The American (2010) User Reviews

The American substitutes outlandish action for a vacuous yet restrained dramatic thriller.

[TheMovieDiorama · 6/10 · 22 April 2019]

It was only a matter of time before I watched this. A film hated by audiences for its misrepresenting marketing and rarely discussed amongst cinephiles due to its style over substance. The plot is vacuous no question, and struggles to fill up its runtime. However, as a character study, I believe Corbijn's minimalistic approach to be incredibly nuanced and tasteful. A contract killer on the run is temporarily residing in the Italian countryside where he has one final task to pull off for a client, to which he meets a woman he is romantically interested in.

The editing for the film cleverly lures viewers in, with one of two short shootouts being shown right at the start. This immediately sets a precedent for action, or perhaps stylish spy shenanigans. Once Clooney's silent but deadly protagonist finds his way stuck in the beautiful town of Castelvecchio, Corbijn slows the pace down to a grinding halt. Every action, destination or conversation is shown through Ruhe's gorgeous minimalistic cinematography. Ten minutes can be spent just following Clooney down a street, edited only to change camera positions. For some, this will be a major deterrent that will force many to turn off before reaching the halfway mark.

However, upon reflection, Corbijn's deliberate slow pace makes sense. He attempts to thematically convey the loneliness of this contract killer, inevitably disposing of those who grow attached to him. One could argue that mainstream spy flicks like 'Casino Royale' convey this through spectacular extravaganza, yet The American opts for an arthouse approach. Does it achieve the same results? In a way, yes. The biggest problem with this film is the lack of plot. It becomes overbearing at times that nothing is actually happening and is unable to evoke any characterisation or engrossing dialogue, but still remains intriguing thanks to the rural scenery and Clooney's nuanced performance.

It's peculiar, and a film that has lingered on my mind for some time now. It's unfortunately too empty to be a flawed masterpiece, leading me to look at my watch on various occasions, but certainly doesn't deserve the resentment that it has received. Technically meticulous yet unable to escape the all too common "style over substance" trait.

It's slow, but on purpose, and it has something approaching lyricism

[secondtake · 7/10 · 1 August 2013]

The American (2010)

Like many George Clooney movies, this one is cinematically superb. You can pick the obvious, like his "Good Night and Good Luck" which he directed and had filmed in gorgeous black and white, or "Solaris" for director Soderbergh's lyrical if romanticized sensibility. Or "Syriana," "O Brother," "Three Kings," and "The Thin Red Line" all in the last fifteen years, all filmed with love, and generally with good effect.

What this means is he is more than an actor, he's an influence behind the scenes. And he's good for the movies (the industry), even if sometimes he pushes his movies into a slickness that is dulling. And that might be the flaw in "The American," the reason why this doesn't quite rise to the poetry it intends. There are aspects that make it one of those films that will view really well fifty years from now. In fact, a lot of it is wordless and so it will be culturally timeless. But it also lacks that daring taut emptiness or plain beautiful long pace of its better intentions. That is, it doesn't go far enough.

"The American" is not about much, in a way. There is the LeCarre sense of a specialized spy alone in a dangerous world, and it's the aloneness that leads to lots of inner thoughts, an attempt to figure out what really matters in his life. And that's why it works in a bucolic way. The ostensible plot is about one final professional job the man has to do, making a highly specialized gun. There are enough scenes of him working on it on a kitchen table, almost caressing the machinery of it, high in a mountain village in Italy, that we can appreciate it on a simple level of craft.

There are women (always too beautiful for their own good) and there are evil men on his tail (ruthless and never quite as clever as Clooney). In other words, there are the usual elements of this kind of world. But most of the time the movie takes its hold on a more direct, sensory level. Some people will find that simply boring. Not enough "happens." But if you let it envelop you, and if you aren't in a hurry, and if you can see it on a larger screen (to maximize those sensory effects), it might really impress you.

Finally, it has to be admitted that the plot is a bit of a borrowing from "Day of the Jackal." Some of the acting is mediocre, too, but not Clooney, and not his one main sexual interest, played by Violante Placido, though she doesn't have a big role. The countryside is so beautiful you might be satisfied just with that, actually. Sit back and watch.

This was my second time around and I didn't realize it and I almost didn't keep going because the simple plot (with lots of peripheral characters) is important, and I remembered a couple of the big twists. But the movie has such a beautiful, flowing narrative pace and visual fluidity I ended up watching it again, every minute. And I probably liked it more this time, not worried about the events as much as how they were shown.

More character study than thriller

[cardsrock · 7/10 · 18 June 2019]

This is not the massive action thrill ride you might expect. Instead, it is a slow, character-driven look at an aging assassin. Clooney is good, but it is questionable to have him play a stone-faced killer when the actor is at his best when he utilizes his compelling charm. The best part of the movie is the beautiful cinematography, which highlights the stunning Italian countryside. It adds to the whole Euro indie fell that the film has. The American is pretty slow at times, but the shift in tone is somewhat refreshing.

