A trio of legends and a classic director do what they can in this hopeless wreck.
Even when first released in 1984, The Ambassador must have been seen as purely a throwback effort. Despite the clunky attempts to be in tune with international politics of the day, this Canon offering couldn’t feel more passe if it tried. Not only does it feature three leads whose glory days as marquee stars had long since vanished and a director whose penchant for quality filmmaking had been reduced to material well beneath his talent, but it also failed on every level, from the script to its overall ideology. While there would typically be some level of nostalgic fun had at watching pros such as the ones in this cast work together, The Ambassador robs its audience of even this easily-achievable quality as it leaves its legends stranded with a bland story and clueless dialogue in this easily forgettable misfire.
The Ambassador in The Ambassador, Peter Hacker (Robert Mitchum), is stationed in Israel on an ongoing mission of trying to introduce peace in the Middle East under the careful watch of security officer Frank Stevenson (Rock Hudson) and Minister Eretz (Donald Pleasence). The duties of Peter’s career have caused a rift in his marriage to Alex (Ellen Burstyn), who has entered into an affair with an antiques dealer named Mustapha (Fabio Testi) who also happens to be the leader of the PLO.
Even without looking at the credits, it’s easy to spot The Ambassador’s DNA as a Canon effort. For those who don’t know, The Canon Group was a production company famous for schlocky content, outrageous epics, and the occasional low-budget hit, with most of their films full of sex, violence, or (in most cases) both. On occasion, the company succeeded in its attempt to make serious art in cases such as Barbet Schroeder’s Barfly and John Cassavetes’ Love Streams. The Ambassador was not one of those cases. Although it does carry a definite amount of prestige thanks to the names involved, it’s clear the Canon people thought that was enough in their attempt to once again be taken seriously as a worthy players in Hollywood. Watching The Ambassador, the misguided nature and general sloppiness of the company comes through in full force. For starters, none of the Middle Easterners are speaking in their native tongues, and there seem to be a number of shoot-em-ups done merely for the sake of shoot-em-ups. The script is so mediocre, it takes more effort for Mitchum and Hudson to stay awake than for them to recite whatever triteness they’ve been tasked with delivering. The chopped together feel that’s likewise unmistakably Canon becomes more prevalent as The Ambassador stumbles along, culminating in a machine gun sequence which sits even worse today in the current climate than it must have when the film was first released.
Based on the premise, you would expect The Ambassador to be a film that delves head first into the influence of American diplomacy in a foreign land and the toll it takes on a marriage. The fact that the film opens with so much intrigue and mystery as it heads straight into the core story continues this notion. However, in the Canon tradition, it becomes too much too soon. It isn’t necessarily that the The Ambassador is trying to do too many things, it’s that it’s using too many tools to do them with. There are only a couple of scenes where the political conflict is actually dealt with, and during those times, not only do those moments go on far longer than they should, but the dialogue and ideas within them are so incredibly base and heavy-handed. Meanwhile, whatever political action is taking place is repeatedly stopped to explore the marital troubles Peter and Alex are experiencing in the midst of all the turmoil. In an effort to make this aspect less boring than it otherwise is, the movie throws in a kidnapping subplot with Alex being held hostage for a couple of scenes and an extortion plot when a film featuring her and Mustapha in bed together is shown to Peter. The Ambassador aims to capture a time during heavy Middle Eastern political turmoil while also existing as a love triangle. Ultimately, it fails at both.
By this point in their careers, Mitchum and Hudson didn’t seem to care enough to actually try anymore. This is evident by the lifeless way they deliver all their lines. But since the lines themselves are lifeless all on their own, the two cannot be totally blamed for their lack of interest. Pleasence does nothing but clock in screen time whenever he can, while Testi makes the most of his semi-decent role. Burstyn is the only one who seems to be really trying here, stepping away from the script’s shortcomings and focusing on the essence of her character, giving the movie more cred than it ever deserved.
The Ambassador was directed by J. Lee Thompson. Yes, the great J. Lee Thompson, the man responsible for The Guns of Navarone and Cape Fear, was tasked with bringing this half-baked effort to the screen. If anything, the fact that a director with Thompson’s resume took this on showed the kind of spirit with which filmmakers of his generation dove straight into whatever project was in front of them. Thompson’s involvement with The Ambassador also shows the kind of humor he had adopted in the latter part of his career when it came to the projects he took on, which also included the cult slasher favorite Happy Birthday to Me. With a movie like The Ambassador, which features an ending that’s both disturbing and laughable in a Hallmark sort of way, a sense of humor is certainly key.
The Ambassador is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Kino Lorber.
