Directed by James Hawes
Where & When: AMC The Grove 14, Los Angeles, CA. April 12, 2025 10:00 PM
On the surface, "The Amateur" might appear to be your standard-issue, espionage action-thriller. Yet this rousing, fast-paced film, directed by James Hawes, best known for his work in British television, offers more emotional elements than are usually found in this genre. Rami Malek, the Oscar-winner for his strutting turn as rock star, Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody", stars as a highly intelligent CIA decoder who suffers an unimaginable tragedy and when he feels not enough is being done to capture the perpetrators, he's determined to take matters in his own hands.
Charlie Heller (Malek) is seeing his wife, Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) off on a business trip to London before he heads to work at the CIA. As a meticulous cryptographer, he discovers that his boss, Deputy Director Alex Moore (Holt McCallany) has been secretly involved in covering up planned drone strikes as suicide bombings. When he's called in to the office of the CIA Director (Julianne Nicholson), assuming it's regarding his restricted investigation, Charlie is informed that Sarah has been killed by a terrorist group.
Devastated and barely able to function, the grieving Charlie soon becomes consumed with vengeance. After doing his own investigation, narrowing down the suspects who were involved in his wife's murder, he presents his findings to Moore and his deputy, Caleb Horowitz (Danny Sapani). Telling him they're going to wait in order to take down their entire network, Charlie threatens to reveal the information he discovered unless Moore helps him train to hunt down these terrorists. He's reluctantly sent off to a CIA facility to train with Col. Robert Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) while they search Charlie's home trying to track down the classified files he's hidden. Henderson determines that Charlie might be highly skilled with intel but he's no killer. But Charlie doesn't let that stop him, heading to Europe alone with the goal to find the people responsible and create his own version of revenge.
This is not the first time "The Amateur", based on a novel by Robert Littell, has been made as a film. It was first adapted back in 1981 as a Canadian feature directed by Charles Jarrott and starring John Savage, Christopher Plummer, and Marthe Keller. This modestly budgeted production received mediocre reviews and didn't make much of an impression at the box-office.
The new version of "The Amateur" is a pumped-up, Hollywood affair, taking us on an international scenic trip throughout several European cities, expertly shot by German cinematographer, Martin Ruhe. The detailed intrigue and exhilarating action sequences might be the driving force of the film but it is the strong character development and deeper human connections that help elevate this thriller beyond the expected beats of this style of film. Far from anybody's idea of an action star, Malek comes across believably as just an average tech guy, distraught, angry and ready to take matters into his own hands, knowing he's in way over his head yet remains determined to use his wits to see his preposterous mission through to the end.
While the plot might be formulaic and a bit overcooked, "The Amateur" is a well-crafted, thrilling adventure that keeps you fully engaged throughout the mind-boggling twists and turns. Between the shootings and explosions, the film gets extra points for creating heartfelt moments by characters you actually care about.
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