'The American' Movie Review

Most "one last job" movies are high-energy action flicks or thrillers driven by a veteran actor playing a character with a troubling back story, but Anton Corbijn's "The American" operates as a character-driven mood piece, a precise and quiet visual portrayal of a man trying to quit his dangerous profession who is constantly haunted and pervasively paranoid.

Way different from the Clooney-led spy thrillers of the '90s, "The American" broods and ruminates under the Corbijn's precise visual style. Those expecting Clooney's return to suave criminal mastery will find themselves waiting and waiting for this film to pop. It doesn't. There is no mêlée of Bourne-style assassin-chasing amid the hillside towns of the Italian countryside, so for many, shots of Clooney doing push-ups and putting together a rifle will become tedious.

But "The American" doesn't languish quite as much as it might seem, though it certainly does at times. After a jarring opening sequence in Sweden when Clooney's character Jack realizes he's being targeted, Jack quietly makes his way to Rome and then Abruzzo, where a job awaits him even though he's clearly ready to quit and he's still shaken from Sweden. Shots of him maneuvering the gorgeous countryside ensue as well as aforementioned exercise. In a town in the Abruzzo area, he meets Mathilde, his client, for whom he will build a custom rifle as that's his line of work. In the process, he becomes close with a gorgeous prostitute named Clara (Violante Placido) and comes to believe he's being pursued by the Swedes, causing paranoia to engross him.

Corbijn, who directed the 2007 black-and-white biopic "Control" about the short life of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, possesses a calculated and engaging visual style. His shots are ideally framed and pull our eye everywhere it needs to go. Considering dialogue is sparse, the ability for a scene to say a lot without saying anything is crucial and Corbijn does just that. He also plays well off audience expectation for this genre and twists the story in fresh and interesting ways.

Corbijn and Clooney are clearly on the same page, even if it means the film puts too much emphasis on the non-verbal and the dauntingly slow build-up to the climax. As much as the emphasis is tone, tone and tone, we come to understand Jack (who later decides he's Edward) extremely well and see his conflict between sticking to his sinful nature as a means to survive and just letting it all go because it bottles him up inside. You can critique the method all you like and complain about the film's choice to lean towards drama instead of action, but Corbijn possesses a good measure of talent and "The American" will leave a profound impression.

- MooMovie Guy
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VERY BAD!!! But i think the big problem was the scream play. I will give a 5 1/2 for the  movie, and 9 for the DP.

saw the film on Friday night. Art house all the way, you have to think, VERY sparse dialog, great camera work, the morality, redemption, all characters are flawed, no heroes.. on my 1 to 10 scale I give it a solid 7 1/2!

Oh man..First time watching this segment. Is this really what it is? Asking average viewers what they think of a film? Average people have average opinions...Is there really any value to commentary like "It was different" and "Go see Takers"?  To paraphrase Groundhog Day "People like blood sausage. People are morons." George Clooney hasn't made the supposed stereotypical "George Clooney movie"..uh..ever? Yet decade in- people are still "I likey handsome man..I read tabloid..This no matthew Mcconaughey movie..My brain hurts. Where 'splosions?"

It's awsome that the winter sceene is shot in a small plase outside a small town in sweden.
and i live there :D

hey i'm a new member but wat do you think of SAW 7 in October it would be so cool

bey Luuck Venema Venema productions the Netherlands.

who came up with that idiotic name what is up with Americans and calling movies American, American Gangster, American Psycho, American Beauty and now the American talk about creative titles to give your movie and what the hell does it tell you about the movie absolutely nothing. If you hear the title of the movie it might as well be about the chubby Asian guy with the insanely big coke in his hand. because he is The real American.