The Amateur

"The Amateur" is a decent but unremarkable spy thriller that flirts with greatness without ever fully reaching it. The premise is intriguing, and there are some genuinely engaging sequences that show the potential the film had. Unfortunately, the overall execution is a bit clunky.

The script feels uneven-some parts are compelling, while others fall into predictable territory with dialogue that doesn't always land. The pacing suffers from occasional lulls, and certain character motivations could have used more development. Still, the central performance does carry some emotional weight, and there are flashes of tension that work well.

It's not without its strengths: the cinematography is solid, the score adds the right atmosphere, and there are a few scenes that manage to stand out. But by the end, "The Amateur" leaves the impression of a thriller that plays things a little too safe.

Watchable, with moments of quality-but it doesn't quite rise above average.

I just saw The Amateur and I was pleasantly surprised. I am not a fan of a lot of the non-stop action movies that leave one feeling as if they had been shot out a cannon for 90 minutes, and this movie wasn't like that. There was, I thought, a nice build up that gave you a sense of the character and that he was an unlikely choice as an international assassin. I the thought the use of suspense was good, ratcheting things up as it went along, and I was surprised and intrigued by some of the twists and escapes. I haven't seen a lot of Rami Malek, but I really liked him in this role. I always like Lawrence Fishburn, and he was good, as were a couple of heavies that Charlie outwits in the end. All in all, a good movie, one I was glad to have seen. If they make a sequel, I will likely see that as well.

We've been bombarded with vengeance movies lately. I enjoy a good vengeance movie, providing the revenge is justified and exacted only on those who deserve it (therefore definitely NOT any of the John Wick movies with its kill counts well into the hundreds!)

In 'The Amateur', Rami Malek stars as Charlie Heller, who works in Decryption Analysis for the CIA. When his wife Sarah is killed in a terrorist attack in London and the CIA refuses to intervene, Charlie takes matters into his own hands. Being the genius puzzle solver he is, Charlie utilizes surveillance cameras and advanced technology to identify the four terrorists.

Charlie discovers his Director, Alex Moore, to be a rogue agent, and blackmails him to give him special CIA training. Trained by Col. Robert Henderson, Charlie soon realizes he would never be able to kill someone at gunpoint. Instead, he decides to use his knowledge to his advantage. But now, Moore and Henderson are on his trail to eliminate 'loose ends'.

Charlie meets Inquiline, whose husband worked for the KGB, but was killed. She continues to provide information to the CIA under a code name. They team up to bring the terrorists to justice. Unlike many cliched movies, this does not develop into a romance, which I found refreshing and more realistic.

The film dishes up a lot of information and it is so exciting that there's hardly time to blink! A Good script and solid performances elevates 'The Amateur' above so many other vengeance movies. I did find some of his measures maybe a bit too extreme, but in general this is a believable and thoroughly entertaining action thriller.

Mission impossible/James bond esque elements so it's nothing we haven't seen before but it's still very much worth watching, we were thoroughly entertained for the just over 2 hours. I'd give it a 7.5.

I like the angle they went with the tech nerd it made it uniquely interesting instead of the typical assassin killer type. The pacing was good, the events unfolding were logical and also intriguing by showing the CIA capabilities of surveillance and information, the music was awesome along with the cinematics. The acting was pretty standard, nothing to ride home about but some of these reviews are pretty harsh for no good reason.

All in all it's a good movie and worth a theater experience, or just wait till it's on streaming I'll be a great movie for a night in.

The ending is true to the character and a risky take, but I like it. This is not main stream Wick a like, It's not steely Bond or muscle Bourne. So I get the lower ratings here. But sometimes expectation can get the best of us.

The character arc is very muted but complete. There maybe a follow-up with ramped up potential, but I hope not. Don't get me wrong, there is car chase, guns going off, and bombs exploding. But in total, the action is maybe around 15min in total. And it's a 2hr movie.

Most of the time it's information that do the talking, especially the beginning. There are lots of hacking going on, details mostly left out. But geeks would love to fill in.

Malik is captivating enough. I was hoping more time with Fisbourne, but cost maybe an issue.