Character Relationship Map: Assignment to Kill

Characters

• Richard Cutting (played by Patrick O'Neal) — protagonist

  An investigator sent to Switzerland to examine the loss of two ships insured for a $15 million payout and to find Walter Green, a Valayan employee whose plane disappeared. Cutting searches for Green,...

• Dominique Laurant (played by Joan Hackett) — supporting

  A woman Cutting becomes entangled with during his investigation in Switzerland. She reports that Green wants to meet Cutting at a railway station and warns that someone may be watching her. She also r...

• Curt Valayan (played by John Gielgud) — supporting

  The owner of the two ships whose losses triggered an insurance claim for $15 million. Cutting confronts Valayan in Wilson's presence and threatens to expose Wilson's private account, arguing that rumo...

• Matt Wilson (played by Herbert Lom) — supporting

  A figure linked to Valayan's financial network and suspected by Cutting of involvement in the conspiracy surrounding Green. Cutting tells Wilson that he has lost his quarry, then later confronts him a...

• Walter Green (played by Peter van Eyck) — supporting

  A Valayan employee and the suspected key to the insurance investigation after his plane disappears in the mountains. Green had spent months hiding from people he did not want to find him. Dominique kn...

• Bohlen (played by Philip Ober) — supporting

  The company's executive vice president, introduced to Cutting by Mr. Eversley. Bohlen resents Cutting's involvement in the investigation, while Eversley explains that the insurers have found no eviden...

• Inspector Ruff (played by Oskar Homolka) — supporting

  A Swiss inspector who questions Cutting about his arrival in Switzerland after an unidentified man is reported killed at a railway station. His inquiry forms part of the investigation that increasingl...

• Mr. Eversley (played by Kent Smith) — supporting

  The person who receives Cutting for an appointment and introduces him to Bohlen, the company's executive vice president. Eversley explains that insurers have found no evidence to challenge the $15 mil...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Inspector Ruff → Richard Cutting (Professional Questioning Inspector) — Ruff's questioning makes Cutting's presence and investigation part of the local inquiry.

  Inspector Ruff questions Cutting about his arrival in Switzerland.

• Curt Valayan → Walter Green (Professional Employer And Employee) — Green's disappearance makes him a key figure in the investigation of the lost ships and insurance payout.

  The reference identifies Green as a Valayan employee.

• Mr. Eversley → Bohlen (Professional Business Associates) — They are both involved in the company's handling of the claim, though the reference does not specify their personal relationship.

  Mr. Eversley introduces Bohlen as the company's executive vice president during the discussion of the insurance case.

• Richard Cutting → Mr. Eversley (Professional Employer's Investigator) — Eversley assigns Cutting to investigate the disappearance connected to the disputed insurance claim.

  Mr. Eversley explains the insurers' position and sends Cutting to Switzerland to investigate Walter Green.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Richard Cutting → Curt Valayan (Conflict Adversaries) — Cutting uses the account information to pressure Valayan, who replies that his empire would survive and points out that Cutting lacks admissible grounds for his accusation.

  Cutting confronts Valayan and threatens to expose Wilson's private account, arguing that even rumors could damage Valayan's secretive empire.

• Curt Valayan → Matt Wilson (Alliance Powerful Associates) — Wilson is present with Valayan during the confrontation, and the account threat is framed as a potential risk to Valayan's empire.

  Cutting confronts Valayan in Wilson's presence and describes Wilson's private account as connected to Valayan's secretive financial empire.

• Richard Cutting → Matt Wilson (Conflict Accuser And Suspect) — Cutting pressures Wilson over Green's alleged murder by threatening to expose Wilson's private account.

  Cutting tells Wilson that he has lost his quarry, and later says he wants Wilson for Green's murder, claiming to have witnessed it while admitting tha...

• Richard Cutting → Walter Green (Narrative Investigator And Quarry) — Cutting pursues Green as the suspected key to the insurance case, but comes to suspect Green has been killed.

  Cutting is sent to Switzerland to search for Green, whose plane disappeared in the mountains; Dominique later reports that Green wants to meet him.

• Dominique Laurant → Walter Green (Social Confidante) — Her knowledge of Green's concealment and the hidden code makes her an important source in Cutting's search.

  Dominique says Green had spent months hiding and knows the secret code for Wilson's private bank account, which Green had concealed in a date.

• Richard Cutting → Dominique Laurant (Alliance Investigative Associates) — Dominique provides Cutting with leads and the account code that he uses to challenge Valayan and Wilson.

  Cutting becomes entangled with Dominique in Switzerland; she later reports Green's proposed meeting and shares information about his concealment and W...

• Bohlen → Richard Cutting (Conflict Resentful Associate) — Bohlen objects to Cutting's role in a case concerning the company's insurance claim.

  Bohlen resents Cutting's involvement in the investigation.

Story Analysis

An insurance investigation in Switzerland draws Richard Cutting into the search for Walter Green and a confrontation over a hidden bank account.

Plot Progression

1. The Claim and the Assignment — Eversley explains the disputed insurance payout after two Valayan ships are lost and identifies Green as a key to the case. Cutting accepts the assignment to investigate in Switzerland.
2. A Dangerous Search — Cutting searches for Green in Switzerland and becomes entangled with Dominique. A visitor's appearance at the hotel and Cutting's response make the investigation increasingly dangerous.
3. The Station and the Secret — Dominique reports a proposed station meeting and warns that she may be watched. A report of a dead unidentified man makes Cutting suspect Green has been killed, while Dominique's knowledge of a hidden...
4. The Account Threat — Cutting confronts Valayan in Wilson's presence and uses Wilson's private account information as leverage. Valayan challenges Cutting's ability to act lawfully, and the story ends without disclosing th...