American Star

Nowadays, when all pretense thrillers are forged on the repetitive formula, this excellent argument works with the humane element as no other ever conceived. Forget about the usual gratuity of the "shot-punch-bomb" genre and dive into the complex persona of a mysterious protagonist played with virtuosity by the great Ian McShane. The pace is led steadily along the movie, as the landscape contributes to the crescent tension until the astonishing ending. No frills, no disposable clichés, no chance to narrative gaps. A modern classic, essential and referential for the future moviemakers generations. Great!

Two bits of trivia for you. 1. Ian McShane is one of those rare actors who has never given a bad performance. 2. The Canary Islands are, geologically, not islands but mountain tops. Once, long ago, when sea levels were lower, there was a civilization there. The reason for this trivia? Although McShane has never given a bad performance, he does occasionally take parts that are less than his due. Arguably, this is one of them. And, two, unless you succumb to the hypnotic delight of chillin' on the island (and many of you will indeed succumb!), this meandering and moody film may not be for you. It is literally 10 full minutes before we have actual dialog. To say the pace is slow is like saying water is wet. There is indeed some action in the Third Dramatic Act but, in all honesty, by then you will have absolutely decided whether or not this film is for you. And voted, accordingly, with your keyboard. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Ian McShane was one of those actors that has either "good" or amazing performances. His acting in this beautifully-shot thriller set in the majestic Canary Islands was nothing short of outstanding. His character-acting was one of the finest I've seen in the industry. While his character was the center of this film, the smart acting of the supporting characters complimented so well with the rest because it provided such stability to the quality of the performances which was essential in keeping this slow-burn thriller from being too boring or too overwhelming to watch. The cinematography was one of the bests I've seen this year.

I'm not sure why this has a low rating. It's actually very well shot, the acting is very good, and while slow it's correctly paced for the genre.

The story is pretty rudimentary but it's handled well. The director does a great job framing the scenes and the setting is really beautiful.

This isn't an action movie so I guess the low ratings are from people who expected a man in his 70s to be doing Jason Statham level fight scenes?

It's a hitman story and it's a good one. The villain is played well too and the story does crash together at the end in an interesting way.

If you like hitman movies and appreciate slower paced, character driven and building stories you'll likely enjoy this.

If you have a short attention span, hate great cinematography, don't understand nuance..can't abide beautiful scenery..have no interest in the combined complexities of human relationships coupled with random synchronicity..if you also hate nor have the intellectual capacity for nuance nor well observed subtitles..if you also have very little capacity for understanding human emotion and are devoid of compassion..if you cannot suspend disbelief..if your cinematic diet does not extend beyond soda and popcorn and that that is all the nourishment and sustenance you require in your consumption of film then this piece is not for you.

I loved it.