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“ The Assignment ” is a film that arrives in theaters having already inspired vast outpourings of anger from two groups —the transgender community, which appears to be offended by its very premise, and action buffs, who are put off both by the premise (albeit for different reasons) and what they feel is a lazy execution that fails to offer the requisite thrills. While I am sympathetic to the complaints of both groups (somewhat more for the former) and recognize that it is indeed deeply flawed in many areas, I cannot quite agree with either. This is a modestly scaled B-movie by one of the best genre filmmakers of our time, Walter Hill , that has enough skill and personality going for it to make it worth checking out, even if it doesn’t quite live up (or down, depending on your perspective) to its borderline sleazy premise.

And what is that premise, you ask? In a nutshell, Frank Kitchen ( Michelle Rodriguez … just keep reading) is a ruthless San Francisco hitman who runs afoul of Dr. Rachel Kay ( Sigourney Weaver ), a brilliant but deranged surgeon who has lost her license for conducting various rogue experiments. Frank kills Dr. Kay’s brother, and the good doctor seeks vengeance and experimental research into the importance of physical identity on the psyche. She arranges with crime boss Honest John Hartunian ( Anthony LaPaglia ) to have him grab Frank and bring him to her secret lab, where she proceeds to perform gender reassignment surgery on him. Dr. Kay asserts that the surgery will take away Frank’s desire to kill. Needless to say, Frank sees things a little differently, and, once she discovers that the surgery cannot be reversed, she methodically hatches a grisly revenge plot on everyone involved with her transformation from Honest John and his goons all the way up to Dr. Kay. Helping Frank in her quest is Johnnie ( Caitlin Gerard ), a nurse with whom Frank had a one-night stand before his transformation and who doesn’t seem particularly nonplussed by recent developments, though it seems that she may be harboring a few secrets of her own.

At first blush, one can easily understand why the transgender community might be a tad put off by the very existence of “The Assignment,” but the actual film is nowhere near as offensive as it might initially seem. For one thing, the film as a whole is so willfully and deliberately pulpy in tone (I could easily see a short version of this tale fitting perfectly into the confines of a “ Sin City ” film) that it is hard to take the alleged provocations on display with any degree of seriousness—this is a film that is so archetypal in nature that the sort-of sweethearts at its center are literally named Frank(ie) and Johnnie. Additionally, to suggest that Frank is meant to represent all transgender people is nonsense because he is clearly not one himself, and, outside of the obvious physical construct, little about him changes after undergoing his forced surgery. I would also point out that no less of a filmmaker than Pedro Almodovar used the notion of unwilling gender reassignment surgery as a plot point in his own unabashed genre exercise, “ The Skin I Live In ,” and no one seemed especially put off by it even though the deployment there was arguably more questionable from a taste perspective than what is seen here.

That said, “The Assignment” is still a problematic work in many ways from a purely cinematic perspective. The screenplay by Hill & Denis Hamill (which Hill has been toying with since the late ‘70s) is an awkward construction with much of the story presented in a series of flashbacks, as the now-incarcerated Dr. Kay recounts the story to another psychiatrist ( Tony Shalhoub ). This concept is especially problematic since Hill is at his best when he allows characters to define themselves purely through their actions instead of relentlessly explaining themselves as they do here. The film also screams out for a more overtly stylized visual treatment in the vein of something like his great “ Streets of Fire ”—a fact underlined by the occasional bits of black-and-white photography and comic book-style transitions—that might have also helped to underscore the kind of pulpy approach Hill was clearly going for. Another big problem, at least at first, is the casting of Michelle Rodriguez as Frank. There is nothing wrong with her performance but the early scenes in which she portrays the male version of Frank, complete with a wildly unconvincing beard and a lingering close-up of his genitalia for good measure, do inspire a few bad laughs right when the film is trying to establish itself. For some viewers, it may never recover from that.

For those who can get beyond that, “The Assignment” contains plenty of points of interest. Sigourney Weaver is pretty much a blast throughout as the snidely condescending doctor who sets all of the events into motion. As for Rodriguez, once she sheds the beard, her performance improves greatly. Obviously, we know she can do the steely-eyed badass stuff as well as anyone else but she also gets a couple of quieter moments amidst the chaos where she displays a more vulnerable side without stepping out of character—in one, she consults a doctor about whether the surgery can be reversed and begins shyly inquiring about certain personal details regarding her new equipment. In the other, she is about to go to bed with Johnnie when she realizes that she has no idea of how to approach lovemaking from a female perspective. (“You’ll do fine,” she is reassured in a line that is both funny and strangely touching.) As for Hill, while he is clearly working with a lower budget than usual here (with Vancouver substituting, not too convincingly, for San Francisco), he is still able to establish a convincingly noir attitude toward the material and the scenes of violence are done in a spare and economical style that is a relief from the over-the-top pyrotechnics of most current action films. (He also gets bonus points for employing Giorgio Moroder to deliver a cheerfully retro synth score.)

It is easy to see how the dramatic excesses of the plot could prove offensive to the transgender community, though I can just as easily see “The Assignment” one day becoming a cult favorite in the way that the once-controversial “ Cruising ” would eventually find some fans within the gay community that once scorned it. As an exercise in unapologetic pulp fiction, it gets the job done in a smart, efficient and slyly subversive manner. As the latest entry in the Walter Hill filmography, it definitely belongs on the second tier. Even though it may not be the equal to a classic like “ The Driver ” or “Streets of Fire,” it will do until that next masterwork does come along.

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

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Film credits.

The Assignment (2017)

Rated R for graphic nudity, violence, sexuality, language and drug use.

Michelle Rodriguez as Frank Kitchen / Tomboy

Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Rachel Kay

Tony Shalhoub as Dr. Ralph Galen

Caitlin Gerard as Johnnie

Anthony LaPaglia as Honest John Hartunian

Paul McGillion as Paul Wincott

• Walter Hill

Writer (story)

• Denis Hamill

Cinematographer

• James Liston
• Phil Norden
• Giorgio Moroder
• Raney Shockne

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Home > The Assignment Ending Explained

• The Assignment Ending Explained
• UPDATED: September 19, 2023

Table of Contents

“The Assignment” is a thrilling action film that delves into the world of revenge and identity. Directed by Walter Hill, the movie follows the story of Frank Kitchen, a hitman who undergoes an involuntary gender reassignment surgery as an act of revenge. The film’s ending leaves viewers with a lot to unpack and understand.

In the final moments of the film, Frank Kitchen, played by Michelle Rodriguez, confronts his former surgeon, Dr. Rachel Kay (Sigourney Weaver). Throughout the movie, it becomes clear that Dr. Kay orchestrated Frank’s transformation as a form of punishment for his past crimes. However, what remains unclear is whether Frank seeks revenge or redemption.

As Frank confronts Dr. Kay, he is faced with a choice: to kill her and seek vengeance for what she has done or to let go of his anger and move on with his life. This decision is symbolic of Frank’s journey throughout the film. He has been consumed by rage and a desire for revenge but now has the opportunity to break free from this cycle.

The ending can be interpreted in two ways. On one hand, Frank could choose to kill Dr. Kay, thus perpetuating the cycle of violence and revenge that has defined his life thus far. This would suggest that he is unable to escape his past and that he is ultimately doomed to repeat his mistakes.

On the other hand, Frank could choose not to kill Dr. Kay, signaling a desire for redemption and a chance at a fresh start. By letting go of his anger and choosing forgiveness over revenge, he would be breaking free from the chains that have bound him for so long.

The film intentionally leaves this decision up to interpretation, allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions about Frank’s character arc. It poses thought-provoking questions about the nature of revenge and whether it truly brings closure or only perpetuates more pain.

Furthermore, “The Assignment” also explores themes of identity and self-acceptance. Throughout the film, Frank struggles with his new body and the implications it has on his sense of self. The ending, therefore, can also be seen as a moment of self-discovery and acceptance.

By choosing not to kill Dr. Kay, Frank may be embracing his new identity and finding peace within himself. This interpretation suggests that the film is ultimately about personal growth and the ability to move forward despite past trauma.

In conclusion, “The Assignment” ending leaves viewers with a lot to ponder. It presents a choice between revenge and redemption, forcing us to question our own beliefs about justice and closure. Additionally, it explores themes of identity and self-acceptance, adding depth to the overall narrative.

Ultimately, the ending is open-ended, allowing for multiple interpretations. It is up to each viewer to decide what they believe Frank’s final decision signifies. Regardless of how one chooses to interpret it, “The Assignment” is a thought-provoking film that sparks conversations about revenge, identity, and personal growth.

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The assignment, common sense media reviewers.

Violent thriller irresponsibly tackles transgender themes.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Gender reassignment surgery is portrayed as an exp

Main character Frank is a hired killer who commits

Gender reassignment surgery, which can be life-aff

Brutal shootings/killings. Blood sprays/spurts. De

Full-frontal male and female nudity. Sex scene wit

Frequent strong language includes "f--k," "f--king

Brands of hormone tablets Premarin and Prevara are

Secondary character snorts cocaine on-screen. Scen

Parents need to know that The Assignment is an action/thriller with an irresponsibly handled topic at its core: The main character, an assassin, is given gender reassignment surgery against his will, changing his body from male to female. The content is extremely mature, including graphic nudity (male and…

Positive Messages

Gender reassignment surgery is portrayed as an experiment and punishment performed against someone's will. The film suggests that revenge can be warranted, offering satisfaction after trauma. However, glimpses of empathy can be found in the darkest of moments.

