The Amateur (dir. James Hawes)

By: Adam Freed

In 1988 Bruce Willis reimagined what it meant to be an action hero with his star-making role as John McClane in Die Hard.  Willis came nowhere near fitting the mold of the muscled up, unstoppable tank of a hero that had come to define the genre.  He was, for lack of a better term, an everyman.  McClane was flawed and physically vulnerable, yet just cunning enough to get the best of his terrorist adversaries.  Despite its critics, John McTiernan’s late 80’s classic ushered in a new era of acceptable lead character, one that could lean into cunning and guile more than brawn and brutality.  This connective formula is once again at play in James Hawes’ delightful spy thriller, The Amateur.  Academy Award winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody, Mr. Robot) stars as Charles Heller, a quirky and brilliant CIA data analyst far more adept at breaking code than noses.  The Amateur jumps to life as Heller’s wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan) is killed at the hands of a renegade group of mercenaries, prompting Malek’s physically meek character into unfamiliar waters as a cerebral avenging angel.  

Audiences who begin to sense John Wick (2014) vibes, need to think again as director James Hawes and 20th Century Studios unfurl a far more patient and methodical form of thriller, one that realistically allows the vulnerabilities of its central character to substantiate the heart of the film’s looming peril. While The Amateur keeps retribution firmly in its plot based crosshairs, it manages to round out its story with a series of compelling supporting performances.  Most notable is the engaging but disappointingly brief appearance of Jon Bernthal (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Bear).  Bernthal, plays a seasoned CIA operative, every bit the physical inverse of Malek’s diminutive protagonist, who offers a memorable addition to the fabric of the film’s cloak and dagger aesthetic.  Far more prominent within the runtime of Hawes’ thriller  is the work of Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Mystic River) who as Henderson, manufactures a duplicitous performance as a mentor of murky moral standing.

In a filmmaking world in which globetrotting is more commonly accomplished via green screen, The Amateur refreshingly adheres to the age-old method of location shooting to provide its narrative a tactile and well earned gritty feel.  Paris, London and Budapest are best utilized because the globally renowned locations aren’t shown in clichéd postcard form, but rather are portrayed authentically and in unglamorous fashion.  Soggy cobblestone side streets and clandestine operations feel appropriately adorned with the underbelly of some of Europe’s most notable locales.  While the pacing of The Amateur may not necessarily meet the expectations of all audiences, James Hawes’ film is patient with a purpose.  Its deliberate methodology serves the analytical nature by which Malek’s character is forced to overcome his physical deficits while avenging a distinctly heinous act.  Just as was the case with John McClane in the late 80’s, The Amateur acts as a great reminder that heroes can come in all shapes and sizes.  

Target Score: 7/10 - The Amateur is a globetrotting, revenge inspired spy thriller that boasts a memorable lead performance from Oscar winner Rami Malek.  The secret behind director James Hawes’ success is the careful deployment of a sturdy supporting cast and his choice to shoot on location in distinctly recognizable locations.