LOS ANGELES, April 8 (UPI) -- The Amateur, in theaters Friday, is nothing new but still a competent and entertaining execution of a spy thriller. A throwback to films of the past, it stands out in between The Minecraft Movie, live-action Disney remakes and superhero movies.
Based on the Robert Littell novel that was previously adapted in 1981, the new film stars Rami Malek as Charlie Heller, a CIA analyst in Langley, Va. Charlie's life is upended after his wife, Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan), is killed by terrorists while on a business trip in England.
Thirsty for revenge, Charlie blackmails his CIA director (Holt McCallany) to train him for field work by threatening to expose actions taken against U.S. allies. Hoping to stall long enough to bury Charlie's evidence, the agency sets him up with Col. Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) for weapons training.
A grieving man training himself for revenge is a common action movie trope. The great ones express creativity within the action scenes or details of the formulaic plot.
Most loner heroes don't have all the resources of the CIA behind them. Charlie doesn't have half the computer skills as Malek's character on Mr. Robot, but they are enough to compensate for what he lacks physically.
Training scenes emphasize Charlie's lack of skill. He recoils on the firing range, and that's with a nonmoving target.
Because Charlie is a desk guy, The Amateur is not action packed. He engages in fewer fights and chases than Jack Ryan did, and those stories made a point that the Tom Clancy hero normally sat at a desk.
Some of Charlie's workarounds are interesting, however. He corners suspects where they are vulnerable and uses their weaknesses to give himself the upper hand.
Henderson does have a fight scene, so we get to see a competent agent in action. Although, some violent acts are presented as surprises when most audiences could name several other movies that employ the very same "surprise."
Charlie also gets multiple allies killed, but so does James Bond, frequently. So he has that in common with 007.
Charlie's quest takes him to Paris, Marseille, Istanbul, and Romania. The Amateur actually filmed in Britain and France, with Turkey doubling for the other locations.
A film shouldn't get extra credit just for filming on location, but it is worth pointing out that doing so is a luxury these days. Seeing people execute plans in person goes a lot further than miming it in front of green screens.
Brosnahan earns her second billing by appearing again in flashbacks and as visions Charlie sees throughout his quest. The billing position still gives her more credit than the film does, as it struggles to elevate her beyond the vehicle for Charlie's grief and revenge.
The Amateur won't sell anyone on the merits of the genre. But, if viewers are looking for a thriller with a little bit of action, they won't be disappointed.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
