Review: 6/10
“The Amateur” is a new spy-action thriller starring Rami Malek that was released Friday.
It presents an interesting twist on the revenge-thriller genre by centering around an action hero who doesn’t trade punches with the bad guys.
The film follows Charles “Charlie” Heller (Malek), a CIA decoder whose wife dies in a terrorist attack. He embarks on a mission to track down the killers, but after it’s made clear he’s no fighter, he must rely on his wits and technological savviness to bring down his foes.
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What sets the film apart from other action-revenge stories is that it focuses on Charlie’s clever ways of defeating his opponents instead of gun or fist fights.
Director James Hawes wanted to portray a different kind of hero than the “John Wick’s” and “Jason Bourne’s” of the action world.
“Charlie has to use his intellect and understanding of how to turn the environment against his targets,” said Hawes in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “That felt so dark and so morally conflicting for Charlie.”
Malek’s performance as Charlie is the film’s strongest element, bringing emotional depth to the main character. He portrays Charlie’s transformation from a timid and grieving man to someone willing to get the job done by whatever means necessary with incredible poise and talent.
For the most part, the film’s decision to stray from traditional action sequences helps it stand out. Viewers can watch Charlie get increasingly creative in finding ways to defeat his foes.
Another one of the film’s strengths involves two CIA directors played by Holt McCallany and Julianne Nicholson. The CIA directors plot against each other, each aiming to use Charlie to further their position in the agency. The subplot helps to build the film’s world and adds a sense of consequence for every action taken.
The rest of the cast also delivers solid performances. Rachel Brosnahan brings the right amount of emotion and sentimentality in her limited time as Charlie’s wife, Sarah. Caitríona Balfe shines as a former spy allied with Charlie, and the legendary Laurence Fishburne rounds out the cast as Charlie’s one-time CIA trainer, Henderson.
For all its creativity, the movie ultimately fails to leave a lasting impact. It doesn’t do much to distinguish itself from other revenge stories outside of its gimmick. It follows the same formulaic beats featured in countless other films.
The movie also takes a good deal of time to get into its main plot. It establishes Charlie and Sarah’s relationship, shows the effects of her death and then explores Charlie’s failure to become a CIA agent before turning him loose to track down the villains.
“The Amateur” also could’ve used more of Charlie’s creative kills and technological tricks. For a good portion of the film, the filmmakers treated this device almost like an afterthought and never fully leaned into it.
There are a few straight-up action sequences involving hand-to-hand combat or vehicle chases. However, these sequences hardly stand out at all. More time dedicated to Charlie’s trick kills would be better than focusing on generic action scenes.
A lack of tension throughout the story is also present, despite the movie’s aim to be a thriller. Every plot point feels predictable up until the very end.
The climax and Charlie’s final confrontation with his wife’s killer contain the least tension throughout the entirety of “The Amateur.” It seems like it’s building towards a dangerous confrontation and action set piece. Despite this, it ends abruptly without any real stakes.
Looking at Charlie’s character arc throughout the film, it somewhat makes sense for the showdown to end the way it does. Still, it’s hard not to wonder how the film might improve with a more intense and explosive finale.
Despite its strong premise and cast, “The Amateur” is ultimately a forgettable action thriller with a great deal of wasted creative potential. Audiences will likely be better off letting this one slip under the radar.
