing herself and leading you to question how all these actors, who have been part of huge action franchises, would ever sign up for this movie.
Hence why I’m saying to skip it. Rodriguez has become a proven co-star, and female token, but being that she hasn’t really challenged her acting ability, perhaps in years or more than a decade, it shows. It shows to the point that you almost wonder what may happen to her career when she is no longer able to hang with the guys and be that tough chick anymore?
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