Not to all tastes - but to mine

[rogerdarlington · 10 December 2010]

This is not a movie that will appeal to everyone, even fans of George Clooney, who is in almost every scene. His famous smile and immense charm are totally absent in a tight, laconic role as the eponymous assassin-cum-gunsmith Jack/Edward/Mr Butterfly. But I really admired this brave departure from the Hollywood dazzle which has a genuinely different pacing plus look and sound.

So if you're expecting a fast-moving, action-packed thriller, forget it. After a dramatic pre-title sequence, there is more than an hour of a quiet, slow build up to the retributive finale. The assassin is determined to do one last job before giving up his nefarious profession, but two women are complicating his intentions: fellow shootist Mathilde, played icily by the Dutch Thekla Reuten, and a local prostitute Clara, the beautiful Italian actress Violante Placido. Which woman will get her man? This is a visually striking work, partly because of the unusual setting in the arid terrain of the Abruzzo region of central Italy and the narrow, cobbled streets of the town of Castel del Monte, partly because of the artistry of Dutch photographer turned director Anton Corbijn and his German cinematographer Martin Ruhe. The sparse script is the work of Rowan Joffe (son of the director Roland Joffe) who has adapted the novel "A Very Private Gentleman" by the British novelist Martin Booth.

Clooney is a great lover of all things Italian and this film - which he co-produced - is obviously a very personal work which is likely to be more enjoyed in Europe than in the States.

Maybe not what you're expecting, but still a good movie.

[lewiskendell · 7/10 · 1 January 2011]

"And above all, don't make any friends, Jack. You used to know that."

First, a warning. The American is an atypical spy-thriller. If you're wanting to check out an adrenaline-fueled action film, you should check out Salt. The American is a slow- burner, and more of a character study than anything else. 

The main character Jack is an assassin and weapons maker who at his heart, is a lonely man. His last engagement was marred by an incident where he had to kill the woman he was involved with, and he's forced to move on to a small town in Italy where he's given another assignment and told to wait. But he finds himself drawn again to another woman, and that complication may turn his employer against him.

Clooney gives a great understated performance as the quiet, complex Jack, and he's joined by a pair of excellent, beautiful female leads in Violante Placido and Thekla Reuten. Their beauty is matched by the beauty of the small Italian towns and countryside where the majority of the movie takes place. The sedate pace of the film gives you time to absorb the mood of the setting, as well as understand the effect it has on Jack. 

The American will definitely not appeal to everyone. There are two or three effective action scenes, but at no point is that kind of thing the focus of the movie. Imagine the tone of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and you won't be far off the mark.

Clooney does very well portraying a loner

[Red-125 · 7/10 · 7 March 2011]

The American (2010), directed by Anton Corbijn, is a vehicle for the talents of George Clooney. Clooney is too tough, too handsome, and too much the strong, silent type to do well as a gentle, caring human being. Accordingly, director Corbijn has typecast him as a professional assassin.

Unfortunately for his character, Jack, "the Swedes" are after him. The film begins in a beautiful Scandinavian location where Jack avoids being killed, and kills his would-be assassins. Unfortunately, this causes him to commit an inexcusably violent crime against an innocent person. The attempt on his life also causes him to hide out in a small Italian village, where he is "The American."

In the village he meets three people. Two of them are pretty much from Central Casting--a kindly priest, played well by Paolo Bonacelli, and a hooker with a heart of gold, the beautiful Violante Placido. The third person's role is more surprising--Thekla Reuten, as Mathilde, surely the world's most attractive female professional assassin.

The plot isn't terribly creative and, in fact, it's somewhat confusing. However, the movie is worth seeing, in my opinion, for the excellent acting that Clooney brings to his role. He is a man who is never at ease, never at rest, and clearly no longer comfortable with his role as a hired killer and gunsmith for hired killers. He is always (literally) looking over his shoulder, and probably will be forever. Not a happy profession, and not a happy life.

Reviewers have remarked about the beautiful scenery in this movie, which I did not appreciate on the small screen. However, the acting and plot come across well enough on DVD. The film isn't worth seeking out, unless you have a particular interest in this genre. However, it has some episodes of intense action, and it's never boring.

A quiet and moody character-driven thriller with impressive visuals

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 7/10 · 1 September 2010]

Most "one last job" movies are high-energy action flicks or thrillers driven by a veteran actor playing a character with a troubling back story, but Anton Corbijn's "The American" operates as a character-driven mood piece, a precise and quiet visual portrayal of a man trying to quit his dangerous profession who is constantly haunted and pervasively paranoid.

Way different from the Clooney-led spy thrillers of the '90s, "The American" broods and ruminates under the Corbijn's precise visual style. Those expecting Clooney's return to suave criminal mastery will find themselves waiting and waiting for this film to pop. It doesn't. There is no mêlée of Bourne-style assassin-chasing amid the hillside towns of the Italian countryside, so for many, shots of Clooney doing push-ups and putting together a rifle will become tedious.

