the assignment graphic novel

Walter Hill Discusses the Writing Process and Controversy of ‘The Assignment’

The terrific writer-director also reveals the advice Sam Peckinpah gave him when just starting out.

The legendary Walter Hill has made a career off characters of few words – which is somewhat ironic considering that the loquacious Hill, while also a terrific filmmaker, is among the best Hollywood screenwriters ever. The Getaway , The Warriors & The Driver – all master class examples in the art of screenwriting. Hill has a way of distilling the most labyrinthine of plots and character into their base essentials, turning less into far more.

Case in point: his latest film, the controversial The Assignment . The film’s filled with double crosses, time jumps, and perspective shifts – yet Hill boils all these complexities down into a simple revenge story: a laconic hitman ( Michelle Rodriguez ), genitally altered into a woman, seeks revenge against the doctor ( Sigourney Weaver ) who mutilated him. Have I mentioned controversial yet?

The Assignment , originally a script from all the way back in the late 1970s, still definitely feels of that period – lurid, pulpy, and, well, a little offensive (but with its head in the right place). It’s a film less concerned with transgender theory than with universal identity issues – in particular whether a person can ever truly change, a theme Hill previously explored in the underrated Johnny Handsome .

In the following interview with Hill, he discusses the long writing process on The Assignment , the controversy surrounding the film and working with Sam Peckinpah as a young screenwriter on The Getaway . For the full interview, read below.

Starting off – I know the [original draft of The Assignment ] was written in the 1970s. What did that original screenplay [then called Tomboy ] look like compared to what's out right now?

Walter Hill: Well – it's gone through a few wars. Denis [Hamill]'s original story was a male plastic surgeon married a young, beautiful woman. A teenage delinquent type then rapes the woman and murders her. He’s instantly caught and sent to jail. And when [the teenage delinquent] gets out of jail, serving a rather short sentence because of his youth, the plastic surgeon subjects him to genital alteration. But it mainly was a police story about who's committing crimes out there in the street. The [delinquent] reverts to criminal behavior even though he's now in the body of a female. The police are rather flummoxed. They think it's the old criminal but they can't find him and everybody identifies the culprit as a woman. That was the essence of the story. And it's gone through a lot of bumps since then.

What made you change the main character from a rapist to a hitman?

Hill: You work at an instinctive level on a lot of this stuff; but I wasn't too interested in doing a cop story. I wanted it to be more focused, something very noir, very comic-book'y'… But I think the real answer to your question is that I wanted to end up with a feeling of melancholy – where you felt sympathy to both characters. I thought that was impossible to achieve with the original plotline. It's important that the story is beyond something that straightforward. So you have doctor who's lost her license, who's faced all kinds of problems in her career. She's also an intellectual of a rather twisted bend – narcissistic, a reader of Nietzsche, very much the ‘ubermensch’. She's pitted against this guy who's sort of the Darwinian survivor from the lowest ranks of the underclass, no conscience whatsoever, utterly amoral, who then has his agenda of revenge with the genital alteration that he's gone through. So you have these two figures bumping against each other and I wanted to get them both into a position where they show some character change and growth without making them saints or anything. She's reached a point of understanding about herself and she's going to tend her own garden from now on – no matter how bitter her circumstances. And Frank is now in a different position. He's resolved to use [his] underworld skills to launch a career of trying to do some good and the implication is that he'll become a vigilante of some description. So I wanted to get it into a more positive and ambiguous mode. But at the same time it harkens back – I did a movie a number of years ago called Johnny Handsome with Mickey Rourke… And there's a lot of Johnny Handsome in this thing. Not plot but there's the notion that character in some sense is irreducible and you are who you are.

So much of the film does seem to be about identity – in particular no matter how much you ‘change’, underneath you’re still the exact same person. Do you feel that identity is set and un-malleable?

Hill: I think that identity can be muted and bent to different directions. But yeah – the answer to the question is: yeah, I do think that. Once again: Johnny Handsome . Which is why I thought so much of the controversy when the film was being made was ridiculous. The movie reinforces transgender theory, which is we are who we are inside our head. We live in a gender fluid world and I think that's a good thing, challenging the assumptions of the past is good.

Given the controversy surrounding The Assignment , have you noticed a change in the way people respond to controversy around your films – say when you were making something like 48 Hours vs. now?

Hill: Well… I would say – I don't want to sound like some old guy who's complaining that everything was better way back then. Number One: I don't believe that. Also I don't think it's a particularly graceful pose. However I do think the spirit of open debate was a little different and better back then. We live a time of identity politics & political correctness. A lot of time people aren't aware – they so often think their cause is just and therefore harsh methods can be applied to the debate. I don't agree with that… The thing about The Assignment – for a movie to be attacked and harshly attacked by people before it was seen, I can't think of anything more intellectually indefensible. I mean – see the movie. If you see the movie and you say it stinks, that's fine. No problem. Nobody makes movies everybody loves. That's part of the deal. It comes with the job. But this idea that we're being judged on the potential subject matter, the potential that the subject might do something that's perceived as offensive and therefore it is condemned ahead of time seems to me to be ridiculous. I grew up in the 60s and 70s intellectually and this was just everything we did not believe.

How is the process different re-writing a script vs. approaching something from scratch?

Hill: Well you don't have the most frightening prospect of the blank page. Before I became a director, as a screenwriter, I wrote both originals and adaptations. When you were adapting something, I always found it difficult because they wanted what they had purchased so that the strictures were fairly narrow and it's hard to write in boundaries like that. But once I became a director, whether I was writing originals or adapting or whatever, I don't pay attention to any of it. I just write what appeals to me, what I think and what I can hopefully do well. You serve your own sense of the correct.

This movie has a pretty interesting structure – in that it’s two characters telling the same story from the present. How did you settle on this structural device?

Hill: That was part of my first attack on the movie. It was a tale being told by two people, narrated in a sense by two people in different time frames. Then you become aware of the different time frames at a certain point in the film. What seems to be, I'm not trying to throw myself onto the sides of the gods here, but what in one sense seems to be a fairly simple revenge film actually has a very complicated structure and time frame. Yet hopefully you don't get lost in the maze as a viewer. The hardest thing as someone said, I can't remember who, but they said, ‘The hardest thing is to be simple and direct.’ And as usual I think I've failed. But at the same time – I think the movie is approachable and doesn't seem to be a complicated maze.

You adapted the original script into a graphic novel and then adapted graphic novel into this film. Is there a difference between adapting a script to graphic novel and vice versa?

Hill: Those are largely influenced by budget. The graphic novel has the advantage that you can posit two large armies standing in the middle of the desert ready to do combat. When you make a film, you have to pay for the two large armies and going out into the desert. This was a movie that was going to be shot in twenty plus days for a certain amount of money, so there were elements in the graphic novel we had to pull back. The focus was to preserve the spirit…

Is it easier to find financing when you have a pre-existing graphic novel as a template?

Hill: Actually I think there are two answers to that. For this movie – I don't think it made any difference at all because we made a deal before the graphic novel ever came out. But on the whole, I would say: yes, the graphic novel does help a movie get made because people have a preview of the movie and they can see what they're going to get for their money.

On set -- how much of the movie do you have in your head? Are you shooting for the edit?

Hill: You feel each scene as its own requirement. Sometimes if you feel like you’ve got the right shot, you play it in one. That doesn't happen too often. But I've shot as much as fifteen pages in one shot. Usually you want to show off certain attitudes and emotions, which call for coverage. I'm not one for shot-lists and all that though. I have a rule as a director, that if you ask me for a shot-list - you're fired.

What do you use instead of a shot-list?

Hill: I just get the actors and we rehearse it. I always say you're never waiting for me. Once I see the scene and it's blocked in a way that I think works, figuring out how to shoot it – I've never really had a problem with that.

What tends to be your approach working with actors – especially when there's so little dialogue?

Hill: You just tell them what to do. A normal scene – two people discuss getting a divorce. You bring them in, you sit them down and you rehearse. You give them a start position and then you see what they bring to it. I know what I think. I'd like to now see what the actors bring to it because quite often they'll bring many things [I] didn't realize and that [I] like. It’s their turn – so let them show me what they're going to do with it, what their instincts tell them are right. Then we go from there. A lot of times – you don't have to say much. I was always struck by how many of the master directors, how often their actors said, ‘Well – they never really talked to us very much.’ Whether it was Ford or Hitchcock or many number of others and yet the performances are really quite wonderful in their films. I think people confuse... I know [Sam] Peckinpah told me ‘Directing is seventy five percent casting’ – which is an exaggeration. He knew it. But there was something in that idea.

