Assassin (1986)

Why so much hype?

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I don't like sci-fi and i especially don't like the players in this blown up piece of garbage pretending to be a movie...every cia agent looks exactly like the typical criminals in other films and tv shows...where the heck is jack armstrong...oh, perhaps its james west, ie; robert conrad...if so he didn't pull it off...much like most of the work in his compendium...it dragged on and on and on until i finally quit watching and slept like a log

A lame TV movie version of Terminator - sorta. We have a robot that looks human that goes around killing people he's programmed to kill. And it's a very boring film. Mainly a bunch of talk with some action scenes thrown in for some so called excitement.I have no clue as to the type of film they used to film this movie with but it looks dark and dirty, just dingy looking. A drab film quality to go with a drab story - I guess it works well together.This is not a film that Terminator fans should seek out - it's not nearly as exciting nor is it a quality film like Terminator. Instead it's just a lame, boring made for TV movie. If you miss this one, you aren't missing anything at all but some ugly 1980s hairstyles and clothing.1/10

Rugged former secret government agent Henry Stanton (a fine performance by Robert Conrad) gets called out of retirement by the agency he used to work for to stop crafty, lethal and resourceful renegade cyborg assassin Robert Golem (nicely essayed with smooth intensity by Richard Young). Shrewd'n'sassy scientist Mary Casallas (winningly played by the fetching Karen Austin) helps Stanton out. Writer/director Sandor Stern relates the involving plot at a snappy pace, develops a good deal of tension, stages the action scenes with considerable aplomb, and further spices things up with a slyly amusing sense of deadpan humor. Conrad and Austin display a pleasingly casual and engaging rapport as the likable lead characters; they receive excellent support from Robert Webber as Stanton's huffy, slippery superior Calvin Lantz, Jonathan Banks as Lantz's steely partner Earl Dickman, Jessica Nelson as alluring, unsuspecting barroom pick-up Ann Walsh, and Nancy Lenehan as Mary's steady gal pal Grace Decker. Moreover, the violence is surprisingly rough and brutal stuff for a made-for-TV feature. Chuck Arnold's polished cinematography does the trick while Anthony Guefen supplies an effectively groovy'n'moody score and the special effects are pretty nifty and convincing. A neat little item.

SPOILER WARNING!I thought this movie was Programmed To Kill (it was named so over here) a movie which is generally acknowledged to be so horrifyingly bad it's good. I like bad movies, but this... It is very pointless but still quite professionally done :-( The only "highlights" were the nice 50's-style computers, the totally unemotional one-face acting by Robert Conrad and the ultra-cheesy ending. Everything else was simply pointless, boring and predictable.Watching this movie was mostly just a big waste of time. Not recommended to anyone.