A kidnapping meant to save one man's life turns into a standoff between two very different rescuers in Target of an Assassin, a 1977 political thriller shot against South African backdrops.
What is Target of an Assassin about?
An aging African head of state falls ill and is rushed to hospital, only for a nurse inside that hospital to spirit him away before anyone else can reach him. What looks at first like an abduction turns out to be more complicated: the leader ends up caught between two men, each convinced he alone knows what should happen next. One wants him protected, the other has very different plans, and the leader has little say in which of them wins. The film builds its tension less from action set-pieces than from the standoff itself, a sick, vulnerable man used as leverage by people who claim to be acting in his interest.
About the cast
Anthony Quinn leads a cast built around the standoff, opposite John Phillip Law, with Simon Sabela, Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, Joe Stewardson, Janet Du Plessis and Ken Gampu rounding out the roles pulled into the leader's fate.
Context & significance
Target of an Assassin was made in 1977 under director Peter Collinson, known for stripped-down thrillers that favor tension over spectacle. Filmed in South Africa, the production leans into its setting rather than disguising it, giving the story a specific geography that many action thrillers of the decade skipped in favor of generic locations. At 105 minutes, it moves at a controlled pace built for a story that lives in rooms and negotiations more than chases, letting the standoff around the leader carry the weight instead of gunfire or car chases.
Watching Target of an Assassin on Ktime
Target of an Assassin is available on K-Time with a free account login. A Persian dub is included, so Farsi-speaking viewers can watch without relying on subtitles; Persian subtitles are not provided for this title.