The Amateur
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5 stars)
A film with the CIA, cryptography and revenge on offer, the challenge for director James Hawes (One Life) will be to find something unconventional to make it stand out from all the other films with a similar premise. To take author Robert Littell’s concept of a less-than-conventional character from the world of espionage as the central figure does provide something intriguing. Yet, can Academy Award winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) shed his Mr Robot persona to become the next action hero, or does he even want that moniker?
The award winner effectively embodies the role of Charlie Heller, a CIA cryptographer who does all he can to stay off the organisation's radar. Until his wife, Sarah Horowitz (Rachel Brosnahan), is killed by terrorists in London while at a work conference. Despite his efforts to investigate the men who perpetrated the actions that led to his wife’s death, Charlie fails to get justice for her killers. The inaction of his higher-ups leads him to take steps to hunt down her murderers and enact his own form of justice. Even though he doesn’t look like the typical agent, the analyst may have the right skills to find these men and pay them for their crimes.
The set-up is atypical, and all of the components for this project have all of the markers for success. The players are in place, especially with Rami Malek as the nerdy hero, Holt McCallany (The Iron Claw) as the rough-and-ready CIA assistant director, and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) as the crotchety trainer. A combination that proves convincing through the first two acts, but then loses steam as it tries to determine how this story is meant to end. This gets wrapped up in the struggle to decide Charlie’s moral and emotional character arc. The determination if he is a stone-hearted killer, a grieving vigilante or merely a man looking for justice is hard to know even as the credits roll.
The Amateur has the action and the moral tension to keep the audience to the end by including potential romance and smarmy villains. One cardinal sin is wasting great characters played by Julianne Nicholson and Jon Bernthal with little to no explanation borders on sheer cinematic heresy. Yet, the lethargic pacing, constant monologuing, and confusion in the messaging cause this strain to get across the line. There is an entertaining element to the story, and this film offers something new in the world of espionage that many may yearn to see.
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REEL DIALOGUE: Right and Wrong - Can we really know they exist?
One highlight of this movie is the discussion about determining right and wrong by asking if sin exists. Both sides of the argument had passionate support. Still, the challenge to this negative side to the existence of sin is shown in the inevitable end that proves that right and wrong do exist. How do people determine right and wrong in a world of ‘grey?’
Besides relying on mere intuition and personal conjecture, the search for the answer to this question must be outside the human experience. Some may look for answers in science, philosophy and religion, but how can people know where to find the answers to the ethical and moral queries? Through this journey of enquiry, the Bible is an excellent source to consider.
The wisdom found in the words of this book does not give specific answers to every situation that comes along. Still, it offers the framework for making the right decision. It even provides solutions to life’s more prominent considerations. In this investigation, the best places to start are in some of the books of wisdom in the Old Testament (Psalms and Proverbs) or the book of Romans in the New Testament.
If you would like to discuss topics from this film and the Bible. Reach out to us at Third Space. We would love to chat about this and more.