Positive Role Models

Main character Frank is a hired killer who commits violent acts and seeks revenge after being the victim of non-consensual gender-reassignment surgery. Frank generally shows little regard for others' lives but does have a strong determination to survive and extends empathy toward a dog and a character he has grown to care for, despite her double-crossing behavior. Dr. Rachel Jane puts scientific discovery before others' suffering, cruelly experimenting on unhoused people. She's arrogant and vengeful and shows no remorse for her actions.

Diverse Representations

Gender reassignment surgery, which can be life-affirming (if not life-saving) for individuals, is portrayed here as non-consensual and experimental, used as a punishment. Frank tries to get his surgery reversed, saying he thought it's what he wanted, which plays into damaging narratives about people changing their minds about surgery. Pre-surgery Frank is played by cisgender female actor Michelle Rodriguez in a mustache, beard, and chest plate, and she puts on a deep voice. Post-surgery Frank has a relationship with a woman; during sex, he says "I'll do what I can," implying that intimacy between two female bodies is somehow lesser than heterosexual sex. Offensive moments include a male doctor asking a female doctor whether she commits crimes because she didn't have a good sex life. Female bodies are sexualized, including Frank using his naked breasts to distract other men. A psychiatric hospital is referred to as the "nut house." Racist language is used toward a Chinese character, including "chinky" and "Chinaman." There's some ethnic diversity within the cast -- Rodriguez is Dominican-Puerto Rican and there are actors of Chinese and Middle Eastern descent in supporting roles.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Brutal shootings/killings. Blood sprays/spurts. Dead bodies. Kicking, beating. Streaming blood. Bloody wounds. Brief images of surgery relating to non-consensual gender reassignment, with gory, bloody cotton/bandages. Hypo needle held to neck. Attempted sexual assault, followed by perpetrator being beaten to death with a baseball bat. Passing mention of death of father and brother. Reference to dog fighting and killing dogs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Full-frontal male and female nudity. Sex scene with thrusting (includes tearing open condom wrapper). Woman in sexy underwear; there's mention of paying for sex, implying that she's a sex worker. References to "pimps" and "hookers."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Frequent strong language includes "f--k," "f--king," "motherf--king," "bulls--t," "s--t," "s--thead," "t-ts," "ass," "a--hole," "bastard," "douchebag," "piss," "hell," "goddamn," and "idiot," as well as racial slurs ("chinky" and "Chinaman").

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Brands of hormone tablets Premarin and Prevara are mentioned and taken by a character.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Secondary character snorts cocaine on-screen. Scenes of heavy drinking straight from liquor bottles. Social drinking. Drugs shown, including hormone tablets taken by lead character.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Assignment is an action/thriller with an irresponsibly handled topic at its core: The main character, an assassin, is given gender reassignment surgery against his will, changing his body from male to female. The content is extremely mature, including graphic nudity (male and female full frontal), bloody shootings, beatings, and killings, and brief but semi-graphic sex scenes. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," and "a--hole," plus racist terms like "chinky" and "Chinaman." Characters use drugs, including cocaine, and the main character occasionally drinks alcohol (sometimes too much). Due to the mature (and badly handled) themes and violent and sexual content, the movie is appropriate only for older teens and adults. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In THE ASSIGNMENT, a prickly, Shakespeare-and-Poe-quoting surgeon, Dr. Rachel Kay ( Sigourney Weaver ), lives in a psychiatric hospital and is interviewed by Dr. Ralph Galen ( Tony Shalhoub ). She tells her story in flashback. Her brother, in trouble with gangsters, becomes the target of an assassin named Frank Kitchen ( Michelle Rodriguez ). Dr. Kay subsequently kidnaps Frank and performs non-consensual gender reassignment surgery on him as revenge. And so Kitchen awakens in a female body, and, after searching for a way to reverse the procedure (and failing), decides to get his revenge on everyone connected to Dr. Kay -- all the way up to dangerous, well-protected gangster "Honest John" ( Anthony LaPaglia ).

Is It Any Good?

This thriller starts out with a ludicrous and irresponsibly handled idea. Even directed in a pulpy, creative way by Walter Hill (who worked with Weaver on Alien as producer and is best-known for directing action classics like The Warriors and 48 Hrs. ), The Assignment struggles to escape its misguided premise. Certainly the film is inauthentic, casting cisgender female actor Rodriguez to play both pre- and post-surgery versions of a male character. And though The Assignment tries to praise trans people for their courage, its portrayal of gender reassignment surgery as a punishment plays into damaging narratives. When real-life discrimination against trans people is a huge problem in society, it makes it difficult to concentrate on the movie's redeeming features.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Assignment 's violence . Does it feel gratuitous or necessary? What impact does the pulpy nature of the filmmaking have? Does associating it with comic book violence change how you view it?

The film centers on a character who has non-consensual gender reassignment surgery as a punishment. What message do you think this sends about surgery for transgender people? Why is it important to be conscious and careful about portrayals like this on-screen?

