The Ambassador

No wonder US foreign policy is always such a mess. It's probably because there is a genuine belief that stuff like this might actually be possible. Their ambassador to Israel arrives determined to sort of decades of political unease with the Palestinians just because, well he's Robert Mitchum! Assisted by his security chief "Stevenson" (Rock Hudson) he finds that his wife (Ellen Burstyn) is soon a pawn in a game he must play - at some risk - if he is to improve anything for anyone. Donald Pleasance shows up now and again as Israeli government man "Eretz" but for the most part this is one of those films where the whole is nowhere near the potential sum of it's parts. Indeed, as we progress it comes across as an over-written, politically simplistic and rather woeful opportunity for some stars nearing the end of their careers to have a nice holiday on the Mediterranean. Conspiring journalists, mass slaughters, helicopter chases - and a bit of illicit sex all creep in, but they can't really enliven this disappointing thriller that's really rather devoid of thrills. Rock Hudson's last full role - and not one I expect he'd be so very proud of.

By 1984 Director J. Lee Thompson's Filmography Would Never Include such Great Films Like "Guns of Navarone" (1961), "Cape Fear" (1962). Or the Odd Western and Little Known Hidden-Gem, "White Buffalo" (1977).

He was Retained by the "Canon" Film Company and Pumped-Out Lesser Mid-Budgeted and Unremarkable Fodder.

Here He Teams Up with Robert Mitchum and Rock Hudson in a Disappointing Try at a Very Touchy Plot...Israel and the PLO.

It's Not a Bad Set Set-Up, Shot On-Location with the Story About "The Ambassador" (Mitchum) and His Efforts in Forging Peace-Talks Focusing on College Students of Both Sides.

The Story is Propelled Using the Back-Drop of Mitchum's Wife, Ellen Burstyn, and Her Affair with a Wealthy Arab Businessman. It's Caught on Film and Blackmail Begins.

Also, Caught on Film, is the Dirty-Deed in All its Pornographic Details.

The Movie's Climax is Overdone and Very Bloody and it Distracts from the Seriousness of the Situation with a Long Graphic-Violence Exploitation that Should be in Another Film.

Overall, it's Not Bad, just Nothing Above a Sophomoric Approach to a Very Complex, On-Going World Situation.

Worth a Watch with Low-Expectations.

Imdb has this as released 1984, while free tubi has this as 1985. Stars rock hudson and robert mitchum, as stevenson and hacker, trying to keep peace in israel and the territories. Hacker is the ambassador to israel. Stevenson is his security. Co-stars donald pleasence as the israeli minister of defense. Ellen burstyn is the ambassador's wife, alex, and her naughty, night-time activities are make her husband's job much harder, when she is filmed. It's okay. Pretty low budget. Produced by golan globus, who have a record of making films on the cheap. Some dropped threads of storyline. Or maybe that was just poor editing. Topless women. And hudson's final film. We spend so much time on trying to get the film back, when hacker has already told everyone he doesn't care if it's shown on national television. Big, grand finale. Very symbolic of the actual situation. Directed by lee thompson.

A good little action/suspense thriller that was released by the now defunct Cannon group that has the novelty of dealing with the Israeli-Palestanian crisis with real intelligence and being Rock Hudson's last feature film. It stars Robert Mitchum as Peter Hacker, an American ambassador to Israel who tries to bring peace in the Middle East by unorthodox means, but his adulteress wife, played by Ellen Burstyn, threatens to derail his plans when she has an affair with a PLO leader. To make matters worse, someone threatens to expose a film of the affair if a high ransom isn't paid and the ambassador has a hefty price on his head for certain assassins. Rock Hudson plays Frank Stevenson, the ambassador's loyal security officer/friend who tries to unravel the scheme before the film hits the airwaves.

Heading a first rate cast, Robert Mitchum plays the lead role with grace and style as a man who tries to accomplish his goals when everything possible is trying to derail him and Ellen Burstyn plays the wife with right note between guilt and steadfast loyalty for her husband. Rock Hudson, on the other hand, is given little to do. He does what he can with the thankless role as the security officer but basically he's just there to try to talk some sense into the ambassador's head and to carry out orders; it's a little sad ending to a brilliant career. The film itself is well-done and first rate with a higher budget and quality than most Cannon films and the location shoots are first-rate. Check it out if you want a Middle-East political thriller with some action thrown into it for good measure.

Robert Mitchum plays the title role of The Ambassador and in this case he's the American Ambassador to Israel. He's got the notion in his head that if he can get the Arab and Israeli students dialoging, it might lead the way to eventual peace. Of course there are malevolent forces on all sides that don't want to see that happen.

But that's not Mitchum's only problem. His wife Ellen Burstyn has embarked on a torrid love affair with an Arab, played by Fabio Testi, who turns out to be a big honcho in the Palentine Liberation Organization. And somebody's been taking some nasty home movies of them doing the horizontal mambo. Setting up Mitchum for blackmail and embarrassment whichever comes first.

Playing the supporting role of Mitchum's Embassy security chief is Rock Hudson and this was to be his last feature film. As the film progresses the strain on Hudson's health is becoming apparent.

It was not a happy shoot and the results show it. Mitchum and Hudson did not get along particularly. According to Lee Server's biography, Mitchum spent most of the time getting plastered more than normal. Ellen Burstyn supposedly took a sample of what he was drinking and was shocked to find it real booze. But Mitchum was legendary for holding his liquor.

I can see why Mitchum wasn't particularly happy with the film. His role is essentially that of a well meaning fathead who thinks he has all the answers to the Middle-east. Hudson took his role strictly for the cash, because he was having increased medical expenses from what would kill him a year later.

Being it's a Golan-Globus film the usual quota of violence is present. When you do a film about the Middle-east, that's almost a requirement for a picture. Still the location cinematography in Israel certainly helps.

Too bad that Mitchum and Hudson could not find a nice western to do as a joint project.