« "The American" is not for most Americans »

Rating: A Good 3 out of 4

The previews of The American would lead most people to believe this was a hard-hitting spy thriller full of car chases, political intrigue, and surprise plot twists. But what you actually get from director Anton Corbijn’s latest is a very quiet film, a study of an aging assassin named Jack (George Clooney), who begins to “lose his edge” as he yearns to leave loneliness behind him and find love and a place to settle down.

The action begins rather shockingly when Jack is caught with his pants down at an isolated Nordic cabin. He quickly dispatches his would-be killers, however, as well as doing something else very disturbing that I won’t reveal here. Fleeing to Italy, he takes a job in which he has to design a custom rifle that shoots with the power of a machine gun. His desire to find love interferes again, however, when he falls for a prostitute named Clara (Violante Placido), and decides that this will be his last job. But getting out of the assassin business is not easy, and Jack finds himself the target of both his enemies and his former employers.

This quick summary packs about all the action into the few sentences needed, however. This is a film with distinctly European sensibilities, and except for Clooney all the actors are from the Old World. The movie moves at a snails pace, with lingering shots of Jack building his gun, talking to a priest, walking down a deserted old town street. It is very atmospheric, and Corbijn is clearly trying to have his audience see into the heart of a lonely man who has sold his soul. If you recognize this fact, you can sit back and enjoy a very touching film. However, if you are like most American audiences, you could easily get bored and frustrated by the lack of action, sparse dialogue, or even a clear explanation of who Jack has been asked to help kill.

I enjoyed Placido in her role as prostitute with a heart of gold, but Clooney was a bit too stoney-faced to evoke much sympathy for me. I give this film a solid 3 out of 4, noting that if you like lots of action and clever dialogue, you will probably give it a 2 (like my companion, Jim Fordyce). This film is rated R for sex, full frontal nudity, and violent scenes, so it is only for mature, patient audiences.