The Assignment Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

The Assignment Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 15, 2026

Christian Duguay's "The Assignment" (1997) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The only supplemental feature on the release is a vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

All films about Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, better known as Carlos the Jackal, are well researched and based on factual information. They correctly describe his journey from Venezuela, his homeland, to Moscow, where he studied and became radicalized, to his involvement with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and conversion to Islam, and, the more recent ones, after years of spreading terror across the world, to his capture in Khartoum.

But Sanchez was a mythical terrorist for over two decades, from the early 1970s to the late 1990s, and there is a lot of conflicting information about what he was up to during this period.

One reason is that Sanchez worked with some very important people on both sides of the Iron Curtain and, before the Communist Bloc collapsed, they made sure information linking them to him was manipulated or destroyed. Another reason is that Sanchez was an ideal scapegoat for various skilled puppeteers, representing governments, clandestine organizations and networks, who carefully used his reputation and name to create false relationships and narratives that suited their agendas. Sanchez’s reputation as arguably the greatest terrorist ever has plenty to do with the excellent manipulative work that these skilled puppeteers did.

Unsurprisingly, Sanchez’s complete story is missing many, many crucial bits of information. Over the years, Sanchez, who is currently rotting in Poissy Central Prison, on the outskirts of Paris, has repeatedly said so, too. But not because he cares about the truth. For decades, Sanchez, while pretending to want the truth to be told, has been doing plenty of manipulative work as well -- to hurt the people who betrayed and hurt him before the Communist Bloc collapsed.

Christian Duguay’s The Assignment links several proven developments preceding Sanchez’s capture in Khartoum to several popular myths. One of these popular myths is that a veteran CIA officer (Donald Sutherland), a veteran Mossad commander (Ben Kingsley), and a Navy commander (Aidan Quinn) executed a complex plan that compromised Sanchez’s relationship with the KGB and, shortly after, transformed him into a fugitive hunted by the KGB and CIA. Another of these popular myths is that the Navy commander looked exactly like Sanchez, which supposedly allowed the plan to work.

Sanchez’s downfall was not initiated by an operation involving a doppelganger. It was initiated by the KGB, which managed numerous far-left and communist terrorist groups during the Cold War. The Baader-Meinhoff Group, Black September, Revolutionary Organization 17 November, Active Period, Core Goal, and every other major far-left and communist terrorist group in Europe and the Middle East, including Sanchez’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and its more prominent offshoots, were managed, supported, and protected by the KGB. As Sanchez’s popularity grew, the KGB carried out operations that were credited to him, and before the Communist Bloc collapsed, he was conveniently discarded. So, Sanchez was played, but not as portrayed in The Assignment.

Here’s one more popular but entirely false myth. The Assignment speculates that Sanchez was sheltered in Libya for years. This is untrue. Sanchez was sheltered in the Communist Bloc, with his main lair proven to have been in Budapest. It is why Sanchez remained an elusive target for such a long period of time. During the 1970s and 1980s, the KGB used its entire infrastructure in the Communist Bloc to shield Sanchez from its western rivals and the CIA. After every terrorist operation in the West, Sanchez quickly moved to the other side of the Iron Curtain, where he easily became invisible.

The Assignment Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Assignment arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

The release is sourced from an older master, which appears to have been supplied by Sony Pictures. The bulk of the visuals boast good delineation, clarity, and depth. Some ranges of darker nuances can be better, but even in the darkest footage, which is quite diverse, there are no serious anomalies. The dynamic range of all visuals can be better as well. However, the entire film looks quite nice even on a very large screen. Color reproduction and balance are good. It is easy to speculate that a brand new 4K master will introduce meaningful improvements because some supporting nuances can be expanded. However, most older masters that emerge from Sony Pictures' vault are very nicely graded, and this master is one of them. Image stability is good. I noticed a few nicks and blemishes, but there are no distracting large cuts, marks, debris, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Assignment Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I would be shocked if in the future a new 5.1 track brings substantial improvements in quality because the current 5.1 track is excellent. The Assignment has plenty of very busy action material, and on my system all of it sounded terrific. The dialogue is very clear, sharp, stable, and easy to follow. I did notice any anomalies to report in our review.

The Assignment Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Assignment. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Assignment Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, better known as Carlos the Jackal, was one of the most valuable assets the KGB had during the Cold War. Sanchez and other terrorists associated with him killed many people for the KGB and its allies. However, when Sanchez became too big a liability for the KGB, as well as other influential puppeteers who felt vulnerable during perestroika, he was discarded. After that, there were only a few places in the world where Sanchez could hide, so his capture was inevitable. The Assignment reconstructs Sanchez's final days while promoting a myth almost perfect for an enjoyable action film. It offers good fireworks, but presents only a fraction of the big picture that, for a while, transformed Sanchez into a legendary terrorist. RECOMMENDED.