The American
Directed by Anton Corbijn
Distributed by Focus Features
The American is a throwback to classic 1960s films, with everything from the cinematography to the storyline contributing to the vintage feel. While not something entirely revolutionary, it is still, by far, a brilliant film.
The American follows Jack (played expertly by George Clooney), an old assassin who is — you guessed it — American.
After a slight mishap in Sweden, Jack is reassigned to a small town in the Italian countryside and told to lay low. Before too long, though, he befriends a local priest (Paolo Bonacelli) along with a hooker (Violante Placido), and is given another assignment.
The movie is a slow boil, taking a while to get to where it’s going, and while the second act lags a bit, I was entirely enthralled the whole time thanks to Clooney’s great yet subtle portrayal of reserved, intense Jack. The ending, while predictable, is a huge payoff. Sure, it’s exactly what you expected but that’s the point: this film is using a classic storyline, but makes it work nonetheless.
Special mention has to be given to the film’s subtlety. Most mainstream movies have to appeal to a widespread, general audience, and usually end up spelling things out to the viewers.
The American is thankfully devoid of this, with the dialogue, specifically that between Clooney and Bonacelli, being written in such a way that the audience has to pay attention in order to understand what’s really being said.
The film is also artistically gorgeous; the cinematography is outstanding, making for a visually appealing film in which specific shots can only be described as individual love letters to Italy.
The score, courtesy of German composer Herbert Grönemeyer, also does a fantastic job of setting the tone and feel for the entire film.
The film isn’t for everyone. To me, there are two kinds of audiences in the world: those that enjoy movies for pure entertainment, and those that enjoy movies because they love the art of film itself.
The American is definitely for the latter, and anyone with a short attention span looking for a fast paced action movie, à la the Bourne films, will be disappointed. But, if you’re looking for a movie to entertain both the film geek and the regular moviegoer in you, look no further.