The American

Starring: George Clooney, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten, Paolo Bonacelli, Irina Bjorklund
Directed by: Anton Corbijn
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Crime
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A tired assassin (George Clooney) hides in a small Italian city while he completes one last assignment.

Review:

Tim: I really appreciate that George Clooney balances out his bigger, more commercial Hollywood films with small, more intimate, less commercial fare like The American. This is certainly not the movie most people would expect when they hear "George Clooney- assassin." There is very little action, dialogue, or much of anything in this film. It's fascinating how this film feels so empty- and yet, full- at the same time.

The story is almost nonexistent. George Clooney plays an assassin hiding out in a small town, doing one last job. Very little actually happens in the film. It unfolds extremely, extremely slowly. The deliberately slow pace may be hard for some to watch, but it is amazing how much can be conveyed during those quiet moments. I was surprised with how little dialogue is in this film. Long stretches occur where there is no talking at all. I'm sure that will drive some people crazy, but it was a nice break from typical Hollywood movies. I liked the quietness of the film.

Without any CGI, big action scenes, or witty dialogue, the movie rests almost completely on the shoulders of Clooney. Few would argue that Clooney is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and yet, even this must have been a daunting challenge. With little dialogue, Clooney had a great deal of time to fill. He accomplishes that through a powerful performance. He really lets you feel his emotions and connect with him as a character, even though he doesn't say much. The film is filled with good performances, but the movie is truly about Clooney.

Watching The American certainly requires a great deal of patience. There are many beautiful landscape shots, but so many of these dwell much longer than is comfortable. The film is occasionally maddeningly slow. It's amazing how slow the pace is here. And yet, that is important, because this film isn't meant to be the typical Hollywood movie. This is a film that puts art above entertainment. Yes, that long, long lingering shot might be hard to watch, but it's certainly beautiful in an art sense, isn't it?

While I admit there are moments I wish more would have happened or at least had the pace quicken a bit, I still enjoyed this film. Yes, the movie suffers from some cliches, but it still tells a pretty interesting story that I feel will stick with me for quite a while. I enjoyed this film. I appreciate Clooney's efforts to put art above entertainment. That being said, I'm also looking forward to his next big movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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