THE AMERICAN reviewed by Alyn Darnay

Directed by Anton Corbijn

Starring: George Clooney (Jack), Violante Placido (Clara), Paolo Bonacelli (Father Benedetto), Johan Levsen (Pavel), Thekla Reuten (Mathilde)

Review by Alyn Darnay

From “Sexiest Man Alive,” to “Deadliest Man Alive,” Academy Award winner George Clooney stars as “Jack”, a professional assassin and master gunsmith, in this exceptional character-based suspense thriller seeped in traditional European Style filmmaking.

“Jack” is a complex man, an ex-pat American, burned out by all the death he has wrought and forced to live by himself, always looking over his shoulder to see who’s coming after him to even a score. He desires nothing more than to lay low between assignments, to recede into the background and not call any attention to himself, and for the most part he has been very successful at it.

As the film opens on a desolate snow covered Swedish Countryside, Jack has taken refuge before a roaring fireplace in a secluded cabin with a beautiful female companion. His idyllic existence is soon interrupted by the very people he hopes to avoid and that event sets the whole story in motion.

Fleeing to a remote Italian village to hide out, he begins what he hopes will be his last assignment, the creation of a special order weapon needed by another assassin, Mathilde, a mysterious yet attractive female.

Finding the peace and quiet of village life in the mountains of Abruzzo to his liking, Jack is lured into letting his guard slip a little. The local priest, Father Beneditto, offers his friendship and uncustomary Jack accepts it. He also finds himself romantically involved with a beautiful local prostitute, Clara. He knows he must be tempting fate, but he’s unable to stop himself.

“The American” is reminiscent of films by the late great director Michelangelo Antonioni. Something we don’t see here often, a very European film, so perfectly tuned in its execution, it becomes a real treat for American audiences. It is superbly character driven, with sparse dialog, meticulously detailed, well paced and painstakingly evolved. Director Anton Corbijn’s Dutch sensibilities are front and center here and to his everlasting credit, he treats his audience with respect and allows them to use their brain to follow the story line. Credit is also due screenwriter Rowan Joffe who expertly adapted the script from Martin Booth’s 1990 novel “A Very Private Gentleman”.

As to Clooney, he’s never been better his performance is flawless. This is not Danny Ocean. This man is non-distinct, anonymous, smart, withdrawn, he can sit on a bench with old men drinking cappuccinos and fit right in or attract a world-weary beauty by just being elusive. This is definitely Mr. Clooney’s film and he is totally believable in the role, as are all the European actors surrounding him in the movie. Most notable are the beautiful Violante Placido as Clara, and Paolo Bonacelli as Father Benedetto.

I liked the film for everything it offers. The story grabs your attention, the visuals and action were a real treat, and as I said, the acting by the whole cast was impressive. I believe audiences will find “The American” a film to watch, enjoy and savor.

Alyn’s Rating:  (5 of 5 Palm Trees)