The Reporter (Lansdale, PA)

Revenge is at the core of ‘The Assignment’

- By Amy Longsdorf For Digital First Media

Something of a bookend to Walter Hill’s pulp classic “Johnny Handsome” starring Mickey Rourke, “The Assignment” is an outrageous­ly entertaini­ng thriller which boasts a humdinger of a plot.

Following a doublecros­s, brutal hitman Frank Kitchen (Michelle Rodriguez) wakes up to discover he’s been turned into a woman by a surgeon (Sigourney Weaver) out to avenge the murder of her brother. Now, it’s Frank’s turn to exact revenge on the not-so-good doctor. In between the bullet ballets, Hill explores a rich complex of gender, sexuality and class.

Sure, the movie pushes the limits of credibilit­y but it works thanks to the seedy B-movie atmosphere, Rodriguez’ fearless performanc­e and Hill’s gutsy direction. On Amazon, Google, iTunes and Vudu.

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