The Amateur

<<

Now Playing

>>

'The Amateur' isn't a title that will ultimately make me return for more. I found it to be an enjoyable thrill ride, combining the concepts of both a revenge film and an underdog story, as I'm a sucker for both subcategories. But it's not quite as riveting as some others I've seen. This is a film that, while not without its fair share of it, puts the action in the back seat and brings cleverness and strategy to the forefront, which was something I appreciated to try to make the story even more realistic. But I still felt something lacking.

Based on the book of the same name by Robert Litell, Litell also co-wrote for a 1981 Canadian version of the film, and I'd imagine for purists, that might end up being the better movie of the two. Otherwise, I couldn't tell you how close this is to the book, so once again, I'm reviewing it as a stand-alone thing, and I'll let you know right now; it's hard to recommend it one way or another. It's the kind of film I could have watched on streaming and been just as entertained, not feeling like a "big-screen-must." I'd consider it plain and simply "average" for what it is.

Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is a happily married CIA cryptographer who one day parts ways with his wife, Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan), as she leaves for London, England, on business. At home, Charlie goes about his day at the CIA's Decryption and Analysis division. We get introduced to two acquaintances of his: field agent Jackson O'Brien, a.k.a "The Bear" (Jon Bernthal), and an anonymous source codenamed "Inquiline," who ultimately ends up showing Charlie some dirt on his boss, Alex Moore (Holt McCallany), who has disguised politically-motivated drone strikes as suicide bombings.

Around the same time, Charlie gets sent to speak to CIA Director Samantha O'Brien (Julianne Nicholson), who informs him that his wife was killed in a terrorist attack. As Charlie grieves, he uses his resources to narrow down who was involved in the attack and soon requests, with what he found on his boss as blackmail should they refuse, to train so he can hunt down and kill his wife's killers, himself. With that, Moore and his deputy, Caleb Horowitz (Danny Sapani), send him to "The Farm," where he is to train with Col. Robert Henderson (Laurence Fishburne).

This is when I started to appreciate the film's slightly more realistic approach. The fact of the matter is that Charlie is not a killer. He sucks with a gun, and Robert sees right through his inability to consider taking a life. However, one area in which Charlie excels is bomb-making, which he uses to his advantage more than a couple of times on his mission. In some ways, the execution of it all reminds me a bit of 2004's 'Punisher.' So it's less balls-to-the-wall action and more about how an "every-man" might handle the situation.

The problems with the film are presented in just how basic it all is. A man's wife gets killed, he wants revenge, blackmail is involved, and, to add a twist, the hero is meant to be your average, everyday citizen with convenient CIA connections. There's not a whole lot of originality surrounding it. But to be fair, this was based on a book published in 1981, and the 80s may have been a better era for such a movie to come out (and it did, so there's another reason to try the 1981 adaptation).

Ultimately, I can't say I was impressed by the film, but I also can't say I was let down. Unfortunately, this is just another film I'm lukewarm on. I can tell you it has its moments, and I can tell you it's passable, but I can't tell you it was anything mind-blowing and loaded with awesomeness. It's all brief moments of action, comedy and drama, and it feels more like a straight-to-streaming title than a theatrical box office hit. But this is all just coming from me, and I think if you're a sucker for these kinds of films, it will at least be entertaining but don't expect your brain to explode.

3/5

---