The Amateur

Loved this movie from start to finish. Totally expected him to die in the end.

'The Amateur' is not all that believable or unique, but it without question made for a satisfying time at the movies for me. It feels like a long while since I've seen Rami Malek in anything; fwiw, 'Oppenheimer' over a year ago. This makes for a strong return into my world.

Malek is the beating heart of the movie, as you'd expect. I mentioned that it doesn't come across as all that plausible, though that is only in regards to what the film ends up portraying; Malek is convincing as the main dude. Elsewhere, Laurence Fishburne and Michael Stuhlbarg are good.

I was fully invested from beginning to end, so I can't really harbour any complaints. It's pure and simply a very well done movie, in my eyes at least. After the very good 'One Life'

Rami Malek was amazing, such a great movie, i loved how he outwitted everyone and his methods and approach to each villain out of the four and what he had planned for every single one of them, very satisfying end and overall such a great watch

It was a really good watch, I was expecting it since I saw the trailer like 2 months ago, because I knew it was going to be a strange mix of impossible mission but with the brain as the protagonist and it really worked for me

It hurt the way it turned out for him at the start but everything always fall into the right place

A lot of action and thrill with strong and well written characters

Been a while since I've watched a spy movie and I enjoyed this lots! Felt the storyline moved along pretty quickly and enjoyed the locations / weapon's which was built. Felt like I could make them fully aware I'd end up killing myself 😂

[English + French]

🇺🇸🇬🇧 The Amateur by James Hawes. I haven’t seen the 1981 movie or read the book, so I can’t compare, but it was a nice surprise. The story is well put together, and it’s refreshing to have a hero who isn’t a superman — he has skills, especially in IT and intelligence, but he’s still very vulnerable on the ground. He stays a step ahead of his superiors, which makes the CIA seem a bit too clueless at times.

The movie takes us to several countries and cities in Europe, pausing when it needs to move the story forward, while also keeping us running to remind us of the constant stress of this mission, mixing vengeance and a manhunt.

One small regret about the trailer, which reveals the most striking scenes: you end up waiting for them, knowing they’re coming, and the next ten minutes feel like they’re just building up to that moment. It takes away some of the tension.

Rami Malek is really good. He plays a tense, unsure guy who can push himself when needed. His expressions really fit the idea of someone who works in the shadows, never revealing themselves.

In the end, the movie is easy to watch. You really want to see Charles succeed in mourning the way he wants.

🇫🇷 The Amaeur by James Hawes. Je n'ai pas vu le film de 1981 ni lu le livre, donc je peux pas comparer, mais bonne surprise. L’histoire est bien ficelée, et ça fait du bien d’avoir un héros qui n’est pas un surhomme — il a des compétences, surtout en informatique et en renseignement, mais il reste très vulnérable sur le terrain. Il garde une longueur d’avance sur ses supérieurs, ce qui rend la CIA un peu trop larguée de façon exagérée à certains moments.

Le film nous fait voyager dans plusieurs pays et villes d’Europe, en se posant quand il faut pour faire avancer le récit, tout en nous relançant régulièrement dans la course pour rappeler le stress constant de cette mission mêlant vengeance et cavale.

Petit regret concernant la bande-annonce, qui montre les scènes les plus marquantes : on se retrouve à les attendre, et à sentir que les dix minutes qui précèdent ne sont là que pour les amener. Ça casse un peu la tension sur certains passages.

Rami Malek est vraiment bon. Il incarne bien un mec tendu, pas sûr de lui, mais capable de se dépasser quand il faut. Il a des mimiques qui collent bien à l’idée qu’on se fait de quelqu’un qui travaille toujours dans l’ombre sans jamais se révéler.

En finalité le film se laisse regardé facilement. On veut voir Charles réussir a faire son deuil de la façon qu'il désir.

Jason Bourne is on vacation and his IT guy is filling in.

Kind of a slow burner but in a good way. No crazy over the top action it seemed actually grounded in reality.

I also liked the aspect of the first kill. Something I'd never seen before.

"The Amateur" will certainly not win an award for originality. The spy thriller starring Rami Malek simply consists of too many elements that have already been seen in numerous other films. And a revenge plot isn't exactly anything new either. But "The Amateur" is rock solid in everything it does. Malek is convincing, and his co-stars also deliver. Furthermore, the story has at least one little twist, which is a bit innovative, because here it's not the super spy who takes revenge, but the "Man in the Chair." The whole premise is also used to create some exciting moments, only falling apart a little at the end. But I definitely had a good time at the movies.

A fun premise that felt like a bit too much story for a 2 hour movie. A quick pace can often be a good thing, but take it too far and it starts to feel like a box checking exercise, as making the story fit becomes a bigger focus than making it entertaining. I got a bit of that feeling in the back half of this movie, as the protagonist's clever spy craft required quite a bit of logistical ground work that wasn't all that compelling to watch. The tech focus contributed to this, as watching computer work isn't particularly cinematic and ultimately proves so over powered to be essentially a deus ex machina. Some side characters also felt like they didn't have enough to do. For example, Jon Bernthal's scene toward the end was good, but once I realized that was the last we'd get of him I was disappointed. I'd also call out Adrian Martinez's character, which felt like it was set-up to have more involvement as a potential sympathetic man on the inside. Despite all of these complaints, I still enjoyed the movie. Rami Malek's performance is strong enough to carry and, as mentioned at the start, the premise is fun. Perhaps would have made a better mini-series.