But "The American" doesn't languish quite as much as it might seem, though it certainly does at times. After a jarring opening sequence in Sweden when Clooney's character Jack realizes he's being targeted, Jack quietly makes his way to Rome and then Abruzzo, where a job awaits him even though he's clearly ready to quit and he's still shaken from Sweden. Shots of him maneuvering the gorgeous countryside ensue as well as aforementioned exercise. In a town in the Abruzzo area, he meets Mathilde, his client, for whom he will build a custom rifle as that's his line of work. In the process, he becomes close with a gorgeous prostitute named Clara (Violante Placido) and comes to believe he's being pursued by the Swedes, causing paranoia to engross him.

Corbijn, who directed the 2007 black-and-white biopic "Control" about the short life of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, possesses a calculated and engaging visual style. His shots are ideally framed and pull our eye everywhere it needs to go. Considering dialogue is sparse, the ability for a scene to say a lot without saying anything is crucial and Corbijn does just that. He also plays well off audience expectation for this genre and twists the story in fresh and interesting ways.

Corbijn and Clooney are clearly on the same page, even if it means the film puts too much emphasis on the non-verbal and the dauntingly slow build-up to the climax. As much as the emphasis is tone, tone and tone, we come to understand Jack (who later decides he's Edward) extremely well and see his conflict between sticking to his sinful nature as a means to survive and just letting it all go because it bottles him up inside. You can critique the method all you like and complain about the film's choice to lean towards drama instead of action, but Corbijn possesses a good measure of talent and "The American" will leave a profound impression.

~Steven C

Visit my site http://moviemusereviews.com

Clooney is yet another distraught assassin who wants out. Like all distraught assassins, he must do one more job.

[bshutt · 1/10 · 29 January 2011]

Seriously, how many times can George Clooney walk up stairs or down an alley? How many push-ups can he do or pull-ups? How many times do we have to see him laying in a bed or walking across the street or simply staring into space? This movie lacks dialogue, action, and quite seriously, a pulse. The nudity was absolutely pointless and uncomfortable. The action scenes, if you want to call them such, were short and clichéd. Don't be alarmed. When the creepy, intense music begins to play, nothing is going to happen. I understand the basic premise. Another lost and depressed assassin wants out. He has to do one more job. In the mean time, he is trying to find his new self. The story has been done before. Unfortunately, this version was clouded Clooney wandering aimlessly around Italy, occasionally constructing that final gun, apparently falling in love, but mostly doing those push-ups and finding himself in shots with bare breasts.

Time will value this gem

[elroy_geronimo · 9/10 · 3 November 2010]

The cinematography is breath taking, but with top photographer Anton Corbijn at the helm, you wouldn't expect anything less. There's very little dialogue in this film, about 500 lines in total, which emphasizes the acting and the visual spectacle. Don't expect any CGI or amazing action scenes. It's just not that kind of film. It's a homage to C'era una volta il West by Sergio Leone, to The Day of the Jackal (the original!) by Fred Zinnemann and writer Frederick Forsyth, to Italy and in a way to Clooney. The deliberate slow pace will put a lot of people off. The movie is about professionalism, betrayal, loneliness, revenge and love. How good "bad" people can be. A wonderful film, that will not be valued by the average Hollywood loving movie goers, but a must see for people who love movies and for whom movie-making is an art.

Engaging Low-Paced Thriller

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 22 January 2011]

In Dalarna, Sweden, the lonely hit man and craftsman Jack (George Clooney) has a tragic encounter with two assassins hired to kill him and survives an ambush. Jack travels to Rome and calls his contact Pavel (Johan Leysen) that meets him in a cafeteria, gives a Fiat Tempra to him and asks Jack to travel to the countryside for a next assignment. Sooner a woman called Mathilde (Thekla Reuten) meets Jack and delivers the specification of a sophisticated weapon to be constructed by him. While living in the village and building the weapon, Jack befriends the local priest and has sex with the prostitute Clara (Violante Placido). The distrustful Jack gets closer to Clara and sooner they date outside the brothel. When Jack tells Pavel that this work will be his last one and he will retired after delivering the weapon, Jack is betrayed and he does not know who can be trusted.

"The American" is an engaging low-paced thriller entwined with romance. George Clooney has a remarkable performance in the role of a mysterious dangerous man with a dark past that feels attracted by a gorgeous prostitute but he has difficulties to trust her. Violante Placido is extremely beautiful and unknown in Brazil, but her biography in IMDb indicates that this talented actress is also singer and song writer. I am looking forward to see her again in another movie. The conclusion is quite weird and not well resolved since why should Pavel kill his client, and if it is necessary, why before she kills Jack? My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Um Homem Misterioso" ("A Mysterious Man")

A victim of bad marketing

[Ric-7 · 8/10 · 15 September 2010]

As an action thriller, I'd give this film maybe a 2/10. But that is not what it was intended to be. The ads and marketing of the film falsely suggest this is an action film, and that is a great disservice both to the film and to the audience. I suspect that the film's rating would be higher had the marketing been honest. It is almost the opposite of action: it's a quiet, introspective film. I didn't expect a thriller and so I wasn't disappointed.

As usual in this kind of film, there is not a lot of backstory. We never find out exactly where Jack came from, how he found his job, why he could take such a job, etc. But that's not really the point. We never really find out much about the back story on the other characters, either. I think we actually found out more about the priest.

