The nearly blank, snowy expanse that greets us in the first shot of ‘The American’ is a sight which, instantly upon seeing it, we know is too good to last. As we see George Clooney relaxing in a secluded cabin with a beautiful woman we see a man who appears to be at ease, but his eyes tell us otherwise. He is clearly ill at ease and we can see that he doesn’t expect this peace to last any longer than we do.
Such is the life of ‘Jack’, a contract killer who is clearly never at ease. In the new film by Anton Corbijn, a longtime music video alumnus, George Clooney plays Jack with straight-faced intensity. Jack becomes ‘Edward’, shortly after an attempt on his life leads him to taking on one last job. In a small town in the mountains of Abruzzo, he settles to complete his last assignment, building a gun for Mathilde (Thekla Reuton).
We get a delicious taste of small-town Italy, complete with frequent Italian tunes in the background, outdoor cafes, and even a chase on a Vespa through cobbled streets. Frankly, it just doesn’t get any more Italian than that in my opinion. The scenery is beautiful, and the seclusion of the town reflects upon Jack’s own seclusion in the prison he has created for himself.
The ever-gorgeous Clooney is great, as always, playing the all-too-serious man without seeming hackneyed or forced. His performance is subtle enough to be convincing, and we hardly even notice that we never see him crack a true smile. Paolo Bonacelli adds a nice touch with his worried performance as the priest who doesn’t seem quite oblivious to Jack’s true character.
The chemistry between Clooney and Violante Placido, playing a prostitute who courts Jack, is very believable, creating a relationship that seems to defy all the rules Jack has made for himself.
As viewers, we too worry about our anti-hero. He seems to hardly function socially due to a crippling paranoia, which you can’t really argue against. Someone is constantly out for his blood. At times Jack seems destined to become nothing more than his silhouetted face in the title credits implies; simply a faceless killer. He kills with brutal efficiency, wasting no time dispatching anyone who poses a threat.
Make no mistake, however--Jason Bourne this is not. “It serves a purpose” we hear the titular character explain at one point, a philosophy which Corbijn himself seems to apply; no time is wasted with action movie fluff or lengthy fisticuffs. The film gets right to the point and doesn’t patronize us with mindless violence.
This may, for some, make the film feel as though it plods along, but I felt no such drudgery. The script, penned by Rowan Joffe, sets up a very slow pace, though it held my interest throughout. I never found myself bored of the film, the slow pace working with the story perfectly. This is a far cry from Joffe’s last script, 28 Weeks Later, the frantic zombie fest from 2007. The script is based on a novel by the late Martin Booth, titled “A Very Private Gentleman”. The erstwhile title seems much more interesting, but I suppose the new, oh-so-bland title will attract us due to our narcissism.
While “The American” may not come out of this year with armfuls of awards, or really even stand out in the memory of film snobs, it is a good way you can spend your eight dollars with minimal regret. Besides, who couldn’t use an excuse to ogle George Clooney for 100 minutes?
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Rated R for violence, sexual content, and nudity
Directed by Anton Corbijn
Screenplay by Rowan Joffe
Starring: George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuton.
