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“The Amateur” Summary
On September 12, 2024, Charlie’s wife, Sarah, was killed after initially being kidnapped. Given that Charlie works for the CIA, in decryption and analysis, it doesn’t take him long to figure out the men involved, as well as a woman. He wants justice, and when he is told his wife isn’t a priority, he forces his superiors’ hands to go for revenge while blackmailing them into helping him.
But, with making enemies within the CIA, while going after individuals with terrorist, and even KGB connections, Charlie has to use all the knowledge he can not just to avenge his wife, but dodge even the man who was tasked with training him, Henderson, if he wants to finish his task and live to see his wife’s grave again.
Cast and Character(s)
Charlie (Rami Malek)
Charlie works for the CIA, decrypting files from various entities to help protect and serve America. He seems to be a rather quiet individual. The kind who goes to work, is cordial to co-workers, but his best, and potentially only friend, is his wife. Which is why she probably worries about leaving him alone while she attends conferences, because she knows he’ll likely spend the entire day staring at a screen.
- The actor is also known for their role in “The Little Things.”
Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan)
It isn’t clear what Sarah does for a living, but she travels often, and at a recent conference, she was killed while being kidnapped, as a means for her kidnappers to escape.
- The actor is also known for their role in “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.”
Henderson (Laurence Fishburne)
Tasked with training Charlie, Henderson is the type to follow orders, not with a smile or salute, but because orders are orders. But, as much as he sees training someone like Charlie, who can barely handle a gun, as a waste of time, he gets pleasantly surprised by how Charlie works around his gun aversion.
- The actor is also known for their role in “John Wick: Chapter 4.”
Frank Moore (Holt McCallany)
Frank is a department head within the CIA who has survived multiple CIA directors, and is a bit cocky about that.
- The actor is also known for their role in “The Iron Claw.”
“The Amateur” Film Details
- Runtime: 2 Hour(s) and 3 Minutes
- Released (In Theaters): April 5, 2025
- Public Release Date: April 11, 2025
- Director(s): James Hawes
- Writer(s): Ken Nolan, Gary Spinelli
- Based on Work By: Robert Littell
Other Noteworthy Information
Why Is “The Amateur” Rated PG-13
- Dialog: Nothing Notable
- Violence: Gun Violence, Torture, Notable Fight Scene(s)
- Sexual Content: Nothing Notable
- Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Drinking, Vomiting
Links
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Review
Highlight(s)
Time Flies By
For those, like me, who see “2 Hours and 3 Minutes” as the runtime and say, “Pass!” this isn’t the type of movie that feels like it wants to drag everything out. Yes, the build to Charlie blackmailing and then country hopping in Europe requires some time but once he decides to go against Frank Moore, gets trained by Henderson, and things begin to pick up, you find yourself engaged and wondering if Charlie maybe could have been a field agent – just one who isn’t much for guns.
Low Point(s)
Sarah Is But A Catalyst
While we enjoy Rachel Brosnahan as much as the next person, especially as Mrs. Maisel, she doesn’t do or say much that is particularly noteworthy in the film. She is just the catalyst for Charlie’s story, and the sad thing is, you don’t even feel connected to her in a way to root for Charlie.
However, generally speaking, you don’t learn much about anyone to truly care for them. However, you’d think with Sarah we’d learn what she did for a living, see more of her and Charlie falling in love, but nope. She may pop up to haunt him sometimes, maybe we’ll see a handful of memories of them at home, but nothing to make Sarah matter to you in any way possible as much as she mattered to Charlie.
On The Fence
Villains Can Feel Lackluster And Maybe Too Human
No one we meet is the type of villain you’ll love to hate, see as diabolical, or formidable. It seems one thing “The Amateur” wanted to do was make grounded, very much human, villains who didn’t seem like they couldn’t be found, exposed, or killed. In some ways, you may appreciate this, for it allows for a suspension of disbelief to be easier. Yet, at the same time, it isn’t like Charlie is charismatic, evokes emotions because his wife died, or is overall a protagonist about whom you get excited.
So, you’d think the villains would compensate, but no one stands out. In terms of CIA members, you could submit Frank does as the ring leader working against Charlie, but because Charlie gets the slip on them so many times, you don’t take Frank or his associates seriously.
Then, when it comes to the group that needed Sarah to die in order to escape, things are even worse. At best, you get their name, maybe their specialty, like one is really into arms selling, but until it is time for them to die, you don’t see them interact with Charlie, or exist outside of Charlie’s purview. So there is no build – they are just someone involved in Sarah’s murder who has to die or be brought to justice.
The Lack of Blood Is Notable
Here is the thing which throws me off so much with this movie – people die by gun shots, there is notable combat for Laurence Fishburne’s character, people get blown up, and more, and yet there are no signs of the violence. There is no blood, no signs that someone has been hurt beyond moving a bit slower, and it all seems to be to get this to PG-13 territory, and honestly, the sacrifice isn’t worth it from a viewer’s perspective.
Overall
Our Rating (73/100): Mixed (Divisive)
“The Amateur” is a date movie for when you plan to do anything but focus on the movie. This isn’t to say “The Amateur” is bad, but it does lack a real hook. There are many dramatic performances, including Malek playing a grieving man, but it doesn’t make you care about Sarah. Heck, Sarah doesn’t make you give a damn about her death just by watching her.
And while I must give this movie credit for not having pacing issues, at the same time, there was no resistance. Charlie didn’t have many obstacles; no character was created to pose a significant challenge to his goal or survival. As a result, while people die because of Charlie, you never question if he might be next, because he remains unscathed.
Add in character development isn’t a strong suit of “The Amateur,” and it really makes the violence of the film meaningless. Oh, and let’s not forget the blatant absence of blood and signs of violence, so this could be PG-13, which pushes the idea that, at some point, the goal was just to get as much money as possible, for faith was lost in post-production.
Hence the mixed label. “The Amateur” isn’t bad but does feel like it is the type of movie a streaming platform would release for a weekend pop and then after being touted as a major hit, it almost instantly disappears from any tracking charts and enters a void where only fans of those involved in this production would seek it out.
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