How does the movie portray drinking and drug use ? Does it make substance use seem enjoyable? Glamorous? Or does it seem sad/desperate? Are there consequences ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : April 7, 2017
• On DVD or streaming : June 6, 2017
• Cast : Michelle Rodriguez , Sigourney Weaver , Tony Shalhoub
• Director : Walter Hill
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors, Middle Eastern/North African actors
• Studio : Saban Films
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 95 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : graphic nudity, violence, sexuality, language and drug use
• Last updated : November 6, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Thriller Movies

Spy movies for kids.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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Rotten Tomatoes® Score

In its low-rent way, it aims for every frisson, reversal and shock-tactic -- and mostly succeeds.

Like for most action pics, character development is the first casualty.

Stylish spy flick with a surprisingly good cast.

A non-formula spy thriller without the glitz and romanticism usually associated with this genre.

If there's a small saving grace to this crude thriller, it is the work of Montreal-born director Christian Duguay, who shows flashes of real flare.

The plot raises the keenly important question of whether professionals who fight evil may be corrupted by the ruthless means they employ; but the movie takes too much pleasure in sensationalistic digressions to explore this issue very thoroughly.

Quinn is excellent in the dual roles of Jackal and Ramirez.

Additional Info

• Genre : Thriller, Action
• Release Date : September 26, 1997
• Languages : English
• Captions : English, Spanish
• Audio Format : 5.1

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Where to watch

The assignment.

2016 Directed by Walter Hill

A revenger's tale.

Ace assassin Frank Kitchen is double crossed by gangsters and falls into the hands of rogue surgeon known as The Doctor who turns him into a woman. The hitman, now a hitwoman, sets out for revenge, aided by a nurse named Johnnie who also has secrets.

Michelle Rodriguez Sigourney Weaver Tony Shalhoub Caitlin Gerard Anthony LaPaglia Paul McGillion Ken Kirzinger Paul Lazenby Zak Santiago Adrian Hough Alex Zahara Chad Riley Jason Asuncion Darryl Quon Hugo Ateo Sergio Osuna Terry Chen Lauro David Chartrand-DelValle Caroline Chan Lia Lam Eltie Pearce

Director Director

Walter Hill

Producers Producers

Saïd Ben Saïd Michel Merkt Sarah Borch-Jacobsen Kevin Chneiweiss Todd Giroux John Lind Harvey Kahn

Writers Writers

Denis Hamill Walter Hill

Casting Casting

Candice Elzinga Sheila Jaffe Sandra Couldwell

Editor Editor

Phil Norden

Cinematography Cinematography

James Liston

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

John Lind Annabelle Wilczur

Lighting Lighting

James M. Jackson Cameron Root Jason Weir

Camera Operators Camera Operators

Dale H. Jahraus Bruce Borland

Production Design Production Design

Set decoration set decoration.

Meredith Garstin A. Blair Stevens

Special Effects Special Effects

Visual effects visual effects.

Geena Renk Kris Wood Brent Boulet Jess Brown

Stunts Stunts

Jason Asuncion Melissa R. Stubbs Paul Lazenby

Composers Composers

Raney Shockne Giorgio Moroder

Sound Sound

James Fonnyadt Bryson Dodwell Bill Mellow Kelly Cole Daniel Cardona

Costume Design Costume Design

Ellen Anderson

Makeup Makeup

Courtney Frey Joel Echallier Agnieszka Echallier

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Jessica Rain

SBS Productions

Canada France USA

Releases by Date

11 sep 2016, 08 jun 2016, 27 apr 2017, 19 oct 2017, 23 nov 2017, 03 mar 2016, 23 mar 2017, 02 may 2017, 07 jun 2017, 03 apr 2016, releases by country.

• Premiere Toronto International Film Festival
• Theatrical M/16

South Korea

• Theatrical 18
• Digital 16 DVD & Bluray
• Physical 15 DVD
• Digital R internet

95 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Sally Jane Black 12

CW: HRT/transition-related surgery

We are not born into the wrong body. We are born into the wrong society.

As I take hormones to alter my body, I am not gaining a new body. My body is naturally reacting to the estrogen and testosterone-suppressors I am putting into it. It's still the same body I have always had. It's a different shape. It's softer. But it's the same body I have had for 35 years. When I get the surgery I need, I will not be losing my body, either. This is the right body for me. My transformation is merely one of presentation. It is no more radical than any other bodily changes a person undergoes.

We are not born…

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★½ 10

Action! - The Unlikely Rumble: Hill v Hyams

So we end the first half of our combat with Hill returning to the vengeance genre, bringing his Western sensibilities to a picture where guns and retribution are the order of the day.

