Its been a while without posting, had to take a break to take care of some tasks at work and its bee a while since I have watch mostly any content, it was a none stop month for me, do feel like a bit rusty but Ill do my best to keep things entertaining. Finally the other night I sat down to watch The Amateur, I wasn't expecting much from another spy thriller but Rami Malek is one of my favorite awkward actors ever since Mr Robot and I cant say I'm disappointed but it feels the movie itself didnt let him go big on the role, he's playing a CIA computer nerd who goes on a revenge mission after his wife gets killed in London. What caught my attention right away was how different this feels from your typical action movie, instead of getting some muscle action type hero who can take down ten guys with his bare hands we get Charlie Heller who looks like he'd struggle with a small 9mm Glock but that's exactly what makes this movie work in a very solid way. The story line is nothing complicated and very straightforward, CIA decoder loses his wife to terrorists, agency won't help him get revenge so he blackmails his bosses into training him and goes rogue to hunt down the killers, sounds familiar right but the execution is what sets it apart from other revenge movies, considering this time the CIA agent is nothing like a fiel agent, is the total opposite been a guy behind a computer but I guess this makes it more in touch with tech now days. Malek brings this twitchy energy that makes you believe he is this brilliant guy who can hack into anything but also someone who is completely out of his department when it comes to actual violence, the contrast between his intellectual abilities and his physical limitations creates this tension that keeps you engaged during the whole runtime, that is the catch of the movie. Lawrence Fishburne shows up as his trainer and honestly every scene with him is gold, the relationship between these two characters works really well because Fishburne's character keeps telling Malek he is not cut out for this life while slowly realizing that maybe this computer geek has more fight in him than expected.
Rottentomatoes Rating
The movie takes its time building up Charlie's transformation from grieving husband to amateur assassin and I appreciated that they didn't rush this process like so many other movies, we get to see him struggle with the reality of what he's trying to accomplish but towards the end also makes me wonder if they took too much time building the character as some of the last scenes do feel rush like they had no preparation and needed to be done too fast to bring closure to the movie. The training sequences feel realistic in the sense that Charlie doesn't suddenly become Jason Bourne overnight, he makes mistakes, he gets scared and there are moments where you truly worry he is going to get himself killed, which makes things different in a genre that usually gives us the MI agent who almost feels invincible. What really impressed me was how they handled the technology aspect of the story, instead of just showing us generic hacking scenes with green text scrolling on black screens, they actually put effort into making Charlie's computer skills feel like a real advantage and not over exaggerate them. The way he uses surveillance systems, manipulates digital evidence and stays one step ahead of both the bad guys and his own agency feels somewhat believable to be honest, even when some of the tech stuff gets a bit far fetched, you buy into it because Malek sells it so well or probably its just me been bias because I got the Mr. Robot character hard coded into my brain. The supporting cast does solid work too, Holt McCallany plays Charlie's boss who may or may not be hiding his own agenda but it was quite obvious since the beginning and the guy brings this perfect mix of corrupt authority and shadiness that keeps you guessing about his true motivations. Rachel Brosnahan doesn't get much screen time as Charlie's wife but she makes the most of what she has, the flashback scenes between them feel genuine and help establish the emotional stakes that drive the entire plot forward.
