The trailers seem to be a bit deceiving for this film. What you may think you might be getting is a tight paced action thriller, what you actually get is a modern day Western.
George Clooney plays Jack / Edward, a hit-man and gun craftsman who must hide out in a small Italian town to do a job, but stay hidden from "The Sweedes". We no nothing about Jack except for that he's highly skilled in what he does best. Whilst hiding out in the town, he befriends a priest and falls in love with a hooker.
To begin with, this film is very quiet, a few music ques fill the time, and even less dialogue. The film really pushes Clooney to absolutely deliver as he is on screen 90% of the time, if not more. We are left to decide what emotions and thoughts that Jack is going through simply by the way that Clooney acts. It seems to be a real old school way of film making and it is really refreshing to see it applied to a modern day film. I won't lie, many people are going to find this film boring and slow paced, but people who enjoy a good Western will love this film.
Clooney turns probably one of his most riveting performances. he doesn't have much dialogue at all so it really is left down to his acting abilities to echo what the character is going through. The other actors in the film, largely unknown to international audiences, turn just as good performances. Thekla Reuten and Violante Placido do an excellent job of keeping up with Clooney, playing the two women that enter his life when he rides into town.
Anton Corbijn, A music video director who delivered the excellent Ian Curtis biography, CONTROL, in 2007, delivers another great film, although almost entirely a polar opposite one. His direction shows Europe in a way that is not normally portrayed in American film.
Although not perfect, the film was a nice break from the usual "Last Job" assassin films. More of an exploration of Jack's love of his craft and his naturalistic obsession with not being able to let his past go. THE American is well worth watching.
George Clooney plays Jack / Edward, a hit-man and gun craftsman who must hide out in a small Italian town to do a job, but stay hidden from "The Sweedes". We no nothing about Jack except for that he's highly skilled in what he does best. Whilst hiding out in the town, he befriends a priest and falls in love with a hooker.
To begin with, this film is very quiet, a few music ques fill the time, and even less dialogue. The film really pushes Clooney to absolutely deliver as he is on screen 90% of the time, if not more. We are left to decide what emotions and thoughts that Jack is going through simply by the way that Clooney acts. It seems to be a real old school way of film making and it is really refreshing to see it applied to a modern day film. I won't lie, many people are going to find this film boring and slow paced, but people who enjoy a good Western will love this film.
Clooney turns probably one of his most riveting performances. he doesn't have much dialogue at all so it really is left down to his acting abilities to echo what the character is going through. The other actors in the film, largely unknown to international audiences, turn just as good performances. Thekla Reuten and Violante Placido do an excellent job of keeping up with Clooney, playing the two women that enter his life when he rides into town.
Anton Corbijn, A music video director who delivered the excellent Ian Curtis biography, CONTROL, in 2007, delivers another great film, although almost entirely a polar opposite one. His direction shows Europe in a way that is not normally portrayed in American film.
Although not perfect, the film was a nice break from the usual "Last Job" assassin films. More of an exploration of Jack's love of his craft and his naturalistic obsession with not being able to let his past go. THE American is well worth watching.