What else did you pick up working with Peckinpah? [Hill, early in his career, wrote the screenplay for The Getaway ]

Hill: I remember he said to me once ‘Are you sure you want to get into this shit?’ It was a particularly tough moment he was having on a couple fronts. I certainly admired his films and his commitment to do what it takes to become a director. I think we all learned from Sam. I always had a good relationship with him. By the way – it wasn't always easy. He was a rather challenging personality and he liked to make everyone a little uncomfortable, not a lot, just a little bit. But I was just a young screenwriter at the time. It wasn't a dialogue of equals.

The Assignment opens in select theaters today.

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Graphic Novel Review: ‘The Assignment’

Written by Walter Hill, Dennis Hamill | Adapted by Matz | Art by Jef | Published by Titan Comics

Can lightning strike twice? The team of Walter Hill, Matz, and Jef did a great job on their Triggerman book, a book I really enjoyed reading earlier this year. This title, The Assignment, originally came out as a three issue adaptation of a Walter Hill screenplay. The film that came from said screenplay, The Assignment (or Tomboy , as called elsewhere – including on iTunes, where the film has just been released in the UK) came out to somewhat mixed reviews last year, despite starring Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. If nothing else, my interest because of all this was certainly high enough to give this book a go.

As you would expect with a Walter Hill piece of work, we open with a very stylish piece of violence. Meet Frank Kitchen, a hitman. One of the best in fact. We first meet him in the midst of a job, where we also learn Frank does a nice line in first person narration. All very stylish and cinematic. Frank takes on a new job for a very dangerous client, but while waiting for his ‘hit’ to come back into town, he gets lucky in a local bar with Johnnie, a nice but emotionally damaged girl. This is all very nice, well written but pretty standard fare, and I wondered if Walter Hill had produced a dud.

I needn’t have worried, the twists started coming thick and fast. Firstly, Gleason, the dangerous man who hired Frank, double crosses and has his henchmen shoot him. Frank survives, but upon waking up finds he feels and looks a little, er, different. Frank has woken up a woman. Yep. Turns out the person Frank killed at the beginning of the book was someone very special to a doctor, a very clever but very disturbed doctor, and this gender reassignment was their idea of revenge. Macho killer Frank now and forever a woman, sweet irony. None of this is known to Frank initially though. Frank understandably takes a while digesting all this, and also soon discovers the world is something of a different place when you are a woman. Especially in the circles he is used to mixing in. Things hit rock bottom pretty quickly.

While Frank is slowly getting himself/ herself back on his/her feet, we learn a bit more about the doctor. Dr Fellner had been experimenting on homeless men, performing amputations, before being caught and questioned by doctors obviously concerned about her mental health. The interview she gives is in retrospect, which we learn by story’s end. They don’t believe the Frank Kitchen story, as they have no record of Frank, for now. Frank meanwhile, has pulled himself together, and made contact with Johnnie, the girl he met months back. She agrees to help, after getting over the initial shock of Frank’s new appearance. Time to go to work.

Frank goes on a one person rampage across the city, taking out everyone in John Gleason’s organisation he can find. This includes his right hand man, the one who shot and injured Frank when still a man. Frank finally finds Gleason and takes him out, but not before he reveals Johnnie, who has essentially become Frank’s girlfriend, was the nurse who assisted the doctor with the surgery. Although a betrayal, Frank doesn’t kill her, after learning that the doctor lied about what they were doing to Johnnie, though she knew it illegal. Frank heads to the doctor’s underground surgery, where he escapes being initially captured and then performs a little operation of his own on the doctor, after finding Johnnie dead.

On balance, a mixed bag. The Assignment is not as good as Triggerman , but still very entertaining. As a whole, the story doesn’t live up to that initial promise of the first issue, and the pacing felt a little hit and miss at times from then on. I did enjoy it though, and worth a read. Lots of adult themes, violence, and nudity which is not for everyone obviously. The art, by Jef, was sublime. Gorgeous to look at, very cinematic, very fluid, and some lovely full page panels. Draws the ladies very nicely too.

Flawed yes, but very entertaining and just gorgeous to look at. I liked it.

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The Assignment: Trans for Shock Value

I am flabbergasted that anyone thought publishing The Assignment was a good idea these days. But it’s a tie-in to a movie already made (filmed November 2015, supposedly to be released in the US this year) starring Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver, and Titan Comics loves its licensed comics.

This was a comic before it was a film, published in France (although the first draft of the script, according to Wikipedia , was in 1978, and that makes a lot more sense, considering the content). It’s co-written by Denis Hamill and Walter Hill (director of 48 Hrs. and The Warriors ); Hill also directed the movie, previously called (Re)Assignment . The Assignment comic, as published in English, is adapted by Matz, illustrated by Jef, and translated by Charles Ardai.

The story, which Hill thinks is “lurid, comic-booky” but not “offensive”, is simply this: a hitman kills a fashion designer, which pisses off his sister. She’s a mad doctor, who in revenge, kidnaps the hitman and surgically makes him into a woman. Because, as we’re told in issue #2,

I could have killed you, but that would have been too simple. Too kind. I preferred to leave you a permanent reminder of the terrible crime you committed, by taking some things away from you, and adding others.

It’s easy to read this as “Being a woman is worse than being dead.” The crazy surgeon, by the way, is being interviewed in her cell by some kind of psychiatrist (I’m guessing), in case you hadn’t seen that scene before. She’s actually questioned about why not go after the guy who ordered the hit on her brother, since he owed them a lot of money, who would be the person actually responsible. There’s some handwaving about how that would have been too hard and how Frank was someone to be admired.

Now, there was not much thought put into all of this, clearly. It’s an excuse, first, to show the changed Frank frequently topless (to be fair, we see the male version naked once too). There’s also plenty of overwrought narration about what a tough guy he is and the rules of the life of a hitman.

Once transformed, for some reason, Frank is dressed in a low-cut red dress and high heels. The excuse is that those are the clothes left for her, I suppose (it’s not actually covered), but he’s resourceful enough to find something else instead of teetering around. Of course, there’s an attempted rape scene, to justify more topless peek shots and some violence, and of course, the female version of Frank is gorgeous.

Other women don’t come off well, unsurprisingly. Aside from the insane surgeon, issue #1 has a completely unrealistic hottie, wearing a visible push-up bra under a crop top and skin-tight pants, who picks up Frank in a bar before the change. The character keeps saying how she doesn’t like to waste time, so she doesn’t need conversation before they have sex. This is nothing but a male fantasy, and based on the clothing, one that’s about two decades old. Then again, he’s wearing a white suit with a black shirt, circa 1979.

The storytelling is leisurely, with the change the reader is presumably waiting to see not happening until two-thirds of the way through the double-sized first issue so we’d have time first for the sex scene and a shootout.

The Assignment is beautifully illustrated and softly colored in detailed European style. It’s just that the story is so vile, exploitative, and thoughtless. And insulting to trans people . (The publisher provided digital review copies.)

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Liza Wiemer

Award-winning author, educator, and public speaker.

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The Assignment

OPTIONED FOR FILM: Screenplay Completed

In the vein of the classic the wave and inspired by a real-life incident, this riveting novel explores discrimination and antisemitism and reveals their dangerous impact., 2024 lincoln award nominee 2022/2023 georgia book award nominee free little library “read in color” recommended read tayshas recommended read (texas library association) state of illinois “read for a lifetime” book a bank street college of education best book of the year 2022 sakura medal award nominee sydney taylor book award notable for young adults wisconsin state reading association recommended young adult novel nerdy book club best ya fiction novel yalsa/ala best fiction for young adults nominee milwaukee county teen honor book, on sale now.

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Available to speak for book clubs, schools, organizations, TV, and radio.

SENIOR YEAR. When an assignment given by a favorite teacher instructs a group of students to argue for the Final Solution, a euphemism used to describe the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people, Logan March and Cade Crawford are horrified. Their teacher cannot seriously expect anyone to complete an assignment that fuels intolerance and discrimination. Logan and Cade decide they must take a stand.

As the school administration addresses the teens’ refusal to participate in the appalling debate, the student body, their parents, and the larger community are forced to face the issue as well. The situation explodes, and acrimony and anger result. What does it take for tolerance, justice, and love to prevail?

Based on a true incident.

The Assignment has been compared to classics such as The Wave and The Hate U Give .

The Assignment hardcover (Delacorte Press, a division of Penguin Random House) and the all-star cast audiobook (Listening Library) were published on August 25, 2020. The paperback edition was published by Ember on August 31, 2021.

To date, foreign rights have sold in Italian, Russian, Polish, and Korean.