I enjoyed the film in about the same way I would enjoy a short story, which focuses on a few points rather than furnishing a history and full explanation.

Glacially slow, despite some good work by the cast and solid direction

[julian-mumford · 6/10 · 25 April 2011]

George Clooney tends to spend his on screen time in both big budget and indie fare, here we are most definitely in Indie country.

Jack/Edward (Clooney) is a cold blooded contract killer dispatching his victims whilst seemingly carrying no emotional baggage. We know this because we briefly see him in action on a frozen lake in Sweden, cold in every sense of the word.

Realising he needs to lie low for a while, at the suggestion of his handler Pavel (Leysen), he decides a remote Italian village is an ideal location. Interestingly he actually settles in another village, indicating his constant level of paranoia.

This is well justified, as bad people have a habit of finding him. Leading to a Vespa/car race that represents one of the few action sequences in the film, even this is short and not overly dramatic.

This is a very languid film, we know Clooney can act and he does well here with many telling small gestures and mannerisms but there is very little going on. A sliver of excitement arrives when he is tasked with a request to provide a specific weapon for another killer.

In these enjoyable scenes, it is obvious he is highly skilled and the recipient of the weapon Mathilda (Reuten) certainly acts the part. There is some pleasure to be had from their methodical preparations, similar to the much older "Day of the Jackal".

Jake/Edwards relationship with his paid companion Clara (Placido) and the local priest are minor diversions but overall this is this is a very slight tale albeit with a reasonable ending.

However, it is difficult to know what director Corbijin is desiring from his audience, sympathy is unlikely, certainly this is no thriller nor is it a love story as such. Suspense is minimal, despite the occasional jump scare. Perhaps a meditation on a life and what has been achieved and so forth, which in this case is killing lots of people, which obviously limits one's ability to build a fulfilling private and social life.

Slow films can be interesting but usually they have a destination in mind, here it appears the director has little to say or add. Twenty seconds of film time showing the opening and closing of an electric door can have huge significance, here it is just a door opening and closing.

Contract killers finally realising their lives are empty and filled with remorse want out, is hardly a new plot angle and has been done before better. The attempts to shorten his stay by the "Swedes" are almost comical in nature, many opportunities exist without resorting to skulking around like bad 70's Euro thriller wannabees.

At times it feels like the film is travel porn with beautiful panoramic vistas of mountainside villages bathed in evening light, pretty but difficult to stretch over two hours.

Based on the book "A Very Private Gentleman" by Martin Booth.

Summary

Glacially slow and despite some good work by the cast and solid direction, rather an empty film and difficult to recommend to anyone not in the Clooney fan club.

The film leaves the audience with a feeling of "what was that all about", a feeling not likely to have them queuing round the block for tickets.

http://julesmoviereviews.blogspot.com/

Disappointing

[paulimiles · 5/10 · 28 October 2010]

I have to say this movie started with a bang but went downhill from there. It never gets to the "switching off" or "walking out" stage but the pay off for staying the distance is poor. Clooney is excellent as usual and the supporting cast are solid, but the story just goes nowhere. What appeared at first as a sub plot involving the construction of a specialized gun becomes the whole plot. Apparent subplots involving the priest and the Swedes go nowhere and are left hanging totally unexplained and unconnected.

I lost count of the number of times we saw Clooney walking around the deserted streets at night with the expectation that danger was lurking around the next corner. Each scene ending with him awakening in bed unharmed and ready for the next day. The first once or twice it was okay but after that it became plain boring and a waste of movie time.

Overall the movie was a bit like setting out on a road trip from New York to L.A but getting off in New Jersey.

Good intentions but poor delivery. 5/10 at best

The lonely life of an assassin

[freemantle_uk · 7/10 · 14 January 2012]

After his directional debut making Control Anton Corbijn quickly became an in-demand director and his follow-up feature was The American with Hollywood leading man George Clooney. This subtle slow thriller has divided audiences the world over.

Clooney plays an assassin, going by the names Jack and Edward, but often called The American. Whilst hiding out in Northern Sweden with his lover Ingrid (Irina Bjorklund) they is found by a duo of assassins and The American has to kill them and Ingrid to survive. The American flees to Rome and his contact Pavel (Johan Leysen) gives him one last job, to make a specialist rifle for another assassin (Thekla Reuten). As he does his task in the town of Castel del Monte The American befriends the local Catholic priest, Father Benedetti (Paolo Bonacelli) and starts to fall for a prostitute Clara (Violante Placido). But of course no one ever leaves the assassination game.

Corbijn comes from a photography background and The American certainly a very well shot film. The cinematography is top notch and the film does have a real excellent look to it. There are plenty of elements of The American I appreciate , I like that The American is trying to be more grounded, that an assassin would lead a lonely, would be very cold and that he has to be on alert all the time. The American has to be planning and preparing all the time and that he has to think on his feet when he needs to. The film almost plays like an anti-action film, this is not a glamorous world like Bond nor a world like Bourne where everyone is an expert fighter, everything takes place in low-key environments, the cars are just old or normal vehicles, The American has to keep a low profile so he does not live the life of Reilly. I enjoyed how The American had to make the rifle and when he and the female assassin have to test it out, talking about the specifics and what she requires: it is not simply a case of just picking up any old gun. The scenes in the isolated picturesque stop where they test out the weapon reminded me or a similar scene in the 1970s thriller The Day of the Jacket (which I highly recommend).

