The Assassination

The Assassination

Year: 1972

Runtime: 123 mins

Language: French

Director: Yves Boisset

ThrillerHistory

Darien, a left‑wing police informant, is ordered to lure his old friend Sadiel to Paris to film a television special on the Third World. Sadiel, the exiled leader of a North African state, is being pursued by ruthless Colonel Kassar. When Sadiel arrives, Darien discovers he has been used and tries to reverse the situation, unaware of forces at play.

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Timeline & Setting – The Assassination (1972)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Assassination (1972). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1970s

Set in the early 1970s, a period of intense Cold War politics. The film portrays a world where intelligence agencies, journalism, and diplomacy intersect in opaque negotiations. The era's atmosphere—public displays, secret deals, and televised appearances—heightens the sense of manipulation behind democratic processes.

Location

Geneva, Paris

Geneva serves as a neutral ground for exile and delicate diplomacy, where Sadiel hopes to return. Paris is the political capital where the televised program is framed as cover for secret talks. The two cities frame a tension between public spectacle and private coercion.

🌍 International city 🏛️ Diplomatic hub

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:11

Main Characters – The Assassination (1972)

Meet the key characters of The Assassination (1972), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Michael Howard (Roy Scheider)

An American TV correspondent who is revealed to be a CIA asset operating within a web of covert influence. He manipulates events to serve the operation and ultimately kills François Darien, escaping before French authorities can intervene. His loyalty shifts with political expediency, illustrating how journalism, diplomacy, and espionage intersect. The character embodies the blurred boundary between information and power.

🕵️ Spy 🎯 Manipulative 🛡️ CIA asset

Sadiel (Gian Maria Volonté)

An exiled left-wing politician who longs to return and lead a democratic opposition. He becomes the bait in a high-stakes game between oppressive forces and Western intelligence. Targeted by Kassar's regime, he is abducted by corrupt police before meeting with Darien and faces the peril of political manipulation.

🗳️ Politician 🗺️ Exile 🛡️ Target of manipulation

Colonel Kassar (Michel Piccoli)

An African dictator supported by the CIA who makes a pact with French intelligence to trap Sadiel in Paris. He is ruthless and pragmatic, using violence as a tool to stabilize his regime. His calculations drive the operation and reveal how external powers manipulate internal politics.

🪖 Dictator 💰 Power broker 🗡️ Manipulator

François Darien (Jean-Louis Trintignant)

A militant left-wing French journalist coerced by French intelligence to assist the operation. He suspects the truth, attempts to resist, and ultimately records a tape revealing the scheme. His discovery leads to his death at the hands of Howard, making him a moral casualty of state power.

📰 Journalist 🧭 Moral conflict 🗝️ Coerced asset

Edith Lemoine (Jean Seberg)

Darien's girlfriend who tries to warn Sadiel and connect the protagonists. She embodies concern and acts as a conduit for information, navigating a treacherous political landscape while trying to stay above the fray.

💖 Girlfriend 🕊️ Messenger 🕵️‍♀️ Witness

Lempereur (Michel Bouquet)

A lawyer working with French intelligence who identifies Darien as a former associate of Sadiel. He navigates bureaucracy to cover up the operation, maintaining a calm outside while the machinery of state moves behind the scenes.

⚖️ Lawyer 🧭 Bureaucrat 🕵️‍♂️ Manipulator

René Rouannat (François Périer)

Police Commissioner who orders a search of the mobster's house but remains constrained by higher-ups. He experiences suspicion but is blocked from pursuing the truth, highlighting the limits of official oversight.

🧭 Commissioner 🧪 Suspense 🗝️ Cover-up

Antoine Acconetti (Daniel Ivernel)

A mob boss whose house becomes a locus for the operation's illicit activity. He serves as a gatekeeper in the shadow economy of power, enabling or obstructing actions as needed by the schemers.

🧱 Crime boss 🕳️ Gatekeeper

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:11

Major Themes – The Assassination (1972)

Explore the central themes of The Assassination (1972), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕵️ Political Intrigue

Powerful actors use manipulation, surveillance, and covert agreements to steer events without public accountability. National interests clash with personal loyalties as Sadiel becomes a pawn in a larger geopolitical game. The film exposes how intelligence communities improvise moral lines to preserve secrecy. The result is a tense atmosphere where truth is secondary to strategic outcomes.

🤝 Betrayal

Betrayal runs through every relationship: Darien is coerced into aiding a shadow operation; Howard pursues his own aims and silences dissent; Sadiel is abducted and exploited. The narrative emphasizes how fear and ambition corrode loyalties. It presents a world where alliances are transactional and trust is precarious.

🎥 Media Manipulation

Television becomes a tool to legitimize a covert agenda, with public appearances serving as cover for secret negotiations. Darien's taped confession and the manipulated program illustrate how media can shape political reality. The plot demonstrates how broadcast events are used to control perceptions and suppress dissent. The line between news, entertainment, and state strategy is deliberately blurred.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:11

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The Assassination Summary

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