critical assignment

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Critical Assignment

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Jason Xenopoulos

Michael Power

Moshidi Motshegwa

Anita Chiama

Terence Reis

Richard Mofe-Damijo

The President

Thami Ngubeni

Sabina Siko

Critical Assignment

Big-budget Pan-African actioner has the distinction of being funded by a multinational corporation and officially endorsed by the U.N. Handsome, f/x-enhanced but sanitized action-adventurer performed well on home turf but is unlikely to grab usual demographics off continent.

By Ronnie Scheib

Ronnie Scheib

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Big-budget Pan-African actioner “Critical Assignment” has the distinction of being funded by a multinational corporation and officially endorsed by the U.N. A giant leap in product placement, pic stars Michael Power, the ultra-popular ad icon featured in a series of high-end Guinness Beer commercials, as a heroic African reporter. Handsome, f/x-enhanced but sanitized action-adventurer (virtuously low on sex and violence) performed well on home turf but is unlikely to grab usual demographics off continent. Yet pic’s all-African cast and crew and well-meaning attempt to deploy pop culture to promote clean water and clean living may intrigue select upscale auds.

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“Assignment” begins somewhere in Eastern Europe (this is a film with no borders and no specificity) where Power is shown manfully dodging bullets and singlehandedly saving news crews. He jets to Chicago to pick up a prestigious press award, then goes home to a nameless African state, an amalgam of assorted scenic swatches from several African nations.

Popular on Variety

Opportunely, at the moment Power is assigned to cover the global water crisis, the president of his generic African country resolves to redirect his nation’s resources from buying arms to supplying disease-free H2O to its citizens.

As cabinet ministers and arms dealers conspire to derail the president’s humanitarian proposal, Power finds himself in the thick of it, racing across rooftops and chasing villains on motorcycle while romancing the defense minister’s ward (Thami Ngubeni).

When he’s not saving the world for humanity or soaping his pecs in the shower, Power hangs in bars with friends or at village fetes with family, genially sipping brew. In this ad-conceived never-never land, designated drivers never exceed the two-beer limit and international multi-billionaires leap from planes to avoid the embarrassment of public prosecution.

Power combines killer good looks with the convincing niceness of a Michael Jordan. His journalist/adventurer reintegrates the schizophrenic Clark Kent/Superman split: He can both rescue colleagues from bombs seconds from detonation and stand around looking thoughtful and modest for the moralizing wrap-ups.

Helmer Jason Xenopoulos cautiously doses out his adrenaline rushes throughout the film, careful to avoid gore (though one villain gets flambeed) and collateral damage.

Polished, all-pro tech and thesping credits are solid, and should encourage further home-grown pan-African production.

South Africa

• Production: An MPTM/Moonlighting production in association with Spectrum Prods. (Cameroon), Advantage Prods. (Ghana), Blue Sky Films (Kenya) and Alphavision (Nigeria). Produced by Bob Mahoney. Executive producer, Celia Couchman. Directed by Jason Xenopoulos. Screenplay, Tunde Babalola,from a story by Babalola, Celia Couchman, Bob Mahoney.
• Crew: Camera (color, widescreen), Michael Brierley; editor, Ronelle Loots; music, Joe Campbell, Paul Hart; music supervisior, Philip Moross; production designer, Billy Keam; costume designer, Diane Cilliers; sound (Dolby), Ivan Milborrow; casting, Christa Schamberger. Reviewed at African Film Festival, New York, April 5, 2004. Running time: 110 MIN.
• With: With: Michael Power, Moshidi Motshegwa, Terence Reis, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Thami Ngubeni, Patrick Shai, Buki Ajayki.

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Critical assignment.

Directed by Jason Xenopoulos

The President of an African country decrees that the Arms budget will be diverted in to the "Water For All", project. The journalist, Michael Power, discovers a Coup set by the arms dealers.

Cleveland Mitchell Richard Mofe-Damijo Patrick Shai Hakeem Kae-Kazim Louise Barnes Marius Weyers Grant Swanby Moshidi Motshegwa Terence Reis Craig Gardner Kamau Wa Mbugwa John Moriri Nambitha Mpumlwana Bukky Ajayi Kamo Masilo Lucky Monnakgotla

Director Director

Jason Xenopoulos

Writers Writers

Celia Couchman Tunde Babalola

MPTM Moonlighting Films

South Africa UK USA

Releases by Date

01 jan 2004, 03 may 2004, 27 jun 2006, 22 sep 2006, releases by country.

• Digital PG-13 DVD Premiere

110 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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A journalist uncovers a dangerous story in the African country where he grew up but runs afoul of a corrupt government that doesn’t want the story to be told.

Critical Assignment (2004) Stream and Watch Online

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Critical Assignment (2004)

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The President of an African country decrees that the Arms budget will be diverted in to the "Water For All", project. The journalist, Michael Power, discovers a Coup set by the arms dealers.

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Critical Assignment [DVD]

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Product Description

Critical Assignment is an action/adventure movie that stars journalist Michael Power. While reporting from a European war zone, a courageous act of bravery seals a friendship and wins Michael international recognition. His next assignment takes him back home to Africa to report on the global water crisis. It is a story that some will not want him to write and he becomes the victim of a plot to manipulate the press. Critical Assignment is about one man’s mission to uncover the truth. The action plays out against a background of breathtaking African scenery and hypnotic African music including that of Grammy-award nominee, Angelique Kidjo. (Critical Assignment is endorsed by the United Nations Environmental Programme).

Product details

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 5.75 x 0.53 inches; 2.88 ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Jason Xenopoulos
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Color, DVD
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 12, 2005
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Terrence Reis, Patrick Shai, Omanza Shaw, Michael Power, Moshidi Motshegwa
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Tiger White
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0006SSPK8
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #16,182 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV)
• #27,658 in Action & Adventure DVDs

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Critical Assignment

Back to Films

by Jason Xenopoulos

Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, UK and South Africa / 2003 / 106mins / Action, Drama / English

In this glossy stunt-filled thriller, Africa's first action hero, Michael Power, is a reporter who comes back home to Africa to uncover a secret plot to funnel funds earmarked for a clean water project. These funds are being channeled in the stockpiling of deadly weapons.

About the Director

Jason Xenopoulos

Jason Xenopoulos's first film was Promised Land , for which he also wrote the screenplay. Critical Assignment followed in 2003. Since then, he has been the second unit director or assistant director on several films. He currently holds the position of CEO, NYC and Chief Creative Officer, North America at VMLY&R. Learn More

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Critical Assignment (2003)

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