Many critics have compared The American to films like Le Samourai. I can not fairly judge because I have not seen Le Samourai but The American does remind me of a 70s style film, focusing on a cool style, characters, a downbeat tone and not about action at all. As I stated it reminded me or Day of the Jacket and also of films like the Odessa Files. This is a film that aims to be a atmospheric, slow burning film, about a character that has to be always on guard and can not let anyone into his world.

Whilst I like the idea of a more realistic look into how an assassin would function and trying to be a bit more intelligence to a typical action film, at times The American is too slow for its own good, being too drawn out. There needed to be a little more drive, like seeing The American coming up with a plan for an assassination, following the target, knowing their movements, scouting locations and then doing a quick assassination. Or we could have seen more of his attempts to adjust to normal society after life alone or trying to live a normal life but of course never really able to have one.

The American is a very well crafted film with many strong elements. I works well as a more realistic thriller for people do not like blockbusters but it is sometimes too slow for its own good.

tightly controlled, but effective

[yris2002 · 7/10 · 12 September 2010]

Do not expect either action or thrill from this movie: despite trailers, the movie proceeds with a very slow pace, very little dialogue, very little action, long silences, putting to the test your patience. But if you do not have this kind of expectations, if you appreciate movies disregarding all these elements, or simply think that silence, and pauses have their own meaning, you will probably find the picture worth seeing. It is more a character study, focused on the killer Jack, or Edward, and his impenetrable nature, a nature we will not be able to get, not even in the end, where only his desperate need for love and a for normal life will be more evident. Clooney delivers a truly convincing performance, he gets to communicate with his face and his body, we feel his character's tension hiding behind an always alert and controlled life. We feel a contrast between his entrapped life and the open space in southern Italy where he comes to live for some time. And, as an Italian, I cannot but appreciate the idyllic landscapes of Abruzzo, a land so much wound by a terrible earthquake last year. The director also chose some Italian cast: Violante Placido as Clara and Paolo Bonacelli as father Benedetto appear good and give credibility to their roles. In the end, the whole story is tightly handled, and may give the impression of being too controlled, too minimal, as if it were the result of an eliminating process, in order to get to the essential, but I think this is its best and most effective quality. Used as we are to being given, in movies too, the excess, the unnecessary, the redundant, in situations and dialogues, here the preciousness of the essential, but the significant emerges through slowness and discretion: rare qualities nowadays.

slow doesn't always mean boring

[starlit-sky · 7/10 · 12 September 2010]

George Clooney plays Jack, a weapon/firearm expert that crafts weapons with his hands. He works with special clients who custom order their weapons. The movie begins in Sweden where we quickly learn that Jack is in a shady business. He is not really an assassin but can become one if the circumstances call for it. Due to the dangerous nature of his job he is paranoid and leads a lonesome life; the movie shows his psychological state very well. From Sweden, he travels to Rome, Italy and gets another assignment from his boss, Pavel (Johan Leysen). The most part of the movie, the 1st and 2nd acts, is about him crafting the weapon, his relation with Father Benedetto and Ingrid (Irina Björklund) an Italian prostitute at a brothel Jack regularly visits in a little Italian town.

I think this is a very well-made movie, despite its slow pace, it shows the character of the hero and builds suspense slowly but maturely, and shows love can bloom in the most unexpected circumstances (I think that was the most positive part of the movie). I only wish that it revealed more about the dark relations of his boss to the clients or how he had foreseen some of the things that were going to happen; I am still not clear on some of the things. But I still enjoyed the movie. Its feel and look reminded me of a Jack Nicholson movie from 1975 titled "The Passenger" even the stories are totally different. If you like more action and suspense, you may want to see "In Bruge", a movie about 2 assassins who are on an assignment in Bruge.

Italy Has Never Looked Better. A Realistic Depiction Of The Life Of An Assassin.

[Real_Review · 9/10 · 25 April 2019]

This movie has been unfairly judged by IMDB members. People are jealous of George Clooney, and the life he has created for himself. Full disclosure - this is one of my favorite movies. I love the minimal dialogue - it creates a certain tone and realism. I love the soundtrack - impossible to find, but worth the search. I love the cinematography - you can watch this film in HD on mute and it is still enjoyable. And, then there is Violante Placido - one of the sexiest women ever captured on film.

Here's the thing - if you want an exciting movie about a trained killer with tons of dialogue and action, watch The Bourne Identity, or a James Bond film, or Bad Boys II. The American is not an over-the-top action movie and it has no larger-than-life characters. For that exact reason, it is an outstanding film.

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1 Casting - 1/1 Directing - 1/1 Story - 1/1 Writing/Screenplay - 1/1

Total Base Score = 5

Modifiers (+ or -) Originality: 0.5 Cinematography: 1 Music/Soundtrack: 0.5 Believability/Consistency: 1 A Personal Favorite: 1

Total RealReview Rating: 9

How about a sequel?

