Based on the bestselling crime novel by Robert Littell, “The Amateur” seeks to make the case that Rami Malek can pass off as an action hero in the vein of Jason Bourne.
This is Malek’s first foray into this kind of role to the point that the entire film follows him as an office-based CIA decoder to the globe-trotting hitman seeking revenge.
Malek plays Charlie Heller, who lost his wife in a terrorist attack in London. Using his intelligence skills, he embarks on a global mission to take down the men who have been responsible for her death.
Training him with the necessary combat skills is Lawrence Fishburne’s Robert Henderson. Still, Heller’s fuel for anger and lack no remorse forces him to finish the mission alone, even if it makes him become a criminal on the loose.
“The Amateur” is a B-movie at best. Everyone who will come to watch expecting a hitman with no experience suddenly become the best in his field will be pleased to stay alone. Malek offered more meat in his performance which truly made a difference in the film’s emotional drive.
But for the most part, he continues to riff off the mannerisms of his “Mr. Robot”-Elliot Anderson character in this role, who is heavily skilled on computers. It does work on the film’s narrative, but I wish he could’ve gone in a different direction here.
There’s nothing much new in “The Amateur” that hasn’t been done in the crime thriller genre. It’s a harmless watch that you can get by over a weekend matinee.
“The Amateur” is now showing in cinemas from 20th Century Studios.
Featured photos from 20th Century Studios.
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