I know for most the important parts of the movie are the action sequences because that's probably what most people are wondering about but for me it was more about the build up of the character because of that high contrast between his career and what he wants to be latter down the line, fueled by anger, although the movie delivers some really creative situations that play to Charlie's strengths rather than trying to turn him into a traditional action hero, its the case when he is against the wall on a bar with nowhere to go when he finally look like he is giving up but turns out it was a setup and he becomes the hunter rather than the prey. The swimming pool scene is probably my biggest problem of the movie and the ending, because on both there is not much context but in the short time that the swimming pool happen it was a very impressive one, watching Charlie use his technical knowledge to set up this elaborate trap feels more satisfying than any of the other action scene at least for me because that is what I look for on a character like his, it's the kind of scene that makes you think about how someone with his specific skill would actually approach these situations. The sceens in Paris were very cool too considering how Charlie falls into desperation and goes wild at nightclubs, drinking and trying to vent out since he cant handle the grief, the anger and pressure he is under as he tries to escape from Henderson played by Laurence Fishburne, this whole chase feels claustrophobic and desperate, which perfectly matches Charlie's mental state at that point in the story. The movie doesn't rely too heavily on big explosions or car chases, instead its more of my type of movie based on psychological warfare and clever problem solving, which makes sense given Charlie's background but might disappoint a part of the audience who might be looking for non stop action. Jon Bernthal shows up in a few scenes as this mysterious CIA operative and while his role is pretty small he brings that intensity he is known for and it would have been better for the movie if he had a bigger role since he is more menace type of guy than Laurence Fishburne. The international locations look great too, from London to Istanbul to various European cities but at times this also throws me a bit off as there is not much context how Charlie keep finding this people, the movie does manage to capture each place in a way that makes the around the world aspect feel authentic but without much context looks more of an excuse to show off different places and keep people interested.
The movie also suffers on pacing, there are times where things slow down too much and you start to feel the weight and drag of a two hour movie, especially during some of the middle sections where Charlie is planning his next move or falling into alcohol. The relationship between Charlie and this anonymous contact he has been working with online could have been developed better then again its that geeky aspect that keeps me interested, when they finally meet in person it doesn't have the impact it should because we haven't invested enough in their connection. Its this kind of simplicity that sometimes makes the plot bee too convenience or in Charlie's favor, there are moments where he accomplishes things that seem impossible given his limited field experience and while the movie tries to explain these situations by from he back of his intelligence, it doesn't always feel earned. As any other spy and conspiracy movie there is the political aspect involving corruption within the CIA feels underdeveloped, they introduce these elements but don't really explore them deeply enough to make them meaningful, it's like they wanted to add some complexity but didn't want to commit to it fully. The ending wraps things up in a way that's satisfying but also feels a bit too neat, after all the chaos and violence Charlie has been through, his resolution feels almost anticlimactic and it would depend on your taste of movie because in my opinion from a point of view it feels just right that he uses brain over muscle, though I suppose that might be the point since he's not supposed to be a traditional action hero. The entire movie is pretty muted and dark something I really like a lot specially when watching at the cinema, I feel that adds to how immersive the movie feels in a dark room which fits the tone but sometimes makes it hard to see what's happening during the action sequences specially if you are watching from a TV that might not have the dark vivid colors this might be less of an issue on a big screen.
At the end of the day The Amateur succeeds because it has focus and its not trying to be something else, it only focus on its central concept rather than trying to be that explosive action movie that probably many were waiting for, this isn't trying to be the next Bourne movie or Mission Impossible, it's telling a more grounded story about grief and revenge with a protagonist who feels like a real person rather than a superhero but for some the hole advance tech situation might feel too hacker ish. Malek's performance carries the whole thing on his shoulders, he makes Charlie's journey believable even when the plot gets a bit ridiculous and his chemistry with the supporting cast helps sell those emotional deep moments that make you care about what happens to him. The movie works best when it's focusing on the psychological aspects of Charlie's transformation showing how someone who hass never hurt anyone in their life deals with the reality of taking lives for revenge, pulling the trigger is not an easy hing to do even when you are so full of rage, these moments feel genuine considering how he got the villain on a silver plate at the end and still decided that jail might be a worst punishment. While it's not going to revolutionize the spy thriller genre, The Amateur offers enough fresh concept to make it worth watching, especially if you're tired of the same old invincible secret agent formula that dominates this type of movie, I'm not going to consider it as one of the best movies of the year so far but for sure one of the most entertaining. The movie manages to balance its more realistic approach with enough geeky scenes and ideas to keep things entertaining, Malek's will always be the computer guy, weird, wild, involving drugs and a lot of talent makes Charlie Heller a character you actually root for rather than just someone you watch do cool stunts on screen, totally worth watching, I gave it a 7.5/10.
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