Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

The Mission

Original title: Ferestadeh
  • 19831983
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
216
YOUR RATING
The Mission (1983)
Drama
An Iranian assassin is sent to the United States to kill a former Iranian official who served under the Shah of Iran. The night before the assassination he find out that his target (Mr. Taba... Read allAn Iranian assassin is sent to the United States to kill a former Iranian official who served under the Shah of Iran. The night before the assassination he find out that his target (Mr. Tabataie) has already been killed by a Muslim American Hassan Tantai (aka David Theodore Belfi... Read allAn Iranian assassin is sent to the United States to kill a former Iranian official who served under the Shah of Iran. The night before the assassination he find out that his target (Mr. Tabataie) has already been killed by a Muslim American Hassan Tantai (aka David Theodore Belfield). A prominent mullah residing in the U.S. find him a new assassination target.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
216
YOUR RATING
    • Parviz Sayyad
    • Hesam Kowsar(story)
    • Parviz Sayyad
  • Stars
    • Parviz Sayyad
    • Mary Apick
    • Houshang Touzie
    • Parviz Sayyad
    • Hesam Kowsar(story)
    • Parviz Sayyad
  • Stars
    • Parviz Sayyad
    • Mary Apick
    • Houshang Touzie
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 3User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Photos

    Kamran Nozad and Houshang Touzie in The Mission (1983)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Parviz Sayyad
    Parviz Sayyad
    • The Colonel
    Mary Apick
    Mary Apick
    • Maliheh
    Houshang Touzie
    Houshang Touzie
    • Agent From Teheran
    Saeed Rajai
    • Agent From Teheran
    Kamran Nozad
    • Ghaffar
    Mohammad Ghaffari
    • His Eminence
    • (as Mohammed Ghaffari)
    Hatam Anvar
    • Maziar
    Hedia Anvar
    • Farzaneh
    Soraya Shayesteh
    • The Woman
    Richard Mansfield
    • Mugger
    David Filinni
    • Mugger
    Liz Jones
    • Passerby
    John Neil
    • Passerby
    Frank Oddo
    • Cabbie
    Murie Alcid
    • Cleaning Lady
    Aaron Moss
    • Man
    Susan Sands
    • Woman
    Helen Nitsiog
    • Fabric Seller
      • Parviz Sayyad
      • Hesam Kowsar(story)
      • Parviz Sayyad
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Killing Mad Dogs
    7.7
    Killing Mad Dogs
    Patton
    7.9
    Patton
    Dead End
    7.2
    Dead End
    Checkpoint
    8.2
    Checkpoint
    Reza, the Motorcyclist
    6.6
    Reza, the Motorcyclist
    Mr. Gullible
    7.1
    Mr. Gullible
    Beehive
    7.5
    Beehive
    The Ring-necked Dove
    6.5
    The Ring-necked Dove
    Croesus' Treasure
    6.2
    Croesus' Treasure
    Once Upon a Time, Cinema
    7.4
    Once Upon a Time, Cinema
    My Uncle Napoleon
    8.7
    My Uncle Napoleon
    Along the Night
    6.5
    Along the Night

    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews3

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Well-meaning but ineffectual form of protest
    My review was written in March 1983 at New Directors/New Films series, screened in Midtown Manhattan.

    Filmed in New York City last year by expatriate Iranian filmmaker Parviz Sayyad, "The Mission" is a sugar-coated political tract in the form of a comedy-thriller about a hit man who ends up befriending his likable target. With a bloated running time about twice as long as the material demands, Farsi-language entry is destined for a limited audience.

    Sayyad's threadbare plot peg is to cast himself as the hale and hearty ex-army colonel now working as a night shift janitor in Gotham, who quickly wins over the friendship of Teheran agent (Hooshang Touzie) sent to kill him bby local contact known as His Eminence (Mohammad B. Ghaffari). The hit is actually a substitute for Touzie's original mission, which was nullified when a tv news report indicates his previous target has been assassinated in Washington, D. C. With the colonel's cute kids who speak English (his wife is stuck back in Teheran due to emigration restrictions) plus their feisty young aunt (Mary Apick) as romantic sparring interest, the sullen agent played by Touzie becomes part of the family group and eventually uses the rationalization that Eminence has possibly chosen the colonel as a target for personal reasons rather than a Teheran-ordered cause as his excuse for not completing the mission. Film's trick ending relies upon equal parts of off-screen "surprise" twists and the sentimental effects.

    Between tedious dialectic discussions in which Sayyad and Apick are the filmmaker's mouthpieces for tolerance and a variety of platitudes, film alternates between dull "thriller" footage and cornball situation comedy. Sayyad gives the only interesting performance, as lead Touzie presents a taciturn facade that doesn't jibe with his supposed crisis of conscience. Apick is an initially appealing young actress, but soon becomes a political cartoon berating "religious zealot" Touzie for the faults of the Khomeini regime.

    Film's 35mm blowup from 16mm lensing is okay (only night footage is grainy), but picture lacks style. Color is drab and the absence of a musical score adds to film's ponderous effect.
    helpful•0
    0
    • lor_
    • Jan 25, 2023

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 30, 1983 (United States)
      • United States
      • West Germany
      • Persian
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • N.Y. Film Group
      • Aria-Filmproduktion
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 43 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Mission (1983)
    Top Gap
    What is the English language plot outline for The Mission (1983)?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.