The American

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.

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.

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.

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.

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