Praise for The Assignment

Graphic Novels

Assignment Graphic Novel

THE COMIC BOOK BEHIND THE UPCOMING NEW MOVIE (RE) ASSIGNMENT - STARRING SIGOURNEY WEAVER (ALIENS) & MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ (FAST & FURIOUS) AND DIRECTED BY WALTER HILL (THE WARRIORS)! Hitman Frank Kitchen's assignment to kill a celebrated fashion designer takes an unexpected turn when his victim's sister, a sociopathic surgeon, decides to punish him in the unique way only she can... Abducted and operated on against his will, Frank awakens in an altered condition - but with a hitman's hunger for revenge...

Walter Hill

Titan Publishing

Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

The Assignment

Interview by alaina leary.

Book description: SENIOR YEAR. When an assignment given by a favorite teacher instructs a group of students to argue for the Final Solution, a euphemism used to describe the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people, Logan March and Cade Crawford are horrified. Their teacher cannot seriously expect anyone to complete an assignment that fuels intolerance and discrimination. Logan and Cade decide they must take a stand. As the school administration addressed the teens’ refusal to participate in the appalling debate, the student body, their parents, and the larger community are forced to face the issue, as well. The situation explodes, and acrimony and anger result. What does it take for tolerance, justice, and love to prevail?

Instead of a review, we are posting an interview with the author of The Assignment , Liza Wiemer, by Alaina Leary at Diverse Books.org.

What did you learn from the research you did about racist and anti-Semitic school assignments? 

School assignments exploring important, complicated issues are a crucial part of education. They foster critical thinking and discussion. However, damaging, misguided, and thoughtless assignments dealing with those tough issues can be presented in racist or anti-Semitic ways and are much more common than people would think. Once news got out that I was writing this novel, people messaged me or told me directly about similar harmful assignments — some successfully challenged, some that were not. Those who remained silent did so for several reasons: fear of confrontation, retaliation, or being ostracized. They didn’t want to cause trouble or get a teacher in trouble. Students didn’t want to be seen as tattletales or complainers. But no one should ever have to defend the indefensible. No one should have to justify the unjustifiable. Speaking up is  hard. I heard from many who didn’t confront the issue that they regretted staying silent. We need to foster environments where upstanders are respected and feel safe to confront hatred and injustice. That’s why I feel having a novel like this is critical. It promotes discussion. It allows readers to contemplate what they would do if they found themselves in a similar situation and shows that courage comes from within. Continue reading.

Publisher's Synopsis: A SYDNEY TAYLOR NOTABLE BOOK Inspired by a real-life incident, this riveting novel explores discrimination and antisemitism and reveals their dangerous impact. Would you defend the indefensible? That's what seniors Logan March and Cade Crawford are asked to do when a favorite teacher instructs a group of students to argue for the Final Solution — the Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jewish people. Logan and Cade decide they must take a stand, and soon their actions draw the attention of the student body, the administration, and the community at large. But not everyone feels as Logan and Cade do — after all, isn't a school debate just a school debate? It's not long before the situation explodes, and acrimony and anger result. Based on true events, The Assignment asks: What does it take for tolerance, justice, and love to prevail? "An important look at a critical moment in history through a modern lens showcasing the power of student activism." — SLJ

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The Assignment Hardcover – August 25, 2020

• Reading age 12 years and up
• Print length 336 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 7 - 9
• Lexile measure HL720L
• Dimensions 5.88 x 1.1 x 8.56 inches
• Publisher Delacorte Press
• Publication date August 25, 2020
• ISBN-10 0593123166
• ISBN-13 978-0593123164
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

About the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved..

Are we supposed to pretend we’re Nazis? The second Mr. Bartley turns his back to our class, I lean over to my best friend, Cade, and whisper, “What do you think?” I tap the assignment on my desk. 

He lifts his hands, palms up, mirroring my confusion. “Weird, right?” He says it a little too loudly, drawing Mr. Bartley’s attention. 

I nod, face forward, and refocus on the assignment. I read it one more time, hoping that somehow I’ve misunderstood the instructions. 

TOP-SECRET 

MEMO TO: Senior Members of the Nazi Party 

FROM: SS General Reinhard Heydrich, Chief of the Reich Main Security Office 

SUBJECT: A FINAL SOLUTION OF THE JEWISH QUESTION: Your attendance is required for this critical meeting scheduled for 20 January 1942 at the Wannsee Villa in Berlin, Germany. 

PURPOSE: As members of Hitler’s elite Nazi leadership, our purpose is to debate a Final Solution of the Jewish Question and to share perspectives on how to resolve the storage problem of Europe’s eleven million Jews. 

POSITIONS: 

Pro: Extermination 

Con: Sterilization, ghettos, work camps 

WHAT TO PREPARE FOR THE MEETING: As a Nazi, you must thoroughly research and analyze five reasons supporting your position of a Final Solution of the Jewish Question. 

a. The Nuremberg Laws 

b. Attitudes on religion and race 

c. Our policies on education, including who may attend or teach at primary and secondary schools and universities 

d. Economics, including our perspective on who has the right to own businesses and property 

e. Our leader’s stance on Darwin and survival of the fittest 

f. How to increase our superior Aryan race by exploring key ideas such as emigration expulsion, evacuation, and eradication to be judenrein (Jew-free) 

Note from Mr. Bartley: 

The Wannsee Conference was one of the most pivotal historical moments that had a destructive force on humanity in the twentieth century, one that continues to leave a profound mark on society today. As you complete the research for this assignment, it is important for you to know that the goal is not to garner support or elicit sympathy for the Nazi perspective. It is, however, imperative for you to understand the Nazi mentality, even if it makes you uncomfortable and is diametrically against your moral, ethical, and philosophical beliefs. Researching this historical meeting and your side of the debate allows you to broaden your points of view and develop critical thinking skills.

I flip the page, read through the requirements for our papers and how we’re going to be graded on the debate. My stomach somersaults. Get an A by successfully debating reasons to put Jews in gas chambers versus torture them, starve them, force them to be slave laborers for profit until they’re dead. Either way, Mr. Bartley is asking us to advocate for murder. 

Everything in my body screams, This is so wrong! But do I say it to Mr. Bartley? Looking at the other sixteen seniors in our class, I don’t see anyone other than Cade who seems uncomfortable with this assignment. 

“One more minute,” Mr. Bartley calls out. “Then I’ll answer questions.” 

I have a question. Is this a sick joke? I can’t bring myself to ask it out loud. Mr. Bartley isn’t any teacher. He’s a great teacher, my favorite teacher. 

He must have a reason why he wants us to be pretend we’re Nazis. I reread his note. It makes me more than uncomfortable. For the first time ever, I’m tempted to get out of class by asking to go to the girls’ bathroom or the nurse’s office. I could say I have a pounding headache. Thanks to this assignment, I do. 

Mr. Bartley leans against his desk, and when he notices me staring at him, his warm smile fades. I pick up my pen and trace the blood-red “TOP-SECRET” that’s stamped on top of the memo. I don’t get it. Why would Mr. Bartley want us to keep this a secret? History of World Governments is the fourth class I’ve taken with him, and we’ve never had any assignment like this. 

Soon after Mr. Bartley started teaching at Riviere High School my sophomore year, he became our most popular teacher. He has the kind of smile that makes you know you’ve been seen, that you matter. During lunch and his free periods, his room is always filled with students. I’ve liked him for bringing in guest speakers, for taking us on field trips, showing movies, and letting us decorate his papered walls with quotes, facts, and pictures for every new unit. I love to contribute quotes. He makes history exciting, interesting, and challenging. 

I run my thumbpad over the silver bracelet my cousin Blair gave me for my seventeenth birthday and wonder what she would think of this assignment. I’m tempted to take a photo and text it to her, but I don’t want to get caught with my phone and have it taken away. 

Cade’s bouncing knee catches my attention. He writes in his notebook, then flashes it at me. He’s drawn an X over “Nazi” and written, “No. Freaking. Way!”

The Allies defeated Nazi Germany during World War II. Why would I want to pretend I’m a Nazi? Mr. Bartley wants us to broaden our points of view. Really? How is it possible anyone would think murdering millions of people was okay? It’s simple. Killing is wrong. Debate over. This is ridiculous. 

Despise barely describes how I feel about this class and I have no one to blame but myself. I let Logan rope me into taking it instead of Advanced Web Design so we could spend more time together before we graduate. I look at my best friend and know it’s worth it. She’s worth it.

But this assignment? 

It fills me with dread. My grandparents grew up in Poland and lived through World War II. Grandpa was fifteen at the end of the war. Nana was fourteen. They immigrated to the United States in the late 1960s. The one time I asked Nana about her family, she smiled and said, “I have you right here.” Then she pulled me into her arms and squeezed me tight. 