Michelle Rodriguez is great in this role, while her first appearance as a "man" was laughably poor. The beard and everything looked terribly fake, and it was even funnier that she was acknowledged twice in the closing credits. Now, having said that, when the wicked revengeful doctor, nicely played by Weaver, completed the "sex change" on Michelle's character Frank, Rodriguez did an great job modulating her voice and making it more rougher, and even as she leaned over and…

Review by nathaxnne [hiatus <3] ★★★★½ 12

100% Ray Blanchard's fault Signourney Weaver has to be out here force-femming mob hit men into Michelle Rodriguez to obtain cast-iron proof that gender dysphoria is an innate condition irreducible to paraphilia in the year of our lord 2016, an obvious fact known to science in the 19th Century and then violently memory-holed as needed by whatever variety of fascist forgetting this was expedient for ever since. If nothing else, The Assignment might be useful to watch with clueless boomer (grand)parents in order to get them to think constructively about the experience of gender dysphoria??? U could tell them before sitting down to watch that there was a reason u checked Girlfight out of Blockbuster so many times and that…

Review by Filipe Furtado ★★★½

So cheap, so in love with its own lurid pulp. It is as unplausible as its underworld, which is part of what so pleasurable about it. That cheapstake vile movie atmosphere is the movie, pure surface ugliness that never suggests the real thing, but just drown in its own texture. The kind of preposterous film with a mad doctor quoting Shakespeare and Poe for added gravitas that everyone treats for the bullshit it actually is. Rodriguez's Frank Kitchen is so good at what he does, The Assignment is never an actual an action movie, what it does purpose is a double narrative crashing on itself (Hill's usual hunter/hunted motif taking to an unique lurid extreme), the idea of identity becoming…

Review by matt lynch ★★★

Hill comes right out and says that this should stand on style alone...it doesn't (and yikes some of those animated transitions are dire), but his (somewhat clueless, but still) insistence on keeping this a pulpy shock noir is kinda admirable.

Review by Dawson Joyce ★

With a premise this risky, unique, and thought-provoking and a more than capable cast and crew onboard, it is such a shame to see The Assignment come out not an enjoyably trashy piece of exploitation fun but instead a brutally boring, utterly lifeless mess of a film lacking in both strong characterization and entertaining action, and the fact that this was a passion project of director Walter Hill since the 70's makes the joyless and mundane end result even more baffling. Also, this film officially disproves the idiotic to begin with theory that lead star Michelle Rodriguez looks too masculine.

Review by Jesse Snoddon ★ 2

"It's hard to go back to Frank Kitchen when you look like a chick"

After stupidly named hitman Frank Kitchen (Michelle Rodriguez) takes out Dr. Rachel Kay's (Sigourney Weaver) brother, Kay enacts revenge by having Frank abducted and performing a sex change operation on him against his will. 

As a fan of Walter Hill's movies, it pains me to say this is awful. Without even getting into the more controversial elements (to the film's credit Hill seems to be trying to make the point that we are who we are inside and physically changing someone won't alter that if it's against there will...but Hill is likely not the person to have this conversation and in over his head on that…

Review by comrade_yui 2

walter hill not being a provocative reactionary dumbass makes this way less exploitative than it actually should be. it's jam-packed with several elements of his previous works, and i can't help but see this as a return to form after his dreadful output since the end of the 90s. it's slick, peppered with punchy dialogue and efficiently constructed in the way that his best films are. at the time this came out, i probably would have despised it just from the premise alone, but at this point it feels really harmless compared to the relatively high toxicity that we get from zahler, snyder and bay. reading interviews with hill and seeing the actual text here, it's clear that this film…

Review by Biscoito18 ½ 3

I'd never realized how feminine Michelle Rodriguez was until seeing her trying to pass as a biological man.

It's impossible to buy the illusion, not only because she is a very famous actress, but also because the make up is terrible and her silhouette, voice and walk remains the same.

Looks more like a bad comedy sketch (they even gave her a hilarious CGI penis and hairy chest!!!) but the tone is so dead serious that nothing works properly. It's a VERY strange movie with a very strange editing too.

Trying to adjust the tone, they even add some cartoons here and there to give a grindhouse/hq vibe to it, but ends up being another lame aspect in the weak…

Review by Rachel

Shame on you Sigourney 

Why the name change to Tomboy on UK Netflix? Like it don’t make it a good movie

Review by Cinema_Strikes ★★½ 2

This came out to a lot of kerfluffle - seemingly mostly from people who hadn’t seen the movie - about whether it was offensive in its treatment of trans rights, but hardly seems worth the bother of getting offended. It’s a fairly bog standard pulpy action revenge thriller, and the central issue of Michelle Rodriguez getting forcibly gender swapped doesn’t seem to have any legitimate bearing on trans issues - the character is not a trans person, but someone who had their body altered without their consent (more akin to the Remade in China Mieville’s Bas-Lag series), which seems an entirely different issue, at least to this admittedly ignorant viewer. I’m sure I’m missing plenty of nuance, but honestly this…

