After a summer of mostly over-the-top, overbearing and, in the end, empty movies (glaring at you, Inception), George Clooney's spy thriller The American ushers in fall by offering a refreshing change of pace.
Don't let the ridiculous trailers with Clooney running around and pointing a huge gun mislead you. Instead of coming out with guns a-blazing, The American is understated in delivery with only flashes of violence, walking a fine line - not arty, but not quite Bond either.
The story line doesn't seem fresh, original or even that creative; the old pro loner assassin (Clooney) on his final mission in the Italian countryside falls in love with a mysterious stranger who may or may not be out to kill him. Along the way, he befriends a priest, hits up a brothel and is tailed by a shadowy Swede.
Not groundbreaking stuff here, but it is enough to keep you quizzical.
Where this movie really succeeds is in the execution of what it does have. Clooney is a perfect fit for the lead, one very similar to the strong but silent role he adeptly played in Michael Clayton.
Most crucial is Clooney's ability to hold the film together at points where the script meanders and the audience could start to lose concentration. He is also able to bring out the best in co-star Violante Placido, who is given little to work with within her slightly under-cooked subplot.
Little-known director Anton Corbijn is another key. Hailing from Holland, the European aesthetic he brings to the table does wonders for the film's on-edge disposition. He isn't in your face with constant action but lets the film's brooding atmosphere build the tension organically. Without Corbjin behind the lens, The American might be, well, just a little too American.
This film isn't the greatest spy/thriller/romantic movie ever made. Much like its main character, it is at times distant and cold without much personality. But much like its main star, The American is also extremely handsome (or in other words, well shot) and immensely watchable.
- Cameron Dunbar is a sophomore studying journalism. If you, too, want to have a strictly platonic relationship with George Clooney, shoot him an e-mail at cd211209@ohiou.edu.
3 Culture
Cameron Dunbar
32117b.jpg