A memory returns to me. I was twelve. Nana and my parents were at church, and Grandpa and I were in his workshop. The smells of linseed oil and sawdust filled the air. We were elves, making puzzles for Santa to give to children on Christmas. As we sanded the pieces we’d cut from old drawers, I asked Grandpa what his life was like when he was my age. I remember Grandpa said he didn’t like to talk about it, that lots of bad things happened in Poland during the war. His expression grew solemn. His tone was firm. “Promise me you won’t ask Nana about her childhood, either. It will only upset her,” he said. 

We kept working, but then a little while later he said, “Other than your grandma, I haven’t told another soul about my life in Poland. Not even your mom. But you’re old enough to understand, and I’m growing old.” He paused. “The story might frighten you.” 

I said I didn’t care.  

I can’t quite remember. Something about watching his Jewish neighbors being rounded up by Nazis? I buried those stories when we buried Grandpa two months later. 

Mr. Bartley plants himself in front of Logan’s center row. A murmur goes through the room as if Mr. Bartley broke a silencing spell. He holds up a palm like he’s a crossing guard halting traffic, and it’s quiet again. “Questions?” he asks. 

Logan’s hand shoots up, but then she lowers it when Mr. Bartley aims his clicker at the Smart Board and brings up the assignment. 

Kerrianne Nelson gets called on. “I’m confused. The Final Solution of the Jewish Question. Do you mean the Holocaust?” 

Mr. Bartley says, “Exactly. The Final Solution was the plan and implementation of the Holocaust.” 

“Ah, okay. I thought so.” She smiles at her boyfriend, Mason Hayes, but he’s too busy picking at a thread on his hockey jersey to notice. When she sees me looking at her, she frowns. Like most of the people at our school, I’ve known Kerrianne since kindergarten. We always got along, but for some reason when Logan moved to Riviere and joined us in eighth grade, Kerrianne stopped sitting with us at lunch and started hanging out with the hockey players. 

“Question, Spencer?” This is a surprise. Like me, Spencer Davis never raises his hand in class. If Spencer talks, it’s to his hockey teammates or to the girls he deems worthy of his time and attention. He claims to have hooked up with at least a dozen. As if. Thank everything holy Logan isn’t one of them. 

“Can we get extra credit for dressing up for the debate?” 

I turn around to see if he’s serious. Oh yeah. Dead serious. 

Mr. Bartley says, “Although I appreciate your desire for authenticity, Spencer, that does not extend to dress. No uniforms for this debate.” 

Someone whispers, “Damn.” I glance around, but I can’t figure out who it was. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Bartley--” Logan breaks off when Mr. Bartley calls on someone else. 

He answers a question about citing sources, then another on the structure of our papers that are due the same day as the debate. Moving over to his desk, Mr. Bartley grabs a paper bag and shakes it. He says, “Each of you will draw a number--either a one or two. Call it out after you pick. Mason, you start.” 

When it’s my turn, I mumble, “One.” Logan says, “Two.” 

“All the ones will take the pro side. Twos will take con,” Mr. Bartley says. “You may work together to create your platform, but your paper must be your own. Your arguments should be based on the Wannsee Conference held on January 20, 1942. A week from this coming Monday we’ll transform our room into the Wannsee Villa and hold our own top-secret Nazi conference to debate how to handle the biggest threat to the Aryan race--the Jew.” 

The Jew. The way he said it makes my skin crawl. 

Mr. Bartley advances to the next PowerPoint slide. “These were the fifteen Nazi men who came together to address how to handle the storage problem of Europe’s eleven million Jews. Adolf Eichmann is in the center because he was instrumental in implementing the Final Solution. He oversaw the deportation of Jews from their homes to ghettos to death camps. Tomorrow, we’ll watch the movie Conspiracy, which reenacts the meeting with these men.” 

Men? More like monsters, I think. 

“The movie will be a good resource, but I highly recommend you get a jump start tonight on your research to support your arguments.” 

“But they--they’re . . . Nazis,” Logan stammers without raising her hand. 

Mr. Bartley’s stern expression cautions her not to speak out of turn again. “Yes, and your job is to understand their mentality. I know re-creating this debate is a challenge, but history is filled with many horrors and this is an impactful way to learn. Experience is always a great teacher.” Mr. Bartley smiles. “Unless you’d rather memorize dates and facts and take multiple-choice tests like I had to in my boring high school history classes.” 

The room erupts with groans and “No thank yous.” 

Once again, Mr. Bartley raises a hand to quiet us down. “All right then. Back to the Wannsee Conference.” He goes through several more slides. My eyes meet Logan’s, and then hers dart over my shoulder. 

She gasps. I twist in my seat to see why Logan’s freaked out and my mouth drops open.

Jesse Elton stands and snaps his feet together. He lifts his right arm and salutes like a Nazi. “Heil Hitler,” he calls out. 

Several people laugh, and Jesse gives them an appreciative grin. Cade’s stunned expression matches mine. Does everyone else find that funny? I look around. Revulsion flashes across Daniel Riggs’s face, but it disappears so quickly that I question whether it was there to begin with. 

Spencer holds out his fist to Jesse, then mimics the salute and says, “Seig Heil. Hail victory.” 

This can’t be happening here, in my favorite class with my favorite teacher. 

And just as I wonder if Mr. Bartley is going to do something, he walks over to Spencer and Jesse. His tone is sharp as a blade cutting through metal. “Those actions are inappropriate. This isn’t a joke and you are never to make light of the Nazi salute and the hate it represents. I expect you to take this assignment seriously.” 

Jesse drops his gaze, but not his smirk. Spencer shrugs his shoulders and looks at Mason, the RHS varsity hockey team captain and my biggest rival for valedictorian. Jesse and Spencer are his guys, his teammates, and for one second I hold out hope that maybe Mason will be the leader he’s supposed to be, to say something, do something--even a look of disapproval. But he’s not looking at them. He’s not looking at anyone. He’s picking at a stupid thread on his jersey. 

Another teammate, Reginald Ashford, however, shoots daggers from across the room at Spencer and Jesse. The muscle in his jaw tics. He’s pissed. Good. There’s always been a bit of a rivalry between Mason and Reg, and now I can’t help but think Reg should have been team captain instead of the coach’s son. 

And then there’s Spencer. He shrugs his shoulders when he sees me glaring at him. Disgusted, I turn back in my seat. It hardly matters that Mr. Bartley reprimanded them. This assignment is a green light for these guys to act like Nazis. I don’t know if I’m more disappointed with Mr. Bartley or with Spencer and Jesse. Definitely Mr. Bartley. I don’t get why he thinks it’s a good idea to promote fascism by having us do an immoral debate. 

Mr. Bartley says, “Let me be clear. I am not asking you to be sympathetic to the Nazis. Quite the opposite. This is a serious examination of a historical event. Let’s learn from this moment and remember to be respectful.” He looks pointedly at Jesse and Spencer. 

“By examining these perspectives, this assignment gives you the opportunity to discuss and present a topic that will force you out of your comfort zone. Why is this important? It’s important because there will be plenty of times in your life when you’ll be in a situation where people will express ideas existentially and philosophically opposed to your own. It happens every day on the internet. You’ll face it on your college campuses.” Mr. Bartley looks at me. “The point is to understand all sides and be prepared to debate. I promise, after you complete this work, you’ll have a better grasp on how to create and present compelling arguments.” 

“But, Mr. Bartley--” 

He goes all traffic cop on me and I close my mouth. “Let me finish, Logan.”

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Delacorte Press (August 25, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593123166
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593123164
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL720L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.88 x 1.1 x 8.56 inches
• #339 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Values & Virtues (Books)
• #751 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Prejudice & Racism
• #3,813 in Teen & Young Adult Social Issues

About the author

Liza m. wiemer.

Liza Wiemer is an award-winning educator. She is the author of two adult non-fiction books and has contributed four short stories to the NYTBS Small Miracles Series. Her debut YA novel, HELLO?, was named a Goodreads Best YA Book of the Month. THE ASSIGNMENT has received 11 honors, including being named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book.

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• My Storyboards

Graphic Novels in the Classroom

Types Of Graphic Novels

The term graphic novel indicates is a rich tapestry of storytelling, encompassing a wide array of genres and themes. Understanding the different types is key to appreciating the diversity of this medium. Broadly, the medium can be classified into two primary categories: nonfiction and fiction.

Why Teach with Graphic Novels?