[robertjtilley · 1/10 · 16 November 2010]

After watching "The American," I have put together a scenario for an exciting sequel, which I would like to share with other movie fans and IMDb readers. It goes something like this (First par might contain a spoiler, although such is the total confusion of the film's ending that it might not):

Jack (Edward, or whatever his true name is) actually survives that apparently fatal gunshot wound (thereby clearing up the ambiguity of the final scene of the first film.) Nursed back to health by the local prostitute Clara, he's soon again running up and down those narrow, deserted streets of Castello del Monte, calling in as usual for a cup of coffee with the locals in the town café. He's also soon strong enough for more romps in bed, with lots of cunnilingus and perhaps some anal sex now that the censors allowed the suggestive scenes of the first movie to pass muster. She, however, is still plying her old trade with the local peasants—and there lies the seed of the disaster that befalls the lovers. Jack is so busy at his old trade of assembling precision weapons from bits and pieces trawled from the junk lying around in the local car repair shop that he foolishly forgets one of the first rules when whooping it up with whores. Never, ever go down on a prostitute. Heavens above, this chap has been around. But so has she—some of her clients were probably enjoying sexual congress with goats before she took up residence in the village. Before long, he's sitting in the consulting room of the local doctor and hears the bad news that he has a nasty STD. And it's fatal. Cut to scenes of Jack's funeral in the mountain village that served as his home for such a short time. But that's not the final, arresting scene of this powerful movie. The final credits roll up over a scene of the local priest, who tried so unsuccessfully to save Jack's soul in the first movie, now sitting in the doctor's consulting room....

George Clooney could surely be persuaded to accept the star role again, on the conditions that he probably demanded for the first film: an exotic European locale and the opportunity to get his hands as often as possible on the voluptuous breasts of his young co-star Violante Placido. If Clooney's too busy, Jack Nicholson might be interested. Or even Woody Allen?

Superb, Absolutely Superb!

[SerpentMage · 9/10 · 17 July 2011]

George Clooney outdid himself in this movie! I really did not know what to expect. I kind of knew what it was about, but decided that I will let it surprise me.

This movie is a low key follow the movie and its steps. You keep guessing and keep wondering what will happen next. You wonder who is behind it all. Of course you can guess what will happen, at least if you watched enough movies you can make an intelligent guess.

But what gets me with this movie is that even though I see things coming I still want to watch what happens. This movie just grips you and spits you out. It is not a blockbuster shoot them up type of movie. No this is more like the old style Italian Mafia movies.

If you decide to watch this movie make sure you have time to focus. Its the little details, the little steps that make all the difference. Otherwise it just becomes another movie.

A modern day western

[thedarkpoet · 7/10 · 17 October 2010]

The trailers seem to be a bit deceiving for this film. What you may think you might be getting is a tight paced action thriller, what you actually get is a modern day Western.

George Clooney plays Jack / Edward, a hit-man and gun craftsman who must hide out in a small Italian town to do a job, but stay hidden from "The Sweedes". We no nothing about Jack except for that he's highly skilled in what he does best. Whilst hiding out in the town, he befriends a priest and falls in love with a hooker.

To begin with, this film is very quiet, a few music ques fill the time, and even less dialogue. The film really pushes Clooney to absolutely deliver as he is on screen 90% of the time, if not more. We are left to decide what emotions and thoughts that Jack is going through simply by the way that Clooney acts. It seems to be a real old school way of film making and it is really refreshing to see it applied to a modern day film. I won't lie, many people are going to find this film boring and slow paced, but people who enjoy a good Western will love this film.

Clooney turns probably one of his most riveting performances. he doesn't have much dialogue at all so it really is left down to his acting abilities to echo what the character is going through. The other actors in the film, largely unknown to international audiences, turn just as good performances. Thekla Reuten and Violante Placido do an excellent job of keeping up with Clooney, playing the two women that enter his life when he rides into town.

Anton Corbijn, A music video director who delivered the excellent Ian Curtis biography, CONTROL, in 2007, delivers another great film, although almost entirely a polar opposite one. His direction shows Europe in a way that is not normally portrayed in American film.

Although not perfect, the film was a nice break from the usual "Last Job" assassin films. More of an exploration of Jack's love of his craft and his naturalistic obsession with not being able to let his past go. THE American is well worth watching.

A beautiful, classic late 60s/early 70s Italian-styled film.

[imoneinamillion · 2 September 2010]

The subtle dialog and the mass-attack of stunning visuals made this film heavily appealing to me.

I'm one of the rare people that saw this based solely on the movie poster (oh yeah, and the millions of ads on every website), which brings back the great late 1960s/early 1970s thrillers. Which is exactly what this was. Clooney, with his classic Hollywood looks, really enhances the look and feel of the film. I was engaged the entire time.

I'd recommend it to any fans of classic 1960s Italian films, or any Sean Connery films.

If Hemingway were alive he might have written this.

[kuciak · 7/10 · 22 February 2011]

George Clooney plays a man who kills people for a living. We really do not know who he kills people for. Does he work for the US government in some covert time action, or is he a hired killer for gangsters. We don't know.

