''Assassination'' is a 1987 American

action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by

Peter Hunt Peter Hunt may refer to: * Peter Hunt (British Army officer) (1916–1988), Chief of the General Staff of the British Army * Peter H. Hunt (1938–2020), American film, television and stage director *Peter R. Hunt (1925–2002), film editor on many ...

and starring

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and wa ...

, Jill Ireland,

Charles Howerton Charles Howerton (born June 24, 1938) is an American actor. He is best known for such films and television series as '' The Black Gestapo'', '' Eat My Dust'', ''Up from the Depths'', '' Smokey Bites the Dust'', ''Dr. Heckyl and Mr. Hype'', and ' ...

Jan Gan Boyd Jan Gan Boyd (sometimes credited as Jan Gan) is American film and television actress best known for starring roles in such films as ''A Chorus Line'', ''Assassination'', and ''Steele Justice'' and guest roles on the television series ''Sisters'' ...

Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott may refer to: Entertainment *Stephen Elliott (actor), (1918–2005), American actor * Stephen Elliott (author) (born 1971), American author and activist Sport *Steve Elliott (footballer, born 1958), English footballer *Steve Ellio ...

, and

Chris Alcaide John Thomas Berger (October 22, 1923 – June 30, 2004) was an American film and television actor. He mostly appeared on western television shows including, ''Gunsmoke'', ''Bonanza'', '' Rawhide'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', ''Trackdown'', ...

. The plot is about a bodyguard who is assigned to protect the First Lady of the United States against an assassination plot.

Plot

Jay Killian (

) is a senior member of the

Secret Service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For ...

. On the day before the Inauguration of the new president, Killian has just returned from a six-week sick leave. He is given a new assignment: to protect the First Lady, Lara Royce Craig ( Jill Ireland). Being highly qualified and a seasoned veteran of the service, Killian is dismayed that he is not on the Presidential detail. To make matters worse, Lara proves to be an extremely difficult charge. She is arrogant, condescending, demanding, and she detests the presence of Killian. With the First Lady doing what she wants and ignoring all of Killian's suggestions, it becomes apparent that someone wants Lara dead—especially when a biker tries to shoot her. A wild cross-country adventure ensues as Killian attempts to protect Lara and flush out the assassin and his contractor—and the assassination attempts may have originated from the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. It turns out that, because of a war injury, the President is impotent and his wife is about to file for divorce at the end of his first term. Believing that the divorce will eliminate the chances of another term, the president's right-wing supporters staged the assassination attempts, to keep the President's impotence a secret and gain him the people’s support in his grief. Killian is able to unravel the conspiracy.

Cast

as Jay Killian * Jill Ireland as First Lady Lara Royce Craig *

as Fitzroy *

as Charlotte Chang * Randy Brooks as Tyler Loudermilk * James Lemp as Eddie Bracken *

Michael Ansara Michael George Ansara (April 15, 1922 – July 31, 2013) was an American actor. He portrayed Cochise in the television series '' Broken Arrow'', Kane in the 1979–1981 series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', Commander Kang in '' Star Tr ...

as Senator Hector Bunsen * James Staley as Briggs *

Kathryn Leigh Scott Kathryn Leigh Scott (born Marlene Kringstad;Biography:Kathryn Leigh Scott". Retrieved on September 28, 2010 January 26, 1943) is an American television and film actress and writer who is best remembered for playing several roles on ''Dark Shadows ...

as Polly Sims *

Jim McMullan James P. McMullan (October 13, 1936 – May 31, 2019) was an American actor from Long Island, New York, best known for his role as Dr. Terry McDaniel on the 1960s series ''Ben Casey'' and as Senator Andrew Dowling on the CBS primetime soap oper ...

as The Zipper * William Prince as H.H. Royce *

as President Calvin Craig *

as Chief Justice *

Robert Dowdell Robert Dowdell (March 10, 1932 – January 23, 2018) was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Commander Chip Morton in the television series '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea''. Biography Dowdell was born in Park Ridge, Il ...

as Captain "Cappy" Ogilvie

Production

Development

The film was Jill Ireland's first in three years following an operation for breast cancer. (Ireland had been co-producer on ''Murphy's Law''.) "I was terribly grateful to Menahem and Yoram for wanting me for the part," Ireland said. "I'd thought the cancer might have ended my acting career. They asked me to do the film at my birthday party last year and it was the best present I could have received. It validates the fact that I'm working, feeling good, looking good and able to spend long hours on the set. I think my return to work proves, at least to me, that there is life after cancer." It was originally called ''My Affair With the President's Wife'', then ''The President's Wife'', ''The Assassin'' and finally, ''Assassination''. The film's producer Pancho Kohner wanted the film called ''The President's Wife'' and as "far as we're concerned, it's not going to be called anything else." A Cannon spokesman said "There was some concern that `Assassin' might have a negative connotation and the crew might not get cooperation-people in Washington are worried about terrorism." "Someone thought the original title might be insulting to the presidency of the United States, so they changed it," said Bronson "There's an assassination involved so they stuck with that. They didn't want to scare off people who come to see my films with a title like President's Wife. It's not what people expect from one of my pictures."

Filming

The film was shot in May 1986. Ireland says the first week "everyone was solicitous" but after that she was "treated like everyone else."

Reception

Box office

The film opened at number six at the US box office, earning $2.8 million in its first week.Murphy movie still top draw at box office: INAL EditionThe Ottawa Citizen 14 Jan 1987: D15.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Assassination (1987 Film) 1987 films 1980s English-language films Golan-Globus films American political thriller films American action thriller films 1987 action thriller films Films directed by Peter R. Hunt Films scored by Robert O. Ragland 1980s political thriller films 1980s American films