More and more teachers are encouraging their students to read graphic novels as part of their standard ELA curriculum. However, they are still sometimes given a bad rap because they make people think of poorly written comics - rather than great literary works with visual representation. "Graphic novel" really just means "long picture story" or "a novel in comic-strip format" and are often of the highest literary quality!

Comic books or graphic novels are a type of format for literature, not a genre. They can be in the form of fiction, non-fiction, history, fantasy; the sky's the limit! They use both illustrations and words in sequence to tell a story. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, graphic novels are generally more complex, stand-alone stories while comic books evoke the superhero genre. Both include detailed character descriptions and narrative arcs that are depicted in visuals as well as words.

In the earliest grades, when young readers are still learning letters and building vocabulary, they are encouraged to draw during "Writer's Workshop". As students get older, they are given fewer and fewer opportunities to create illustrated stories, despite the fact that we live in a very visual world. Most students (and teachers for that matter) are visual learners. Written skills are vital for college and the workplace, but images are as well. Social media, advertising, marketing, television, film, construction, engineering, and many more industries use imagery as a crucial part of their business.

Graphic Novel Project Ideas

New Kid by Jerry Craft and White Bird by R.J. Palacio , are examples of moving and thought provoking graphic novels taught at all levels. New Kid is popular for grades 3-6 while White Bird is often used in grades 4-7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Key Fitzgerald is a classic novel that has been taught in high school classrooms for decades. This graphic novel version adapted by Fred Fordham and Aya Mortonmakes allows this complex work to become accessible to all students. The storyboard graphic novels below are just a few examples of what students can create!

This project is the perfect way for younger readers and older kids to use their imaginations and write their own stories, summarize the plot of a graphic novel that they have read or to have students transfer their knowledge of another piece of literature into a different form. Many popular novels have been turned into graphic novels to meet a broader audience and introduce students of all abilities to classic works of literature.

How to storyboard a graphic novel can be daunting. But, never fear! We have many organizers to choose from in our templates collection. Check out our versatile Graphic Novel Templates ! Remember, when giving your students an assignment in Storyboard That, you can add as many templates as you like to differentiate and provide student choice!

My point: Both images and words tell stories. Both images and words can tell great stories, on their own or together. Don't know how to make a comic book for a school project? These templates can help! Click on any of the storyboards below to be brought into the Creator to customize as you wish!

Exploring Graphic Fiction and Novel Examples

Creating a graphic novel requires a unique blend of narrative storytelling and visual artistry, making it a challenging yet rewarding creative process. How to create graphic novels that captivate readers and convey powerful narratives is a craft that many artists and writers strive to master through a combination of storytelling finesse and artistic expression. Examples of well-crafted graphic novels can serve as valuable guides, helping aspiring creators cultivate the skills and techniques needed to design their narratives effectively and engage readers visually.

• "Watchmen" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is a quintessential example of graphic fiction, known for its intricate storytelling and thought-provoking exploration of complex characters and societal themes.
• "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel and "Blankets" by Craig Thompson are both notable graphic memoir examples that artfully blend personal storytelling with the visual language of graphic novels, offering readers a unique and introspective experience.
• "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi is a compelling example of graphic novels that beautifully combines storytelling and illustration to tell a personal and historical narrative.
• Another example that has had a profound impact on the medium is "Maus" by Art Spiegelman, known for its powerful storytelling and unique visual style.

Popular Graphic Novel Examples for High School

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds deals with mature themes and is a powerful book to introduce to middle and high schoolers in grades 8-12. While New Kid and White Bird were originally written as graphic novels, Long Way Down was a novel written in verse that was later converted into this format by Jason Reynolds and Danica Novogorodoff. Many high school English teachers have been incorporating graphic novel project ideas into their curriculum. They have included these versions of literature as both a way to reach all readers and to enhance the original literary work with visual art! Teachers and students have been overjoyed to find many of the classics that are often taught in school are now available in such an engaging format.

The comic book storyboard example below showcases how students can use Storyboard That to demonstrate their understanding and analysis as well as their creativity for a book like Long Way Down . Using the creator, students can retell a story or create a storyboard of their own!

Literary works of all genres are being adapted into graphic novel form. Some other graphic fiction examples of classic novels that are perfect for high schoolers are:

• The Handmaid’s Tale : The Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault
• The Odyssey by Homer and Gareth Hinds
• To Kill a Mockingbird : A Graphic Novel by Harper Lee and Fred Fordham
• Jane by Charlotte Brontë, Aline Brosh McKenna, and Ramón K. Pérez
• Animal Farm by George Orwell and Odyr
• Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Damian Duffy and Octavia Butler
• Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carrol
• Dune: The Graphic Novel by Brian Herbert, Kevin Anderson, Frank Herbert, and Raul Allen

Powerful graphic story examples written for high school students and adults are:

• The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
• The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol
• I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib
• Displacement by Kiku Hughes
• Hey Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
• March Trilogy by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, L. Fury, and Nate Powell
• I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina, John Jennings, and Stacey Robinson

Popular Graphic Novel Examples for Middle School

Some examples of popular literature turned into graphic novels that are perfect for middle schoolers are:

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell
• The Giver : The Graphic Novel by Lois Lowry and P. Craig Russell
• Anne Frank's Diary : The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank, David Polonsky and Ari Folman

In addition, some examples for middle school include:

• They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Elsinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker;
• Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova
• All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson
• Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
• Real Friends by Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham
• Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales by Nathan Hale
• The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag
• Smile, Drama, and Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

These storyboards depicting the narrative arc of the story for The Giver and The Diary of Anne Frank are an engaging way for students to summarize the important parts of a story in graphic novel form.

Popular Graphic Novel Examples for Elementary School

An example of a classic book that was turned into a graphic novel that is compelling for upper elementary school is:

• A Wrinkle in Time : The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L'Engle and Hope Larson

More examples of award-winning graphic novel stories that elementary students love are:

• Smile by Raina Telgemeier
• El Deafo by Cece Bell
• Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi
• Bone by Jeff Smith
• New Kid by Jerry Craft
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is "hybrid" or cross between a typical novel and a graphic novel as it integrates drawings within the text.

Reading graphic novels with students and using these lesson plans in the classroom engages even the most reluctant readers. Once they are captivated, they will forget that they are reading a complex work of literature that encourages them to utliize their critical thinking skills! The copiable storyboards below depict examples of what a student could make if they were to turn A Wrinkle in Time or New Kid into their own graphic novel.

How to Make a Graphic Novel on Storyboard That

Learning how to create graphic novels requires a combination of narrative skill and visual artistry, making it an exciting and multifaceted creative endeavor. Exploring how to make a comic book for school projects can be a fun and educational endeavor, allowing students to combine their creativity and storytelling skills in a visually engaging format. The parts, such as panels, speech bubbles, and page layout, all play crucial roles in conveying the story and engaging the reader visually and narratively.

A graphic novel is not just a quick comic that can be told in a few cells, it's a longer narrative. So, that means lots and lots of pictures. However, pictures are not the only part of a graphic novel. Again: novel . While you may not be interested in having your students create hundreds of pages, short stories and modern adaptations of classic literature make an excellent graphic novel project. In addition to forming a plot, students still need to consider literary conflict, character development, themes, and a whole host of other literary elements.

True professional novel writing usually takes months, and more likely years, to complete. A professionally published graphic novel is no different. Graphic novels require the same writing process as any storytelling project. My example below is not a finished product, but it is a great start. Take a look at this quick guide to the writing process, so you and your students can get crackin'!

How to Plan a Graphic Novel Project

Graphic story writing engages all of the same critical thinking skills of classic pen to paper writing. It is important to help students brainstorm their graphic story ideas by providing structured steps or scaffolding the assignment. Students can ask themselves: What is the story going to be about? What is the setting? Who are the main characters? Who are the supporting characters? What is the main conflict? What happens in the end? These are all important big ideas to think about when planning. Details come later, focus on the big picture.

Need some help? Check out the article on spider maps , our storyboard templates , the " Story Starters " activity, or create your own graphic organizer to plan!

You can make your own handy visual for the steps in the writing process like the one on the left using our How-To Infographic Templates !

Make a Draft

Drafting with a storyboard is a lot of fun! Any graphic novel format can begin with a draft storyboard which is when your story really comes together. Take all those ideas and arrange them into a basic story structure. This could look very different for a graphic novel than a piece of straight writing. It might involve putting characters and/or scenes in the cells, but not customizing them. A handy trick with the Storyboard Creator is copying and moving cells. That way, you can add more cells in between other cells, copy cells and make slight changes, rearrange cell order, and more.