Review by Scout Tafoya ★★★½

www.rogerebert.com/mzs/the-unloved-part-47-the-assignment

Hill snapped into place on another level for me when I was watching this and remembered the scene in The Driver where he smashes up that gorgeous orange Mercedes. I watched it with my dad when I was in college and neither of us understood it. Years pass and I'm watching this and I'm thinking about other moments in Hill films where characters try to sort of shed their skin because of Hill's existential body dysmorphia and my brain feeds me the scene and says without hesitation "Well there's that scene in The Driver when O'Neal destroys the car because he can't tear his skin off and reveal the bottomless void in his soul." Like somehow, at some…

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The Assignment

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Streaming charts last updated: 5:19:39 AM, 04/27/2024

The Assignment is 7834 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 3718 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than Another Zero in the System but less popular than Hold Your Fire.

Jack Shaw has experienced the terror first-hand. He's a top CIA agent who's tracked international killer-for-hire Carlos "The Jackal" Sanchez for over twenty years and barely survived Carlos' devastating bombing of a Parisian cafe. Now, he finally gets a break when he discovers Carlos' dead ringer: American naval officer and dedicated family man Annibal Ramirez.

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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• Cast & Crew

The Assignment

• 34   Metascore
• 1 hr 35 mins
• Suspense, Action & Adventure

A macho hit man is abducted and given unwanted male-to-female gender-confirmation surgery by a deranged doctor. With the help of a one-night stand, the assassin seeks revenge on those responsible for the operation in this gripping action thriller.

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1:54 tHE ASSIGNMENT

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Michelle Rodriguez

Frank kitchen / tomboy.

Sigourney Weaver

Dr. rachel kay.

Tony Shalhoub

Dr. ralph galen, latest news see all, trailers & videos see all.

tHE ASSIGNMENT

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The Assignment

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Rent The Assignment on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

The Assignment 's premise is bizarrely intriguing; unfortunately, it's also just one of many ingredients fumbled in a disappointing misfire from director Walter Hill.

Audience Reviews

Cast & crew.

Walter Hill

Michelle Rodriguez

Frank Kitchen

Sigourney Weaver

Dr. Rachel Kay

Tony Shalhoub

Dr. Ralph Galen

Caitlin Gerard

Anthony LaPaglia

Honest John Hartunian

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Movie news & guides, this movie is featured in the following articles., critics reviews.

The Assignment (I) (2016)

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10 Movies Featuring Monster Trucks

W e all have our favorite parts of watching a movie, and some of us have even more enthusiasm when we see that a great film also includes monster trucks. Monster trucks have been around since 1975 when BigFoot rolled out on some massive 66-inch off-road tires. Since then, Bigfoot has maintained a high profile in Hollywood as the "go-to" monster truck for movies. In the newer movies featuring monster trucks, we don't see quite as much Bigfoot but meet several other famous trucks with just as many tricks and bad-guy scariness or vengeance, whichever you prefer.

Monster truck movies are almost always goofy, with slapstick humor and tacky storylines from a time long ago. However, some newer movies with monster trucks are hits and either make fun of the type of person who would drive a vehicle of such stature or emphasize how fantastic it is to drive and own a monster truck.

This is an age where even children are obsessed with monster trucks, as seen in shows like Blaze and the Monster Machines, Monster Jam Adventures, Gigglebellies, and so forth. We can all agree that monster trucks will never go out of style for any age group. The shows and live events are action-packed and filled with fun. The appearance of a monster truck in a movie geared towards adults is always a hit, and it's always a goofy, tough-guy redneck that comes spilling out from behind the wheel. As movie enthusiasts, we all like to take the fun up a notch whenever possible. Seeing Woody Harrelson behind the wheel of a monster truck is the type of awesomeness we all need in our lives.

Monster Trucks (2016)

This cute movie, Monster Trucks , is about a monster (actually a young alien), Creech, who has lost his family. After narrowly escaping from an oil drilling accident, Creech hides in a truck that a boy, Tripp, is building primarily from scratch. Creech guzzles oil just like a usual monster truck, except he is a literal alien/monster and requires tons of oil and gas to survive. Together they battle bullies and have a great adventure . This is an excellent family movie, and it is somewhat predictable. Unfortunately, it is the only real monster truck movie for kids outside of cartoons. The truck that the monster takes over is a lovely antique 1950s Dodge, and almost all vehicles in the film are Chrysler made.

Related: The Best Trucker Movies, Ranked

Monster Man (2003)

Monster Man is a 2000s monster truck movie that missed the mark, but the truck is still pretty neat and makes the movie worthwhile. The truck is owned by Frank Schettini, who loaned the truck for the role in the film. His monster truck, Big Dummy 4, has a Ford body and unique suspension and driver's console comparable to Motocross. Expect a lot of gore and cheeky horror shock-value scenes in this one. Two kids driving to a wedding cause problems with some rednecks in a small town and pick up a hitchhiker. The next thing they know, they are being terrorized by a monstrous-looking man driving a monster truck and out for vengeance.

