PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
The Assignment (1997)

The Assignment (1997)

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD

Released 3-Mar-1999

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Action Filmographies
Dolby Digital Trailer-City
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production 1997
Running Time 115
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Christian Duguay
Studio
Distributor

Sony Pictures Home Entertain
Starring Aidan Quinn
Donald Sutherland
Ben Kingsley
Case Brackley-Trans-No Lip
RPI $36.95 Music Normand Corbeil


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s)
French Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English
French
Dutch
Arabic
Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    The Assignment is a dull action thriller filled with ridiculous dialogue and dubious scenarios. Carlos the Jackal, the infamous international terrorist, has a double - Annibal Ramirez (Aidan Quinn), a US navy seaman. In a joint Israeli/US operation, headed by Jack Shaw (Donald Sutherland) and Amos (Ben Kingsley), Annibal is trained to be Carlos the Jackal and to trick the KGB into killing Carlos.

    A typical example of the dialogue is when Annibal is informed that he will need to make love to Carlos' ex-girlfriend - "consider it f***ing for your country". Yeah, right.

    The movie becomes very slightly interesting towards the end, but only after having to suffer through over an hour of tedium first.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    This transfer is not quite as good as other Columbia Tristar transfers, but there is still very little to complain about.

    The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced.

    The transfer was usually sharp and clear, though a significant number of scenes appear grainy. Shadow detail was good, and no low level noise was apparent.

    The colours were quite saturated, almost to the point of oversaturation at times.

    No MPEG artefacts were seen. Film-to-video artefacts were non-existent. Film artefacts were more prevalent than I would have expected, but they were not particularly troublesome.

    The back cover of the DVD denotes this disc as dual-layered. It is not dual-layered. Originally, this disc was announced as being dual-format, so perhaps this is where the dual-layered designation comes from.

Audio

    There are three audio tracks on this DVD - English Dolby Digital 2.0, surround-encoded, English Dolby Digital 5.1, and French Dolby Digital 5.1. I listened to the English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Like most other Columbia Tristar DVDs, the English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround-encoded soundtrack is the default soundtrack.

    Dialogue was usually clear and easy to understand, though a number of lines of dialogue were drowned out by surrounding music.

    There were no audio sync problems.

    The score by Normand Corbeil was unremarkable.

     The surround channels were used for music and for special effects, but not to any spectacular degree.

    The .1 channel was used lightly.

Extras

    The Dolby Digital City trailer and DVCC splash are on this disc.

Menu

    The menu design is a standard Columbia Tristar menu. Functional, but plain. The menu is not 16x9 enhanced.

Filmographies

    This is a list of the most recent films the stars of the movie have been involved in.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

The Region 4 version of this DVD misses out on;

The Region 1 version of this DVD misses out on;

    There is nothing compelling to prefer one version over the other.

Summary

    The Assignment is a boring movie on an acceptable disc. Possibly worth a rental.

    The video quality is acceptable.

    The audio quality is acceptable.

    The extras are very limited.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Michael Demtschyna (read my bio)
Sunday, March 14, 1999
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DV-505, using S-Video output
DisplayLoewe Art-95 (95cm). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL).
Audio DecoderDenon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital decoder. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
Amplification2 x EA Playmaster 100W per channel stereo amplifiers for Left, Right, Left Rear and Right Rear; Philips 360 50W per channel stereo amplifier for Centre and Subwoofer
SpeakersPhilips S2000 speakers for Left, Right; Polk Audio CS-100 Centre Speaker; Apex AS-123 speakers for Left Rear and Right Rear; Yamaha B100-115SE subwoofer

Other Reviews
Jeff K's Australian DVD Info Site - Ian M (Biological imperfection run amok)
NZHT - Damon B