Review: Assassination


Secret Service guy Charles Bronson is put in charge of looking after the new First Lady (Jill Ireland, always a mediocre talent), who is arrogant, selfish thoroughly unimpressed by her new security man, and also targeted for assassination. Jan Gan Boyd and Randy Brooks are Bronson’s team, Michael Ansara is a senator, and William Prince is Ireland’s father.


Hilariously bad 1987 Cannon release from the usually reliable journeyman Peter R. Hunt (“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, and editor of many more 007 outings) is like a low (real low) rent precursor to “In the Line of Fire”. Ireland is never for a second credible (dude, she’s British for a start!) and flat out bad most of the time as the First Lady. She and real-life hubby Bronson have surprisingly forced chemistry. The wonderfully named Jan Gan Boyd is spunky and kinda hot, but pretty awful too as Bronson’s horny, smart-mouthed partner. The talented Prince (yup, a genuine actor is in the film!), is wasted.


The plot is as transparent  (if you can’t work out the villain…it’s back to kindergarten with you, then!) as it is unbelievable (It would appear that the First Lady damn near runs the country), but it’s actually not as boring as most of Bronson’s Canon releases- it’s too funny (I mean, One-Mama? And just where the Sam hell is the President during all of this calamity? Perhaps he had the good sense to read the script by veteran Richard Sale (“Torpedo Run”), who has been working since the mid 40s, not that you’d know from this pathetic effort.


Rating: F

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