The story opens with a promise, Heller, a CIA antisocial genius, sees his life destroyed by a terrorist attack in London, however, what could be a portrait of mourning and redemption is reduced to a checklist of platitudes.
Heller's transition from lab mouse to ruthless killer occurs with the speed of a montage, without building a credible motivation, his wife's death, far from being an emotional trigger, is a mere plot device presented with the depth of a headline.
The pace oscillates between eternal pauses and fast-paced sequences that don't let you breathe, the film wants to be Jason Bourne and Mr. Robot at the same time, but without the visual style of the former or the depth of the latter.
Rami Malek, Oscar winner for Bohemian Rhapsody, has the perfect look for a broken man, wild eyes, restrained gestures, but here, his talent is wasted on a character written in thick strokes.
Heller is the typical nerd with super abilities, whose transformation into a killing machine lacks a psychological arc, Pain? He hints at it with sighs and blank stares. He expresses it by pressing keyboards and shooting expressionlessly.
The film is billed as a mix of action, espionage and revenge in which an ordinary man becomes a hero in search of justice after a personal tragedy.
The screenplay is signed by Ken Nolan, responsible for “Black Hawk Down” (2001), and Gary Spinelli, responsible for “American Made” (2017). They both adapt Robert Littell's novel of the same name as the film, and which was already adapted to the cinema in '81 with John Savage and Christopher Plummer in the leading roles.
It's directed by a very solvent and professional James Hawe, who thrilled me with “One Life” (2023), a movie that everyone should see. I have read some reviews criticizing Hawe's direction of this production, but I don't think he did too badly, to be honest.
The cinematography of the film is courtesy of the German Martin Ruhe, who delivers a good job and who had already shown me his good hand for photographing thrillers in “The American” (2010) or “Run All Night” (2015).
And the score is composed by the German Volker Bertelmann, who once again shows his professionalism to provide the film in which he participates with the right musical setting, the soundtrack of this “The Amateur” is one of its strengths.
