The Assignment

The old saying, "Be careful who you pretend to be" gets a real workout in this espionage thriller starring Aidan Quinn as a Cuban-American naval officer who bears a striking likeness to international terrorist Carlos, the Jackal. He is recruited by the CIA to impersonate Carlos in a far-fetched scheme to discredit him with his Russian employers or--better--spur them to assassinate him. Ben Kingsley adds a little class as the Israeli agent who trains Quinn. Donald Sutherland adds some menace as the CIA agent obsessed with Carlos' capture. And Quinn's sexual training session with one of Carlos' former lovers adds a lot of laughs (albeit unintentional). Optional. (K. Lee Benson)