Film: The American (2010)
Director: Anton Corbijn
Starring: George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Violante Placido
I had high expectations heading into this one, especially after reading some favourable reviews in Empire and Little White Lies (who claimed it was one of 'the best films of the year'). I was excited to see The American and what it had to offer. I wouldn't say I'm a massive Clooney fan, and I've never seen anything by Corbijn, but I still thought the film looked really interesting, a Bourne-like thriller set in the heart of rural Italy. I unfortunately missed the preview the Little Theatre in Bath had on in November, but I did manage to see it a few weeks later.
To be honest, I wish I hadn't bothered. The American certainly didn't live up to the hype, not for me anyway. It starts out brightly enough, with Clooney's character Jack narrowly escaping an assassination in the Swedish tundra. Jack then has to flee to safety and ends up in a small town in Italy (the stunning Castel del Monte in Abruzzo), where he befriends the local priest and falls in love with the town prostitute. Despite the clichés, this is all perfectly acceptable and would make for decent entertainment. However that's about it for the plot, as nothing else really happens. The action scenes, whilst impressive, are brief to say the least, in length and occurrence. For a film about an American hitman trying to escape his demons in Europe, its just not enough. Corbijn certainly didn't set out to create your run-of-the-mill action flick and its obvious he wanted to show us a different kind of action thriller. The Dutch director certainly created a beautiful piece of cinema with The American, but I felt that for 105 minutes, Corbijn got his priorities mixed as beauty seemed to take precedence over story. For example, the director loved to highlight the beautiful Italian landscape and Corbijn repeatedly shot Clooney driving his car around the winding roads, but it just felt too forced to me and a bit overkill on the 'arty' side. Still, a gorgeous film throughout.
However, I can't find much fault with the acting in The American. Clooney was particularly good, perfecting that sense of tension and pain in his character. Clooney may have stolen the show, as he often does as the leading man, but the supporting cast were top-notch as well. Jack's fellow assassin Mathilde, played by Thekla Reuten, was terrific in her scene with Clooney in an Italian cafe. The tension was unbearable - it was probably the best moment of the film - as I found myself on the edge of my seat in anticipation. Violante Placido, who played love interest Clara, achieved her job as the eye candy in The American. Corbijn loves things that look good, so its obvious why he chose Placido to accompany Clooney. Paolo Bonacelli, who played Father Benedetto, was decent enough I suppose, but I don't think he had enough screen time to make much of an impression.
Overall, The American didn't do enough for me to say I would happily go and see it again. I don't mind slow films, in fact I often think some movies could have benefited with a change of pace, but The American was so slow that when you look back on it, not a great deal happened. The film was certainly beautiful, and Corbijn liked to show off his cast and their surroundings, but the plot was sloppy, the pace was exhausting, and there were a few moments when I honestly felt quite bored. To put it simply enough, it just felt empty. I wasn't expecting an action movie by any means, but The American didn't offer me enough thrills and spills to make me a fan.
A More Enjoyable Reality Rating: 5/10
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