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)

This is one of the most incredible monster trucks in a late '90s movie. It screams "safari redneck" and doesn't disappoint. Ace Ventura: When Nature Call s is a hilarious and goofy movie about Ace Ventura searching for the Great White Bat in Africa and getting into loads of mischief along the way with the local tribe's people and their princess. The monster truck Ace jumps in to chase down the kidnapper of the Great White Bat is a real monster truck named Push-N-Stomp and is a 1986 Chevrolet S-10 owned by Greg Schmit.

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story with Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller is hilarious, to say the least. This goofy, side-splitting comedy is one big contest between Stiller's team and Vaughn's team. Vaughn's team needs money, so they hold a car wash, and one of the poor kids gets harassed by a gross man playing with his own belly button and driving a monster truck. Clearly, the kid is a lot more afraid of the gross guy than he is of the monster truck but gets stuck washing it repeatedly. The truck is a 1988 GMC Sierra with a vanity plate that reads, "BoyHowdy."

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

The monster truck in Zombieland: Double Tap belongs to a shady character, Albuquerque, that is supposedly Nevada's past. Pretty Nevada happens to be at a Graceland museum when Tallahassee and Columbus arrive. They are shocked to find her, but it quickly becomes apparent that Tallahassee and Nevada are meant for each other.

After Albuquerque shows up in his monster truck and realizes he's been one-upped by Tallahassee, it angers Albuquerque and Flagstaff, who drive over Tallahassee's truck, "The Beast," and then are attacked by T-800s, which are a specifically nasty version of zombies. Since they are now zombies, Tallahassee and Columbus put them out of their misery. The truck, Big Fat Death, is a Ford Excursion. Driver Kevin King owns this monster truck, and its actual name is Insane Asylum or Fluffy.

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road is filled with some of the most incredible vehicles ever to make it to the big screen, and these aren't just your everyday vehicles. They are excellent vehicles that have been sprinkled with Mad Max magic and have become desert-racing monsters of doom. There are a lot of shiny chrome, massive tires, and completely insane weapons that go along with these one-of-a-kind vehicles. The very best monster truck in Mad Max: Fury Road is the 1940 Dodge Fargo tray top pick-up on a monster truck chassis. Its movie name is BigFoot, like the first monster truck. It is really something to see and would be amazing to drive, though it's probably not street-legal.

Rolling Vengeance (1987)

Rolling Vengeance is a decent Canadian '80s exploitation movie with all the typical '80s violence , shady characters, alcoholism, and strippers that you could ever want. It's campy and stupid in some parts and others, not very kind to women. However, it is a tear-jerker and might make you angry if you are sensitive to this sort of thing. The ending is decent, but the film could have done without the horrific scene of the main character's mother and siblings and the later rape scene with his girlfriend. The monster truck in this film is definitely an oddball since it doesn't have the usual monster truck shell or tires, but needless to say, it's a BEAST at a staggering eight tons! It's called Rolling Vengeance for a reason! It's indestructible!

Related: Thirteen Mad Max: Fury Road Cars That Survived Filming Go Up for Auction

Road House (1989)

This is another example of a bad guy's monster truck doing typical bad-guy stuff. Want to guess what truck this is? By now, you should know that this truck is a version of Bigfoot; in fact, it is Bigfoot 7. Bigfoot 7 is a Ford monster truck built in 1988 and was the final leaf spring-style truck in the Bigfoot collection. This truck was created specifically for its use in Road House and came out in 1989.

The famous truck appears in a scene in Roadhouse and shows Bigfoot 7 driving through the front building of a dealership and taking out four station wagons simultaneously. Bigfoot had 66-inch tires but was later fitted with ridiculous-looking ten-foot tires and parked in front of a Florida business called Fun Spot. It continues to sit in less-than-perfect condition and is no longer owned by the originator of Bigfoot, Bob Chandler.

Police Academy II: Their First Assignment (1985)

Once again, we see the first and most famous monster truck, Bigfoot, being a massive star in yet a different movie. This time it was a slightly earlier version, a 1983 custom-made Bigfoot 3. The original truck was a 1982 Ford F-250. At the end of the hilariously goofy Police Academy II: Their First Assignment , we see Corporal Kathleen Kirkland and Eugene Tackleberry ride off in the monster truck with a "Just Married" sign on the back. The academy attends their wedding, and as usual, everyone has a ridiculous, giggle-worthy time.

Twister's Revenge (1988)

Twister's Revenge is a wild movie about three dim-witted criminals who try to steal the motherboard from a monster truck named Mr. Twister. Mr. Twister isn't your typical monster truck because it talks and has a mind of its own and proves it by making these idiotic criminals run all over the place on their failed mission. Dave Staszak is the genius behind this monster truck build, and Twister's Revenge included his very first Mr. Twister build. He went on to make three Mr. Twister Ford monster trucks. When Twister 3 was sold, it gave birth to the monster truck named Aftershock, which many are familiar with in the world of monster trucks.

