The Ambassador

British filmmaker J. Lee Thompson's 1984 The Ambassador (very loosely based on Elmore Leonard's 1974 novel 52 Pickup) stars Robert Mitchum as American ambassador Peter Hacker, who goes rogue in Israel with a visionary plan to bring peace to the region by building a bridge between Palestinian and Jewish young people. But everywhere he turns, Hacker is sabotaged or attacked by somebody, whether it's an Israeli cabinet minister (Donald Pleasance), Palestinian extremists, students on both sides, the press, or a PLO plot to silence him by setting up his childlike wife (Ellen Burstyn) to have an affair with a spy (Fabio Testi). Standing beside him throughout is his security expert and best friend (Rock Hudson in his last theatrical movie before succumbing to AIDS complications). The script by TV writer Max Jack (Cagney & Lacey) is full of hokey, spy-drama tropes, including a villainous network of operatives spread over city streets who follow the movements of an innocent dupe. The low-budget production is particularly embarrassing during an obligatory car chase scene in which one of the vehicles is a Volkswagen bug (inserts of Hudson's reactions to the danger suggests he doesn't know if he's in a thriller or comedy). But Mitchum is solid as a man taking a long shot at lasting peace and keeping his emotions in check despite threats and blackmail. Extras include audio commentary by editor Mark Goldblatt and film historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson. A strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)