An ailing African leader is admitted to a hospital. A male nurse at the hospital kidnaps him, but it turns out that things aren't exactly what they seem to be.An ailing African leader is admitted to a hospital. A male nurse at the hospital kidnaps him, but it turns out that things aren't exactly what they seem to be.An ailing African leader is admitted to a hospital. A male nurse at the hospital kidnaps him, but it turns out that things aren't exactly what they seem to be.
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Did you know
- TriviaOne of the many films - others include Gold, Shout At The Devil and The Wild Geese - set up by the apartheid South African government in the 1970s to encourage foreign film-making locally.
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Killing Floor (2007)
Featured review
Worth another look
At first glance, this occasionally melodramatic action thriller appears to be a turkey, with amateurish performances, incoherent narrative and a laborious pace. Anthony Quinn plays a widowed and dying male nurse at a South African hospital who kidnaps a visiting African President (Sabela), concealing him in a disused mine, seeking to extort $100K to support his teenage daughter following his death. Complicating matters, a hired assassin (Law) is stalking the president, leading to a tense encounter on a chair lift.
South African stalwarts Marius Weyers and Simon Sabela deliver likable performances, and although both the female actresses (Prinsloo and Du Plessis) in my opinion looked amateurish, the cast generally knits together well (the ubiquitous South African actor Ken Gampu has a key supporting role). John Phillip Law, while second billed, isn't as prominent as Sabela or Weyers but gives an animated performance nonetheless as what must be considered one of the screen's most inept hit men.
The rapport that develops between captor and captive seems quite sincere and believable, both Quinn and Sabela trading some at-times humorous dialogue as they forge a mutually respectful relationship that transcends race and, the obvious constraints of the situation. While the plot holes were regular and gaping, I found the climax to be better than expected; heroism, redemption, tragedy all unfold with cinematic intensity. Not a work of prestige, but if you persist beyond the first hour without reaching for the remote, then you should be rewarded.
South African stalwarts Marius Weyers and Simon Sabela deliver likable performances, and although both the female actresses (Prinsloo and Du Plessis) in my opinion looked amateurish, the cast generally knits together well (the ubiquitous South African actor Ken Gampu has a key supporting role). John Phillip Law, while second billed, isn't as prominent as Sabela or Weyers but gives an animated performance nonetheless as what must be considered one of the screen's most inept hit men.
The rapport that develops between captor and captive seems quite sincere and believable, both Quinn and Sabela trading some at-times humorous dialogue as they forge a mutually respectful relationship that transcends race and, the obvious constraints of the situation. While the plot holes were regular and gaping, I found the climax to be better than expected; heroism, redemption, tragedy all unfold with cinematic intensity. Not a work of prestige, but if you persist beyond the first hour without reaching for the remote, then you should be rewarded.
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- Chase_Witherspoon
- Feb 13, 2012
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![Anthony Quinn in Target of an Assassin (1977)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjJjYjhiZjMtM2NiMS00MmM2LWIxZTItY2RjNGM5NjRlOWQ0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTI2ODA2NTc@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,0,90,133_.jpg)
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By what name was Target of an Assassin (1977) officially released in Canada in English?
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