The American (2010) R

The always marvelous George Clooney (Michael Clayton, Solaris) is The American, in Anton Corbijn's (Control) second feature film. Corbijn is best known for his work with bands like Metallica, U2, Bryan Adams and Depeche Mode. I think it's easy to say that he has made a terrific transition into feature length films. Now, let me start out by saying that this is not a Bourne-like film. It's methodically paced and quiet. The action is scarce, as is the dialogue. But the wonderful cinematography and Mr. Clooney make up for it.

Clooney plays Jack, a quiet, paranoid, lonely and rugged hit-man. The film starts out with a beautiful opening shot set in Sweden. Jack and an acquaintance are lodging at a remote cabin. While going for a walk on the frozen lake they come upon footprints in the snow. Immediately Jack knows something isn't right. He grabs his lady friend and they book it for cover. Two shots are fired from a sniper and are near-misses. Jack pulls out his gun and the woman is shocked at the fact that he has a gun. Jack eventually gets into a good position to put two in the snipers chest. Now Jack is forced to make a decision about the girl. Did she set him up or is she just an innocent stranger? He's obviously been in this situation before where he couldn't risk it and had to kill his friends. I won't spill the beans, because it's a tremendous scene.

After hunting down the other remaining assassin Jack splits to Rome, Italy. He takes his orders from Pavel (Johan Leysen). Jack wants to know how he was found in such a remote place, but Pavel doesn't have an answer. Jack, being as smart as he is, knows Pavel isn't being 100% truthful with him.

Pavel sends him to a remote little Italian town to blow of steam and wait for his next job, but Jack sniffs out the place and doesn't like it. So, he destroys the cell phone Pavel gave him and relocates to a different city. It's apparent at this point that Jack is paranoid, but he has good reason. When your employer can't be trusted, then you're in trouble.

While in Italy Jack meets a priest and they become regular pals. Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) knows Jack has some demons deep inside him, but Jack knows Father Bendetto does as well. They often sit and drink hard liquor on balconies and have delicious Italian dinners.

Jack contacts Pavel for a job offer and Pavel gives him one. He explains, "You don't even need to pull the trigger." He meets a strange but beautiful woman named Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). All she asks of him is to make her a sniper rifle, with specific features of course. He accepts and gets to work. He uses everyday tools and material to make the rifle. The finished rifle is a thing of beauty as he put dozens of hours into it.

Meanwhile, Jack has been seeing a call girl/escort almost daily. The kind Eliot Spitzer would pay top dollar for, but maybe a bit too old for him. Her name is Clara, and they become quite close in a short amount of time. Clara is played by the magnificent Italian movie/pop star Violante Placido (Fade to Black, Sleepless). It's worth mentioning that the female roles in this film are strong ones. She wants Jack to stay with her "forever," but he assures her that that is impossible. She knows he has a dark, deep secret but isn't afraid of him.

After another assassin attempts to kill Jack (the attempt is obviously unsuccessful), he becomes extremely paranoid and starts suspecting everyone, including Clara. How many of his lovers has he suspected before and was forced to pull the trigger? Will this be his last job? Can he trust Mathilde or Pavel? Although things get a little predictable, the final sequence of scenes are definitely worth sticking around for.

There are a few things I should note before I wrap up. For one, the subtitles are very small and often hard to read, so you have to pay close attention. About 20% of the film is in Italian, so it's not overwhelming. There is a gratuitous amount of nudity, which caught me off guard, so be aware of that. The final 20 minutes aren't exhilarating by any means, but they're tense and dramatic.

Clooney's facial expressions and body language are terrific in this film (as always). That's one of the things that sets him apart from most actors. He doesn't need to speak to catch your attention and hold it. His character in this film reminded me a lot of his roles in Michael Clayton and Solaris. Quiet and rightfully paranoid. Look, if you're looking for the next Bourne Identity then look elsewhere. But if you're a Clooney fan or enjoy deliberate and measured action films, then give it a try.
B

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