Drafts are supposed to be sketches of the final project, not the final story. The first draft and the published work could be miles apart - and that's fine. Don't try to get everything right the first time - it will only be frustrating. The draft is there just to get the ideas in a coherent (or not) order - to move into the shape of a story. It is not until all of the ideas are laid out before you that you can make sense of them and make them good!

You've got the basics. Now it is time for you to work in some magic: details, descriptions, new ideas, new angles, color, poses, speech bubbles, cropping, layering, customization... This is when you get to SEE your story unfolding.

Pro Tip: Copy the work you've already done. Save time by copying characters, scenes, and items that are already in your storyboard instead of looking for them again. That way, you will have the same color and/or filter choices selected. Copy entire cells if some things stay the same from frame to frame, especially if the action occurs in the same scene. You can still adjust everything to suit the needs of the new cell.

In the example storyboard below, the top row represents a very basic idea of what I want to happen in the story, or my draft. The bottom row shows what it might look like after I have solidified my story and started to make revisions and add details.

Revise Again

Yep. The revision stage can last a long time. Revising is my favorite part, but it is also the hardest part. Changing the hard work you have already put in might be difficult to take. That being said, I suggest having someone else look at your work during an optional peer-revision step . It is important that someone that doesn't have the story mapped out in their head can follow!

Check to make sure you have the colors you want, the cropping right, the transitions just how you want them. Are all the words spelled correctly? Do you have the right punctuation? Is the progression of cells clear to the reader?

Yes, you spent some time editing. Now is the time that you get that magnifying glass out. You might even want to have someone else proofread your work, since you have already gone over it many times.

Share your work in class or online. Storyboard That has several options to print your amazing graphic novel, too. There is nothing like holding a published piece of your work in your hand.

Add in video and audio for some amazing digital storytelling! Be sure to check out Storyboard That with PPT and More for more ideas on what to do with your masterpiece.

My First Chapter of Juniprix

Related Activities

How To Integrate Graphic Novels With Other Subjects In The Classroom Using Effective Cross-Curricular Connections

Choose the appropriate graphic novel.

Select a graphic novel that is appropriate for your subject area and grade level. Consider the themes and concepts that you want to teach and choose a graphic novel that aligns with your goals.

Plan The Cross-Curricular Connections

Identify specific connections between the graphic novel and other subjects. For example, a graphic novel about a historical event can be used to teach history, while a graphic novel about climate change can be used to teach science.

Introduce The Graphic Novel

Introduce the graphic novel to students and provide context for the subject area and themes that it explores. Preview the graphic novel and discuss any unfamiliar terminology or historical events.

Read And Analyze The Graphic Novel

Read the graphic novel with students and analyze it using specific critical thinking skills. For example, in a social studies class, students can analyze the author's use of imagery to convey historical events or the use of dialogue to develop characters.

Make Cross-Curricular Connections

Incorporate the cross-curricular connections that you planned into the lesson. For example, in a science class, students can analyze a graphic novel about climate change and use it as a springboard for a research project on the topic.

Assess Student Learning

Assess student learning using a variety of methods, such as a quiz, a written response, or a project. Provide feedback on student work and assess whether they have met the learning goals for the lesson.

Reflect On The Lesson

Reflect on the lesson and evaluate its effectiveness. Consider what worked well and what could be improved for next time. Make adjustments as needed to improve the integration of graphic novels with other subjects in the classroom.

Frequently Asked Questions about Graphic Novels

What is manga.

Manga is a style of comic books and graphic novels originating from Japan but embraced by readers worldwide. It is characterized by its black-and-white art style and iconic character design, featuring expressive, often large eyes. Manga encompasses a wide spectrum of genres, appealing to various age groups, and is typically serialized in magazines before being compiled into volumes. The reading direction is right-to-left, with different demographics like shonen for boys, shojo for girls, seinen for men, and josei for women. Manga artists often have unique styles, and popular series like "Naruto," "One Piece," and "Attack on Titan" have made manga a global phenomenon with a diverse and devoted fan base.

How do comic books differ from graphic novels?

Comic books and graphic novels are both sequential art forms, but they differ primarily in their format and content. Comic books are shorter, serialized publications, often with a stapled or saddle-stitched binding. They are typically part of an ongoing series and are generally shorter in length. Graphic novels, on the other hand, are longer, self-contained works with a more complex and extended narrative. They are often published as standalone books and cover a wider range of genres and subject matter, making them suitable for diverse readerships. While both mediums use illustrations and text to tell a story, graphic novels tend to offer more depth and sophistication in their storytelling, character development, and artistic quality, making them a distinct and respected form of literature within the realm of comics.

What are the key elements of a graphic novel?

Graphic novels, as a medium for storytelling, combine both visual and literary elements to convey a narrative. Some of the key elements that contribute to the structure and effectiveness of graphic novels are visual art, narrative structure, characters, text, layout, themes, design, and other genre-specific elements.

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• Entertainment
• Review: In <i>The Assignment</i>, Michelle Rodriguez Is a Hitman Caught Between Worlds

Review: In The Assignment , Michelle Rodriguez Is a Hitman Caught Between Worlds

W riter-producer-director and pulp maestro Walter Hill has been rattling cages and delivering quality thrills since the early 1970s. He made his directorial debut with Hard Times (1975), a scrappy, bruising drama starring Charles Bronson as a Depression-era bare-knuckles boxer. He’s also the guy behind the New York City street-gang extravaganza The Warriors (1979), the stolen-gold nail biter Trespass (1992) and The Driver (1978), with Ryan O’Neal, the ruminative getaway drama that helped inspire Edgar Wright’s upcoming car-chase musical Baby Driver .

Hill has influenced plenty of filmmakers—not just Wright, but also Michael Mann and Quentin Tarantino, to name just a few—though he hasn’t been particularly prolific as a director in recent years. His new film, The Assignment, isn’t likely to win him any new friends: Michelle Rodriguez stars as killer-for-hire Frank Kitchen, whose life is upended when he’s captured and knocked out by a gang of baddies, only to wake up wrapped in bandages—and a woman. The surgeon genius behind this transformation is steely-cool Dr. Rachel Kay ( Sigourney Weaver ), a straitjacketed jailbird who tells her own story to an earnest prison shrink played by Tony Shalhoub. Between Dr. Kay’s calculating testimony and and Frank’s sometimes anguished first-person account, delivered in voice-over, we piece together exactly what happened to Frank and how he/she went about wreaking revenge.

Not all of Hill’s movies are great, and The Assignment certainly isn’t. Maybe, in the strictest terms, it isn’t even any good. But even a mediocre Walter Hill film has more style and energy—and a finer sense of the sweet spot between joy and despair—than ninety percent of the action thrillers that get made today. Considering its over-the-top plot mechanics, The Assignment isn’t quite as nutso and passionate as it ought to be. Even the violence, gritty at times, feels a little impersonal and detached. But the film’s tawdry precision is compelling by itself.

In the opening sequence, we see a face in profile, almost entirely obscured by gauze, as a throaty voice launches into a preamble: “I killed a lot of guys…” Before we meet the teller of the tale—as a she, she doesn’t even have a name—we meet the man she used to be. Frank is a Casanova with piercing eyes and soot-black facial hair that could have been lifted from a 1960s dime-store toy, the one where you use a magnetic stylus to arrange piles of metal shavings, encased in a blister-pack bubble, into outlandish beards and sideburns for a cartoon man’s face.

In other words, it looks fake. But even the exaggerated macho-ness of that hair may be a kind of intentional overstatement. Frank goes out and picks up a young woman, Johnnie (Caitlin Gerard). They have hot, rowdy sex, and Johnnie suggests she might like to see Frank again. He’s positioned, perfectly, to be the quintessential clueless, oafish guy who never calls again.

But Frank does call Johnnie again—only he does so after he’s no longer Frank, after his previous identity, with all its he-man hallmarks, has been quite literally cut away. Rodriguez gives a smart, sharp performance here. She’s playing a character that is, almost literally, a cartoon. Every once in a while, Hill freezes a frame and transforms the image into a literal comic-book panel, a way of reminding that we’re watching something beyond reality (and a device he used in his own cut of The Warriors years ago, before it became commonplace). But as Rodriguez plays them, her character’s anguish and confusion are hardly cartoony.

She’s lost in her new identity, but the problem is less that she’s adjusting to being a woman than that she’s learning new things about being human. She adopts a pit-bull named Poncho. He’s as tender-tough as she is, as unsure exactly how he should act or what he should be. Rodriguez has the face of someone who’s just feeling her way along. Everything is a new puzzle, but there are pleasant surprises too. When her face registers relief or pleasure, it’s like the sun elbowing a thundercloud out of the way.

