The American

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.