‘Infested’ Review: Effective French Chiller Unleashes Spiders on a Parisian Housing Project

French director Sebastien Vanicek’s very accomplished creature feature debut has already won him the plum assignment of a next 'Evil Dead' entry. 

By Dennis Harvey

Dennis Harvey

Film Critic

• ‘Infested’ Review: Effective French Chiller Unleashes Spiders on a Parisian Housing Project 2 days ago
• ‘Hard Miles’ Review: Matthew Modine Stars in a Scenic Cycle Through the West 1 week ago
• ‘Damaged’ Review: Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel Headline a Slick but Tepid Serial Killer Thriller 2 weeks ago

In an odd quirk of distribution timing, this month has seen the arrival of no less than two imported, semi-comedic thrillers featuring decrepit apartment building invaded by giant spiders. Already playing U.S. theaters is the Australian “Sting,” which is fun, if formulaic. In a whole other class, however, is French “Infested,” a first feature by director Sebastien Vanicek following several impressive shorts. An instant minor genre classic, it is fun and then some — a conceptually unremarkable but resourceful, energetic, stylish and good-humored creature feature with above-average human character interest. 

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Their squabbling hardly makes a stir here, in a boisterous environ of myriad ethnicities and immigrant nationalities crammed into a building whose crumbling infrastructure is much complained about but never repaired. Soon, however, there will be something far worse for everyone to worry about: Kaleb’s exotic new acquisition (whom he dubs “Rihanna”) turns out to be an apex predator. It wastes little time getting loose, then hatching offspring who rapidly expand in size and number, a population boom in which the two-legged tenants play a helpless, grisly role. By the time Kaleb and his peers realize what’s going on, escape is near-impossible — police have sealed off the building for quarantine. 

Vanicek has said he conceived the film in part to counter the usual screen image of banlieue housing complexes as hubs for nothing but gangs, drugs and crime. While those ills exist, his own life experience underlined how they also sustain complex multicultural communities that despite all problems are largely harmonious and functional. There’s a fond humor to “Infested’s” portrait of one such microcosm, with people of African, Middle Eastern, Asian and other backgrounds getting along in argumentative yet neighborly style. The sourest note is struck by one firmly xenophobic white male resident (Emmanuel Bonami) who’s convinced everyone else is a drug kingpin.

Christine immediately wins us over with his motormouthed protagonist, and the other leads are equally likable. Vanicek has an almost Preston Sturges-like knack for whipping his ensemble into amusing frenzies of verbal combat. When the astute, urgent editorial pace stops at one later point to allow a moment of collective grief, it’s a measure of this “monster bug” movie’s heart that the tearful pause is actually rather touching. 

Still, the main attraction here is seeing a large human habitat turn into a giant icky spider web, and “Infested” certainly works on that visceral level of creepy-crawly dread, panic and recoil. There are scary, hairy set-pieces, notably one with Lila trapped in a shower stall, then a perilous group walk down a basement corridor. 

Throughout, the director and his collaborators maintain a taut balance between comedy, character, suspense and thrills, with first-rate contributions on presumably modest means from all tech and design departments. Creature effects are sharp and plentiful, yet kept judiciously brief. There’s atmospheric tension to spare in Alexandre Jamin’s cinematography and Arnaud Bouniort’s production design. A giddily nerve-jangling overall effect is nicely heightened by Douglas Cavanna and Xavier Caux’s original score, plus a few choice Gallic hip-hop tracks. 

If the story’s last act in a parking garage is arguably a bit anticlimactic after preceding events, “Infested” remains a smart treat for horror buffs, its tonal control capped by an unexpectedly low-key yet perfect fadeout.

Reviewed online, April 22, 2024. Running time: 106 MIN. (Original title: “Vermines”)

• Production: (France) A Shudder release of a My Box Films production, in co-production with Tandem, in association with Netflix, France Televisions, Centre National du Cinema et de l’Image Animée, Impact Film, Cinécap 6, Cineaxe 5, Cofimage 34, SG Image 2022, Indiefilms 12. Producer: Harry Tordjman. 
• Crew: Director: Sebastien Vanicek. Screenplay: Florent Bernard, Sebastien Vanicek, from an idea by Vanicek. Camera: Alexandre Jamin. Editors: Nassim Gordji Tehrani, Thomas Fernandez. Music: Douglas Cavanna, Xavier Caux.
• With: Theo Christine, Sofia Lesaffre, Jerome Niel, Lisa Nyarko, Finnegan Oldfield, Marie-Philomene Nga, Mahamadou Sangare, Abdallah Moundy, Ike Zacsongo-Joseph, Emmanuel Bonami, Xing Xing Cheng, Samir Nait, Malik Amraoui. 

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