When The Assignment played at the Toronto Film Festival last fall—at that time, it was called (re)Assignment, a much better title, though its earlier working title, Tomboy, was perhaps best of all—it drew criticism for being insensitive toward, or at least cavalier about, transgender issues. But even if you discount the fact that films aren’t required to be public service announcements—in fact, they’re usually pretty bad when they are—the ideas behind The Assignment are more complex than they might seem on the surface. Many of them are also pure Walter Hill: The script was written by journalist, novelist and screenwriter Denis Hamill more than 30 years ago, and it borrows pulp elements of previous Hill films like Johnny Handsome (1989), in which Mickey Rourke plays a deformed gangster whose face is transformed by plastic surgery.

In Hill’s movies, men make mistakes right and left, and suffer for them. In The Assignment, Frank doesn’t choose to become a woman, and he desperately wants not to be one. But what if his enforced rebirth represents a second chance, a chance to be better? That’s one of the ideas The Assignment, in its sometimes awkward way, flirts with. It also crawls through the dust toward another cruel reality: Maybe it takes a woman who used to be a man to understand just how much of a man’s world this really is.

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The assignment | blu-ray review.

Picked up by Saban Films for US distribution, a retitled version hit theaters, (but barely, and after it was already made available on VOD) in April of 2017, and was subsequently slaughtered by culture critics unable to deliberate the gender politics of a vengeance narrative refusing to play by the rules of good taste. That said, despite some questionable choices, it’s a pulp-fueled grungy neo-noir and a marvelously campy Sigourney Weaver manages to smooth over the film’s jarringly jagged edges.

In present day San Francisco, brilliant but demented surgeon Dr. Rachel Kay (Sigourney Weaver) is being reevaluated by a psychiatrist (Tony Shalhoub) who has been charged with determining if the woman, deemed clinically insane, is now mentally fit to withstand trial. It seems she was found wounded on an operating table with the bodies of several corpses around strewn about in her illegal underground clinic where she frequently experimented on ‘disposable’ people her hired thugs would fetch. The good doctor insists she didn’t murder her bodyguards, which instead was the work of an assassin, Frank Kitchen (Michelle Rodriguez), a man she had taken vengeance on two years prior by drugging him and performing sex reassignment surgery to turn him into a woman. But there’s no record of a man or woman with such a name, and no evidence to suggest anyone else was at the scene of the crime. But as Dr. Kay tells her tale, the odyssey of Frank’s transition, and how it played into the current state of affairs, is revealed.

Those concerned with a cisgender woman portraying a reluctant trans woman (the same audience members, who, by default, must also believe LGBT performers can only portray LGBT characters defined by their representative letter) should note Hill isn’t the first director to formulate a revenge plot around forced sex reassignment, recently explored in Pedro Almodovar’s The Skin I Live In (2011), and with greater complexity by Rainer Werner Fassbinder back in 1978 with In a Year with 13 Moons . Rather, this plot device would seem to belong to a particular subgenre of body horror. But Hill and screenwriter Denis Hamill amp up the camp of both those auteurs with this treatment, which also resembles a plot point of Hill’s underrated 1989 neo noir Johnny Handsome . As evidenced by the comic book swipe transitions Hill recently formulated in a director’s cut of his classic The Warriors (1979), this is clearly supposed to be entertaining pulp, and clearly not as a logical representation of an actual transgender trajectory (as evidenced by a slick and magical surgical transition, reminiscent of vintage Hollywood studio films where marred beauty was always easily restored).

As Frank, Rodriguez is front and center (her most notable leading performance since 2000 breakout Girlfight ), voiced with a gruff machismo, and leading the film through a series of flashbacks, involving a swath of vengeful killings which do little to enliven the film with any real energy (likewise, a rather wan supporting turn from Caitlin Gerard as nurse Johnny seems to be on hand merely for a surprise reveal). The formulation of Frank’s punishment is much like the Penelope Cruz character of Don’t Tempt Me (2001), a mobster turned into a woman as part of her punishment while residing in hell. The point of Hill’s film isn’t to degrade or demean, but instead exists on a spectrum depicting and dealing with inherent cultural misogyny—if a punishment worse than death is to exist as a woman, the film underlines the continual problematic notions of gender in a world where men are considered superior (to borrow a snatch from Madonna, “Because you think being a girl is degrading”). The psychological shadings of (re)Assignment aren’t so layered or cerebral as this would suggest, and in many ways the film resembles exploitation cinema in style and tone.

However, what makes The Assignment of automatic note is a deliriously funny performance from a deadpan Sigourney Weaver as the psychotic Dr. Rachel Kay, the actor’s first real turn calibrated specifically for camp. A pretentious and privileged surgeon, she’s interviewed in a straitjacket by physician Tony Shalhoub—why and how she ended up in such a position is revealed through large swaths of exposition, divulged via chewy chunks of mocking banter where Weaver belittles her colleague through literary allusions to Poe and Shakespeare. A generous amount of withering monologues delivered by her unhinged surgeon buoy the film with some priceless comic relief.

On the technical side, DP James Liston manages to make the film look like one of Hill’s 80s action titles (with Canada standing in for San Francisco), while increasingly meticulous intertitles announcing specific times and locations eventually mutates into an exaggerated, ongoing joke. And perhaps best of all is a phenomenal synth score from none other than Giorgio Moroder adding an additional layer of grungy ambience, marking The Assignment as a gem for those who can appreciate bold, retro style spliced with button pushing genre.

Disc Review:

It’s no surprise to see The Assignment receive a bare bones home entertainment release, although this high-definition presentation with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio in widescreen 2.39:1 doesn’t do the minuscule budget of the film any real favors. A lack of any significant bonus features also instills a sense of neglect from all corners, despite the noted controversy the film engaged and its defense from Hill and his two leading ladies, who also notably supported the film during its release.

Filmmaking Portraits: A two minute montage of behind-the-scenes pictures of Hill and his cast members set to the film’s score comprises the lone extra features.

Final Thoughts:

Perhaps destined as an uninformed punchline for unacceptable representations of transgendered characters, The Assignment (which kept the moniker Tomboy for its UK release) is not a film about being transgendered. Its attempt to be a brutal condemnation of immorality and masculinity, however tone-deaf, provides the loquacious crux of an old-fashioned revenge thriller from a maverick director whose greatest slight was delivering a compromised product hobbled by a meager budget and a distracting lead performance from Michelle Rodriguez.

Film Review: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆ Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.

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The Assignment

After waking up and discovering that he has undergone gender reassignment surgery, an assassin seeks to find the doctor responsible. After waking up and discovering that he has undergone gender reassignment surgery, an assassin seeks to find the doctor responsible. After waking up and discovering that he has undergone gender reassignment surgery, an assassin seeks to find the doctor responsible.

• Walter Hill
• Denis Hamill
• Michelle Rodriguez
• Tony Shalhoub
• Anthony LaPaglia
• 140 User reviews
• 89 Critic reviews
• 34 Metascore
• 1 win & 1 nomination

• Frank Kitchen

• Dr. Ralph Galen

• Honest John

• Nurse Becker

• Doctor Rachel Jane

• Sebastian Jane
• Hotel Manager

• Earl Hawkins

• Office Nurse

• Vladimir Gorski

• Mexican Man

• Stenographer
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia The first draft of the screenplay was written in 1978.
• Goofs At around 48:06, when the main character is videotaping herself, she points a gun directly at the camera from a distance of probably less than a foot. This has the unintended consequence of revealing that the pistol is an Airsoft replica of an M1911 .45 ACP with a much-smaller inner muzzle than that of the real firearm.

[first lines]

Frank Kitchen : I killed a lot of guys. They were worthless pieces of shit, but I killed them, and you're not supposed to kill people. So what happened to me? I guess maybe in the end... it was a lot better than what I deserved. But it takes a long time to work that out. In the meantime, you just want to get get even.

• Soundtracks Blindfold Written by Joseph Hicks Performed by Halo Stereo

User reviews 140

• supermario1
• Mar 25, 2020
• How long is The Assignment? Powered by Alexa
• March 3, 2017 (United States)
• United States
• Official site (Japan)
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $5,000,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 35 minutes

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, the assignment.

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“ The Assignment ” is a film that arrives in theaters having already inspired vast outpourings of anger from two groups —the transgender community, which appears to be offended by its very premise, and action buffs, who are put off both by the premise (albeit for different reasons) and what they feel is a lazy execution that fails to offer the requisite thrills. While I am sympathetic to the complaints of both groups (somewhat more for the former) and recognize that it is indeed deeply flawed in many areas, I cannot quite agree with either. This is a modestly scaled B-movie by one of the best genre filmmakers of our time, Walter Hill , that has enough skill and personality going for it to make it worth checking out, even if it doesn’t quite live up (or down, depending on your perspective) to its borderline sleazy premise.