Much of the film, we are not led privy to what is really happening. We actually know less than the Clooney character. What transpired in Sweden, what was going on. We don't know.

What we do see however, is a tortured man. A man who probably recently discovered something called love, which for any man who is a killer, we have learned from countless movies can be a problem.

As the hired killer, Clooney gives a great performance. He plays the film very coolly, but he can at times show fear, and he can be quite scary.

His relations with the many people are quite interesting. His boss or handler. They have know one another for a long time, but of course, in this film, the one he has known a long time appears to be the one he can least trust, and apparently does not trust. He meets others, while some of the film I feel in these relationships have a artificial tone, they are all interesting. For me, they represent for him his conscience, his need for love, and also in one case the kind of person he might have once been.

Their are references and somewhat homages to Sergio Leone and also Jean Pierre Melville. A scene in a train station immediately brought up to my mind the opening of Once Upon A Time In the West in a very small way. Also when he is putting the gun together, I could not help by think of Melvilles La Samourai, a film which has never impressed me (though I have like other Mellville films) However, I don't think that I have read anyone else say that this is a modern Hemingway story. For me looking at it I could not help but think of For Whom the Bells Toll, and Across the River into The Trees. The intermittent story, where some viewers may be bored remind me of something Hemingway would write. Did not Hemingway somewhat influence in Europe what an American is supposed to be? In the case of this movie, I suggest that the film has meaning of this American, who probably has lost his way, and perhaps the country that he is from, has also lost its way.

Their is beautiful photography in the film. The film almost makes you want to get a plane ticket and fly over to Italy, discover the area that this film was made, but it also has some wonderful compositions in the use of wide screen, the best of all coming a a cafe like bar/coffee shop, with Clooney at the far right, and a car outside on the far left. Thank goodness that letter boxing for TV has become an acceptable foremat.

Finally, see the ending of this film, see the similarity it has with another sequence in the film in more ways than one.

I can't say it is for everyone, my girl friend said she was sometimes bored. However, this is a film which I feel, if you are looking for a multi-layered story, you will find intriguing and an intelligence to boot. Good films today are still being made, and as for George Clooney, he can add THE American, to his impressive body of work.

The Isolation Of America

[samuel-legassick · 6/10 · 2 November 2010]

Article By: Sam LeGassick Twitter: LG45 <- Please follow! Website: www.thewildbore.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Wild-Bore/299067834888

Dutch music video director Anton Corbijn returns from the success of his first full length feature 'Control' with a take on the novel 'A Very Private Gentleman' starring George Clooney as a gunmaker hiding out in an Italian village. Is this 'thoughtful thriller', as Corbijn puts it, another Jason Bourne? Definitely not ...

Let's start by saying that this film isn't the action blockbuster that Focus have made it out to be. Instead it's a slow, reflective piece that works almost like a serious Lost In Translation, which can only be a good thing right? Well, not really.

Clooney plays Jack, a man who right from the first shot of him sipping on a drink while his girlfriend puts her arms around him from behind, while he stares emotionless into the middle distance, looks dead inside. He's completely detached from the world and after getting found by his enemies (why they are after him in the first place we never find out) he has to leave to set up shop again in a small Italian village. Whilst he is there he makes friends with the local priest and falls in love with a local prostitute and soon wants out of the game. That's the whole film, apart from the opening action, a small chase scene halfway through and the end, that's all the action you're going to get. Boring? Well, yes and no.

What Corbijn has done here is taken Clooney's paranoia and brought us into it. Through the score, the shots, the look and the general silence (it feels like hardly a word is uttered throughout the film), we start questioning what's around the corner, if anyone can ever be trusted and a mere shadow makes us just as tense as Jack. The way this feeling of suspense effortlessly glides from character to the audience is a masterful stroke in itself, but with all the suspense in the world even the master himself Hitchcock knew you have to give the audience a pay off, and The American just doesn't do it enough. It might build things up, but the audience's confidence in Jack means that there's no situation we feel he cannot control and so the tension can only work to a certain degree. However, the constant turning of one's head and lack of trust is an important concept that you can imagine all these spy thriller heroes would have to go through. It looks lonely and exhausting and, as we know from the off, Jack is no hero either.

It's also interesting how it's called The American. His lack of trust and paranoia is something that could be said of the country's social mentality post 9/11, but also how he feels isolated outside of his natural habitat - as if America feels cut off from the rest of the world and how, in some ways, it is. I don't think it's just by chance that he deals arms and is ex-military either. I'd also argue that the whole world he's living in is his own Hell, which is even suggested by the priest at one point. There's a lot of talk of religion, of cleansing sins, of hope and despair and the ultimate trial of opening up to someone and falling in love. All the while he's making deals with the devil for monetary gain and has, in theory, sold his soul.

