By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
An imperfect script with holes, along with subplots and characters that go nowhere, can be buoyed by a professional performance from the lead, and that’s exactly what Rami Malek does. “The Amateur” is a remake of the 1981 original of the same name, and while it is much improved, it has its fair share of flaws. As an espionage thriller, it checks a lot of the boxes with a compelling baseline of revenge, followed by clever set-ups, but never achieves that iconic moment to make it special.
After a terrorist attack kills his beloved wife in London, Heller (Rami Malek) demands retribution from his employer, the CIA. When they politely refuse his request, the analyst blackmails his superior, Director Moore (Holt McCallany), to provide training so he can go into the field himself to personally kill the people responsible for his wife’s murder. Unsure if he’s bluffing or not, the director sets him up with veteran agent Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) to be his mentor.
Heller uses his genius level IQ and programming skills to identify and track down the murderers, leading him to various countries throughout Europe. His lack of skills in fieldwork undermines his efforts, resulting in crucial mistakes that could have lethal consequences. With terrorists and the CIA working against him, his quest for vengeance could end before it even begins.
English director James Hawes leans on his experience helming the first season of Apple TV’s “Slow Horses” to craft a serviceable spy thriller here. He does all the right things to generate intrigue and suspense, moving the audience down a formulaic, yet successful, path that holds their attention. The emotional attachment he develops for the main character’s plight while maintaining his vulnerability during intense action sequences enhances the level of excitement. By avoiding the stereotypical super spy, one-man-army routine like James Bond, Hawes humanizes the main character, allowing for deeper connectivity for viewers. He also does well playing to the main character’s strengths, including creative scenes of intricate traps that yield satisfying moments.
Unfortunately, the globetrotting and various scenery cannot disguise the amateurish errors Hawes commits. The inclusion of certain characters like Jon Bernthal’s character has absolutely no point in the film, offering nothing to further the story. Hawes’ only purpose for leaving him in the film is seemingly to show what a super cool CIA agent looks like. The director does the same thing with certain subplots, introducing them as key plot points only to leave them undeveloped or unresolved. Like the main character’s secret informant seemingly comes out of nowhere, forcing the audience to simply accept the appearance without any context or explanation. Then there’s the blackmail scheme, which was haphazardly introduced with little to no follow-up.
It’s been a couple of years since Oscar winner Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) has appeared in a film, his last being a small role in “Oppenheimer.” Fans of his character portrayal in the hit TV series “Mr. Robot,” will be able to draw similarities to this role. He brings that same socially introverted intelligence while consumed with grief that becomes revenge, using that to drive his character to do things he wouldn’t otherwise think of doing. Malek balances this with a believable squeamishness and clumsiness through face-to-face confrontations with the bad guys that further establishes his authenticity. This makes him a relatable underdog the audience can’t help but root for.
His co-star Laurence Fishburne slides into that mentor type role like a well-worn glove. Channeling his iconic portrayal of Morpheus in “The Matrix,” Fishburne provides that wisdom and experience that Malek’s character so desperately needs. Even when he makes his character’s intentions unknown or even in opposition to Malek’s character, he still conveys the ability to charm the audience.
As the title implies, this is an imperfect movie with some irritating issues, but there’s enough meat to the story and another riveting performance from Rami Malek to make this a decent spy movie remake. In the genre of espionage thriller, “The Amateur” is unquestionably inferior to last month’s “Black Bag,” so see that one first. While there’s not a compelling enough reason to see this in the theater, it does make for a solid streaming rental at home.
This movie earns:
