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An attempt is made to transfer too large a segment of Jack Higgins' espionage novel to film in this tale of former IRA comrades who find themselves on opposing sides during a royalty-targeted assassination plan, since the lengthy book is replete with sub-plots, and with a wide range of characters who need cinematic development in order to engage a viewer's concern. One's first impression is that nearly every role is miscast and although some certainly are, it quickly becomes apparent that weak direction by Lawrence Gordon-Clark gives little hope to the players as to what their interpretations might be; a good amount of intensity by the cast seems wasted in scenes that lack signification. Rob Lowe as an IRA hitman should probably have been able to collect some type of Irish lilt during his life, and it is ironic that his rival, played by the charismatic German, Hannes Jaenicke, speaks English with only a slight accent, although he also wants a Hibernian brogue.
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