The Assassin (20 Jan. 1990)

Several important people in very high positions around the world have during the latest year been assassinated by someone very close to them - such as for instance their personal advisor or... See full summary »

Director:

Arch Nicholson

Writer:

Bruce Geller (creator)

Stars:

Peter Graves, Thaao Penghlis, Antony Hamilton

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Peter Graves	...	Jim Phelps
Thaao Penghlis	...	Nicholas Black
Antony Hamilton	...	Max Harte (as Tony Hamilton)
Phil Morris	...	Grant Collier
Jane Badler	...	Shannon Reed
Bob Johnson	...	Voice on Disc (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Curtin	...	Dr. Philip Westerly
Paul Dawber	...	Male Nurse
John Higginson	...	The Aide
Colin Vancao

Storyline

Several important people in very high positions around the world have during the latest year been assassinated by someone very close to them - such as for instance their personal advisor or private secretary. In every case, the assassin died soon after having performed the deed - not surviving long enough to be interrogated or to disclose any motive. The only apparent thing that the assassins had in common is that they all at one time or another had been patients at an exclusive stress clinic for the rich and famous, run by Dr Philip Westerly. Seeing as Dr Westerly has also been spotted on video footage taken at the scene before several of the murders took place, it is believed that Westerly is the key to the assassinations and the method with which they were performed. Jim Phelps and his team of agents are assigned to the mission of infiltrating the stress clinic; to discover how Dr Westerly sets up his assassinations, and to put him out of the murdering business for good.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1990 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Village Roadshow Studios, Oxenford, Queensland, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Not bad, but lackluster

The villain's method is almost identical to the scheme used in The Naked Gun.

The positive things about this episode include 1. Better use of stock footage. There are a bunch of shots of lions hunting prey. But the use is entirely appropriate. 2. It's fun to see Tony, their muscle guy, get a better role in the mission. While his part isn't as demanding as other parts, at least he got to do something a little more fun. 3. The episode doesn't feel as predictable as some missions do. I knew roughly how it was all going to turn out, but I didn't have a sense of what the path there would be like.

Now, the negative things. 1. Something about the villain's methodology is a little too silly. I have a hard time believing that he would be able to fill any assassination request he got. 2. Nicholas/Thaao's acting when he's under the influence is really tacky. He behaves sort of like a robot. 3. Their approach to solving the mission isn't very clever. While they're working as a force, it doesn't feel like a normal mission. 4. The lack of locations struck me. As soon as they returned to the racetrack, I was wondering about how tight the budget was. At least they used a zoo set for the last act, instead of making it a two-set episode.