And what is that premise, you ask? In a nutshell, Frank Kitchen ( Michelle Rodriguez … just keep reading) is a ruthless San Francisco hitman who runs afoul of Dr. Rachel Kay ( Sigourney Weaver ), a brilliant but deranged surgeon who has lost her license for conducting various rogue experiments. Frank kills Dr. Kay’s brother, and the good doctor seeks vengeance and experimental research into the importance of physical identity on the psyche. She arranges with crime boss Honest John Hartunian ( Anthony LaPaglia ) to have him grab Frank and bring him to her secret lab, where she proceeds to perform gender reassignment surgery on him. Dr. Kay asserts that the surgery will take away Frank’s desire to kill. Needless to say, Frank sees things a little differently, and, once she discovers that the surgery cannot be reversed, she methodically hatches a grisly revenge plot on everyone involved with her transformation from Honest John and his goons all the way up to Dr. Kay. Helping Frank in her quest is Johnnie ( Caitlin Gerard ), a nurse with whom Frank had a one-night stand before his transformation and who doesn’t seem particularly nonplussed by recent developments, though it seems that she may be harboring a few secrets of her own.

At first blush, one can easily understand why the transgender community might be a tad put off by the very existence of “The Assignment,” but the actual film is nowhere near as offensive as it might initially seem. For one thing, the film as a whole is so willfully and deliberately pulpy in tone (I could easily see a short version of this tale fitting perfectly into the confines of a “ Sin City ” film) that it is hard to take the alleged provocations on display with any degree of seriousness—this is a film that is so archetypal in nature that the sort-of sweethearts at its center are literally named Frank(ie) and Johnnie. Additionally, to suggest that Frank is meant to represent all transgender people is nonsense because he is clearly not one himself, and, outside of the obvious physical construct, little about him changes after undergoing his forced surgery. I would also point out that no less of a filmmaker than Pedro Almodovar used the notion of unwilling gender reassignment surgery as a plot point in his own unabashed genre exercise, “ The Skin I Live In ,” and no one seemed especially put off by it even though the deployment there was arguably more questionable from a taste perspective than what is seen here.

That said, “The Assignment” is still a problematic work in many ways from a purely cinematic perspective. The screenplay by Hill & Denis Hamill (which Hill has been toying with since the late ‘70s) is an awkward construction with much of the story presented in a series of flashbacks, as the now-incarcerated Dr. Kay recounts the story to another psychiatrist ( Tony Shalhoub ). This concept is especially problematic since Hill is at his best when he allows characters to define themselves purely through their actions instead of relentlessly explaining themselves as they do here. The film also screams out for a more overtly stylized visual treatment in the vein of something like his great “ Streets of Fire ”—a fact underlined by the occasional bits of black-and-white photography and comic book-style transitions—that might have also helped to underscore the kind of pulpy approach Hill was clearly going for. Another big problem, at least at first, is the casting of Michelle Rodriguez as Frank. There is nothing wrong with her performance but the early scenes in which she portrays the male version of Frank, complete with a wildly unconvincing beard and a lingering close-up of his genitalia for good measure, do inspire a few bad laughs right when the film is trying to establish itself. For some viewers, it may never recover from that.

For those who can get beyond that, “The Assignment” contains plenty of points of interest. Sigourney Weaver is pretty much a blast throughout as the snidely condescending doctor who sets all of the events into motion. As for Rodriguez, once she sheds the beard, her performance improves greatly. Obviously, we know she can do the steely-eyed badass stuff as well as anyone else but she also gets a couple of quieter moments amidst the chaos where she displays a more vulnerable side without stepping out of character—in one, she consults a doctor about whether the surgery can be reversed and begins shyly inquiring about certain personal details regarding her new equipment. In the other, she is about to go to bed with Johnnie when she realizes that she has no idea of how to approach lovemaking from a female perspective. (“You’ll do fine,” she is reassured in a line that is both funny and strangely touching.) As for Hill, while he is clearly working with a lower budget than usual here (with Vancouver substituting, not too convincingly, for San Francisco), he is still able to establish a convincingly noir attitude toward the material and the scenes of violence are done in a spare and economical style that is a relief from the over-the-top pyrotechnics of most current action films. (He also gets bonus points for employing Giorgio Moroder to deliver a cheerfully retro synth score.)

It is easy to see how the dramatic excesses of the plot could prove offensive to the transgender community, though I can just as easily see “The Assignment” one day becoming a cult favorite in the way that the once-controversial “ Cruising ” would eventually find some fans within the gay community that once scorned it. As an exercise in unapologetic pulp fiction, it gets the job done in a smart, efficient and slyly subversive manner. As the latest entry in the Walter Hill filmography, it definitely belongs on the second tier. Even though it may not be the equal to a classic like “ The Driver ” or “Streets of Fire,” it will do until that next masterwork does come along.

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

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The Assignment (2017)

Rated R for graphic nudity, violence, sexuality, language and drug use.

Michelle Rodriguez as Frank Kitchen / Tomboy

Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Rachel Kay

Tony Shalhoub as Dr. Ralph Galen

Caitlin Gerard as Johnnie

Anthony LaPaglia as Honest John Hartunian

Paul McGillion as Paul Wincott

• Walter Hill

Writer (story)

• Denis Hamill

Cinematographer

• James Liston
• Phil Norden
• Giorgio Moroder
• Raney Shockne

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By Daniel E. Slotnik and Amelia Nierenberg

Israel strikes Iran

Israel struck Iran early this morning, according to two Israeli defense officials, in what appeared to be the country’s first military response to Iran’s attack last weekend.

Three Iranian officials confirmed that a strike had hit a military air base near the central Iranian city of Isfahan early on Friday, but did not say which country had attacked.

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For days, Israeli leaders have threatened to respond to Iran’s strikes, which turned the two countries’ yearslong shadow war into a direct confrontation. The attack came after the U.S. and European allies imposed new sanctions on Iranian military leaders and weapons makers, while imploring Israel not to risk a wider war by retaliating too strongly.

Read the latest updates here .

The world’s biggest election begins

Voting begins today in a multistage election in India in which hundreds of millions of people will cast ballots to determine whether their country’s powerful prime minister, Narendra Modi, will win a third term in office.

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My colleague Amelia Nierenberg spoke to Mujib Mashal, the South Asia bureau chief.

How likely is a victory for Modi?

Modi and his coalition, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, have a huge, solid majority. And despite an anti-incumbency ethos in Indian elections, Modi is different — his personal appeal is huge. He’s very popular. And he basically rules as one man, without having to go through regular parliamentary discussions and debates.

However, there can always be a surprise element in Indian elections. That’s particularly true because Modi has such tight control of the media and information that you may never get an exact sense of what could be percolating on the ground.

What is Modi’s pitch?

He argues that his 10 years in office have helped India’s stature on the global stage. He says that India is rising as an economic and diplomatic power and that he’s helping to inject some ambition into the country.

And a lot of people say that Modi’s 10 years have brought some stability to the country. But there’s a contradiction in India’s rise. While it’s growing as an economic and diplomatic power, it’s a very unequal growth. The economy is not creating enough jobs for its huge youth population, and hundreds of millions of people are still at the mercy of government rations.

A lot of his pitch remains along religious lines. He mixes economic and development appeal with a strong Hindu nationalist, Hindu-first appeal.

Modi wants India as a developed country. He also wants it to develop according to a Hindu nationalist vision.

He brings it all together in this one simple narrative: He is helping India rise. For him, for his party, the identity of India is directly linked to the idea of Hinduism.

What’s the opposition’s strategy?

Their pitch is largely a criticism of Modi. But they are struggling for ideological clarity, beyond the fact that Modi is growing autocratic, that Modi is following politics of communal hate and that Modi is favoring his billionaire friends.

How are people feeling about this election?

The pride in voting is great — people celebrate the process, which the turnout makes clear. But, increasingly, there’s also this sense that voting itself is overemphasized, and that democracy is not just about voting. It’s also what happens when a kind of strongman like Modi uses his popularity to reshape that democracy between the votes.

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That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend. — Dan

You can reach Dan and the team at [email protected] .

Daniel E. Slotnik is a general assignment reporter on the Metro desk and a 2020 New York Times reporting fellow. More about Daniel E. Slotnik

Amelia Nierenberg writes the Asia Pacific Morning Briefing , a global newsletter. More about Amelia Nierenberg