Review of The American (2010) by T-Pity — 18 Sep 2010
"The American" is certainly not a thriller in the action-oriented sense. Oh, it's about spies and hit men and such and occasionally there's some shooting and killing and so on. Certainly there are beautiful people to see and luscious scenery for them to be seen in.
But I think this is really a meditation about what might be important in life, in the context of the main character being an aging assassin. Unfortunately, if that's the case, it's a superficial meditation at best.
As I watched this movie I often thought of Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line," a similar exercise in self-reflection albeit about war instead of espionage. Certainly DeNiro's "The Good Shepherd" was more successful, in my mind, in contemplating the spy life.
Here, Clooney's portrayal of Jack, like the character himself, just seems worn out. In the end, we are not surprised at all by the movie's resolution nor, I think, do we much care.
This review of The American (2010) was written by T-Pity on 18 Sep 2010.
The American has generally received mixed reviews.
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