{{italic title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}} {{Use South African English|date=November 2022|reason=multiple issues}} {{Infobox film | name = Critical Assignment | image = Critical Assignment poster.jpg | alt = Promotional poster for ''Critical Assignment'' | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Dennis Gansel | producer = Bob Mahoney | screenplay = Tunde Babalola<br>Celia Couchman<br>Bob Mahoney | cinematography = Michael Alan Brierley | starring = Cleveland Mitchell<br>Moshidi Motshegwa<br>Terence Reis<br>Craig Gardner<br>Richard Mofe-Damijo | music = Joe Campbell<br>Paul Hart | studio = MPTM<br>Moonlighting Films | distributor = ACI | released = {{Film date|2004}} | runtime = | country = United Kingdom<br>South Africa | language = English | budget = | gross = }} '''''Critical Assignment''''' is a 2004 African action film directed by Jason Xenopoulos. It involves a journalist, Michael Power, who is going against a politician who is acquiring weapons and diverting water from the people.

Betty Onuh of the Nigerian magazine ''Newswatch'' stated "Essentially, it is a story "written and directed by Africans and for Africans.""<ref name=Onuh>{{cite web|author=Onuh, Betty|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200304070134.html|title=Michael Power in Critical Assignment|publisher=Newswatch (Nigeria) at Allafrica.com|date=2003-04-07|accessdate=2017-08-13|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030420210629/http://allafrica.com/stories/200304070134.html|archivedate=2003-04-20}}</ref> Eric Frank, Saatchi & Saatchi Africa Network MD, described ''Critical Assignment'' as "the largest Pan-African marketing initiative ever undertaken by Guinness Africa and it underscores the transition of both Guinness and its action hero, Michael Power, to Lovemark status."<ref>{{cite web|author=Gibbons, Chris|url=http://www.adfocus.co.za/adfocus2004/zzzadz.htm|title=The mark of a loved one|publisher=Adfocus|date=2004-05-14|accessdate=2017-08-13|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041022142414/http://www.adfocus.co.za/adfocus2004/zzzadz.htm|archivedate=2004-10-22}}</ref>

==Creation and filming== Guinness Nigeria Plc created and financed the film; the company did not reveal the budget.<ref name=Tempo>{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200302250710.html|title=Michael Power's Critical Assignment|publisher=Tempo|date=2003-02-25|accessdate=2017-08-13|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030418060709/http://allafrica.com/stories/200302250710.html|archivedate=2003-04-18}}</ref> Bob Mahoney, a British man, served as the film's producer.<ref name=Foster>{{cite web|author=Foster, Jo|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2956043.stm|title=Africa's very own 'James Bond'|publisher=BBC|date=2003-04-17|access-date=2017-08-12}}</ref> It was filmed in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.<ref name=Tempo/> South African Jason Xenopoulos directed the film and Nigerian Tunde Babalola wrote the screenplay.<ref name=Onuh/>

The film had a budget that was unusually large for a sub-Saharan African film. According to Jo Foster of the BBC, "As an action movie Critical Assignment is not terribly original. But as an African action movie it is rather unique."<ref name=Foster/>

According to the producers, the goal was entertainment and there were no plans to show realism. Mahoney stated "We made a conscious effort at points in the script to get back out there and show Africa".<ref name=Foster/>

According to Guinness Nigeria corporate department director Tunde Savage, the film was made to promote universal access to clean water and not for profit reasons.<ref name=Tempo/>

==Cast== *Cleveland Mitchell as Michael Power *Omanza Shaw as Harry Mogaji **Harry, who wants to improve his village, is Michael Power's ally and friend. Shaw is Ghanaian actor who played a stowaway in the 1996 film ''Deadly Voyage''.<ref name=Accramail>{{cite web|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/Ladies-in-Michael-Power-s-Critical-Assignment-32950|title=Ladies in Michael Power's "Critical Assignment"|publisher=Accra Mail at Ghanaweb.com|date=2003-02-17|accessdate=2017-08-13}}</ref> *Moshidi Motshegwa as Anita ** Anita was the second feature film role that Motshegwa played. She was 26 years old at the time of filming.<ref name=Accramail/> Motshegwa is from South Africa.<ref name=Onuh/> *Thami Ngubeni as Sabina **Ngubeni, a South African,<ref name=Onuh/> was 26 years old at the time of filming.<ref name=Accramail/> *Louise Barnes as Laura

Other actors included Nigerians Buki Ajayi and Richard Mofe-Damijo.<ref name=Onuh/>

==Reception== According to Foster the film felt "at times,[...]like a promotional film for the African tourist board", without poverty and blight that were common in sub-Saharan Africa.<ref name=Foster/> She stated that an audience in Cameroon had a positive reception to the film because it showed Cameroonian landmarks.<ref name=Foster/>

''Tempo'' stated that "Overall, it is a good starting point for Guinness in its effort to contribute its quota in building the film industry in Nigeria."<ref name=Tempo/> The paper stated that "Lovely as the intentions behind the production of this movie might be, it lacks much of its Pan African toga" since the clothing featured in the film was not African and that "From the 3-minutes clip which was shown to select journalists, it is obvious that the movie lacks the African stuff which it intends to promote."<ref name=Tempo/>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite web|author=Coulibaly, Remy|url=http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200306270694.html|title=''Engagement critique'', un film pour positiver l'Afrique|publisher=Fratmat.info at Allafrica.com|date=2003-06-27|language=fr}} * {{cite web|author=Joguet, Vincent|url=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/101800/archives-thematique/et-guinness-conquit-l-afrique/|title=Et Guinness conquit l'Afrique|publisher=Jeune Afrique|date=2004-02-16|language=fr}} * {{cite web|author=Kaikai, Olivier Lamissa|url=http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200304070738.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030429012200/http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200304070738.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2003-04-29|title=Michael Power à la chefferie supérieure des Ewondo et Bene à Efoulan|publisher=Cameroon Tribune|date=2003-04-07|language=fr}}

==External links== * {{IMDb title|0389892}}

Category:2004 films Category:2004 action films Category:South African action films Category:English-language South African films Category:2004 South African films