Movie Review: The American

There are some movies that don’t bother explaining motives, characters, or even the most basic of plot decisions. The movie starts, you’re plunked down in the middle of everything, and you’re left to figure it out as the story unfolds. Imagine opening a 400-page book to the middle, skipping every fifth page, and reading to the end. That’s what The American is like. And it works.

George Clooney stars as the eponymous hero, and honestly, the title is about as much information as you’ll get about his character. Is he an assassin? Is he a custom weapons maker for other assassins? Why does he accept orders from his boss without question or argument? How does he know who to kill? None of this is actually very important to enjoying the movie as long as you let yourself relax and take a trip. The American is quite a trip. It mostly concerns itself with placing you in an understanding of mindset, as opposed to a position of sympathy with the main character.

For the sake of simplicity, we’ll say Clooney’s character (who is referred to as both Jack and Edward, but we’re never sure if even those are real) is an assassin. He’s laying low in an Italian village after being found and attacked in the opening scene. How he was found is a mystery, as is why the attackers were looking for him. All we know is that they’re Swedish and pretty poor shots. Jack, however, is a fantastic shot, even when aiming at innocent people who’ve seen too much. He escapes and proceeds to meet with his boss, who instructs him of his next job.

He is tasked with creating a custom rifle for a client. The next 80 minutes is spent watching as he wanders the village, meets some people, and looks increasingly nervous about when he’ll be attacked next. I hesitate to say that not much happens (that would be incorrect and obscenely dismissive) but what does happen is shown in a minimal, more naturalistic way. The characters he meets help show a little bit more of his own personality and emotional state.

The American has divided critics and audiences over it’s apparent lack of direction (it has one, it just doesn’t beat you over the head with it) and Clooney’s lack of charm or wit (he’s acting, God forbid, like a paranoid hitman-on-the-run would). It’s been criticized for being too boring and unformed. I found it exciting and contemplative. Some people enjoy not being told everything about a person or situation and just enjoying what’s there. I am one of those people. If you are as well, then this movie is for you.

Score: 4 out of 5
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