It's a film that is more about what's not being said than by what is. Little looks, turns of heads and the use of light indicate a director who knows exactly what he wants and the framing and cinematography in general is beautiful. Every shot is like a perfect picture and cannot be faulted, you can see why this man is one of the best photographers out there. However, I can't help but feel that this should have been an art-house film with perhaps an unknown in the lead. Not that there's anything wrong with Clooney, in fact all the acting in this is superb, but the expectation of this being a Clooney spy thriller means that it becomes a disappointment for a lot of people. It's a slow-paced, suggestive tale of one man trying to reach out to others and would have been better off without being touched by Hollywood. Had this have been advertised as a slow, emotive, indie art-house foreign flick (whatever that means anymore) I would have liked it more. As it is, it feels like a pretentious, yet beautiful, sequence of images that is more about scoring credibility for all involved rather than entertaining the audience. If people say they loved it, it's more likely because they feel they have to. It's a good, quiet, sombre film that jogs along and keeps you guessing, but essentially it was a bit boring.

Rating: 6/10

the second-best movie of 2010

[TheUnknown837-1 · 9/10 · 2 September 2010]

Before anybody reading this review goes to see "The American," let me give you some sincere advice. If you are expecting this to be another Jason Bourne or James Bond-style of movie with elaborate action sequences, tight pacing, and ear-throbbing music...you had better stay away, for you will be sorely disappointed. The advertising campaign and production photographs gives one the impression that George Clooney is taking on a role in a movie like Liam Neeson did in that marvelously powerful thriller "Taken" released in 2008. But that is not the case. "The American" is shot on a foreign location, features a lot of foreign dialect, and was made by a Dutch director with a mostly Italian cast. In other words, it's not really an American action production. It's an Italian melodrama and a really fascinating one at that.

Lots of questions are raised and very few of them are given answers (detailed ones, at least) in this incredibly affecting thriller. We know and find out very little about our protagonist (George Clooney) who goes by two names: Jack and Edward. All we know is that he's a trained killer, somebody wants him to manufacture a special rifle for an assassination, and that's about it. We don't find out who exactly he works for, and we really don't need to. Clooney is an American sent into an Italian town for a last assignment. While he is waiting for the right time, Clooney tries to avoid being shot at by assassins, and begins a relationship with a prostitute (Violante Placido) which slowly transforms from lust to love.

This is not really an action picture and to a certain extent, it's not even really a thriller. "The American" is a transfixing character study. We learn not about the George Clooney character's history, but his integrity as a human being, which it not very much. Director Anton Corbijn frequently has Clooney in a one-note personality and sets up his cameras at a combination of close-ups and medium shots that remain static as he performs rather mundane tasks as he waits for his assignment to come through. One would assume that this would produce tedium and boredom and for some people, it will be just that. But for me, and those who really get involved, this is rather fascinating and it doesn't drag on for very long at all.

However, the best scenes in the movie revolve around the relationship between George Clooney and Violante Placido, who is effective and charismatic as the prostitute who falls in love with him. The director sets up earlier scenes of them having sex and then later changes the direction to show them not as a pair of sex-starved individuals looking for a way to kill a boring night, but as two human beings who care for each other. At first, I was questioning the point of the Placido character and I was griping, as I usually do, about the sex scenes and how they seem, as usual, to have no purpose. But now in hindsight, I commend the filmmakers for their choice. The sex scenes, for once, are appropriate because they show how the relationship between these two characters evolves from lecherousness to a pure and affectionate love.

Director Anton Corbijn and cinematographer Martin Ruhe have done a superb job at crafting their nostalgia-stirring opus. The movie's misc en scene and lighting is absolutely wonderful. The film is great to look at as well as experience. There are some marvelous and more importantly, creative landscape and interior shots and it's almost a treat that the camera is frequently locked-down so we can admire these moments.

In regards to the performances, they are solid. George Clooney proves his worth as an actor yet again with his portrayal of this tormented, cynical man of few words. Violante Placido is also very effective as the girl. Thekla Reuton is icy and more than scenic in her performance as the in-between person working with Clooney. Paolo Bonacelli is compelling as the priest whom Clooney befriends, and Johan Leysen is chilling in his moments as the mysterious individual who always answer his phone with a gruff "Yeah?" "The American" is one of the best movies of the year. However, I cannot guarantee that many people will agree with my statement. First of all, because a lot going in will be misled that this is a high-tensity action picture like "The Bourne Identity" and when they find out it's not, they will leave the theater feeling vastly empty. So that's why I am giving you warning. Don't go in with that attitude. Go in with expectations for a fascinating, nostalgia-stirring character study and be especially keen as you watch the relationship between Clooney and Placindo transform. And believe me: scenes that seem pointless at first will seem ideal when you look back on it in hindsight.

Promoters up to their usual scam's

[galwaydave · 4/10 · 12 September 2010]

How do you get an American audience into a European "navel gazing" film? Lie to them of course! Thats the main problem with this film. It is advertised as a Bourne type action film, but it is actually a character study of an aging hit-man. If it had been advertised as such, I would have given it more stars. As it was I saw it with my wife who would have gladly left the theater anytime if I had said "let's go". Clooney did a good job of portraying the character as a lost soul grasping for some form of humanity at the end of his career. However some actions in the movie had no explanation that I could discern, leaving the plot very loose. Of course the director was concentrating on character and visuals but it wouldn't have hurt to tie up some glaring holes in the plot for integrity sake.