MOVIE OF THE WEEK (9/1/2010): THE AMERICAN
KEY CAST MEMBERS: George Clooney, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten and Paolo Bonacelli
WRITER: Rowan Joffe, adapted from Martin Booth's novel A Very Private Gentleman
DIRECTOR: Anton Corbijn
WEB SITE: http://focusfeatures.com/film/the_american
THE PLOT: Adapted from the 1990 novel A Very Private Gentleman, The American stars George Clooney in the title role as Jack, a man who, well, let's just call him a man who is very good with his hands who often has to use them to do his job (or save his own skin). In other words, he's an assassin.
After having his time in Sweden interrupted in a most harsh manner, Jack travels to Rome where he meets up with his contact Pavel (Johan Leysen) who sets up for him to hole up in small town in the hilly Italian countryside. While lying low Jack takes on a new assignment: Constructing a specialized rifle for a mysterious new contact, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). That assignment, of course, is not without its complications, as does Jack's unexpected friendship with Father Benedeto (Paolo Bonacelli), a local priest, and liaisons with Clara (Violante Placido), a beautiful woman of the night who longs for passionate romance.
And once Jack sees Clara for who she truly is, he comes to realize a different existence might be a better way to live ... Whether or not he'll believe alive to see it, however, remains to be seen ...
THE TAKE: Here's an analogy that I shared with a fellow critic after the screening we attended of the film recently that he didn't think held up, but one I am sticking with to explain my thoughts on The American: If I were given a paint-by-numbers kit that, once I was finished with it, I would have painted an exact replica of the Mona Lisa, is it a work of art or simply a very well done, visually appealing yet uninspired copy of a true work of art? If you feel that the latter is true, you have just summed up how I ultimately felt after watching this film.
Let me explain - there is no problem with the acting (which is fine all the way around), the cinematography (which is stellar) or even the film's soundtrack (which effectively sets the mood properly). And having not read the late Mr. Booth's novel, I cannot say for certain that it is the film's source material. No, the problem is that the film, which moves a bit too slowly at times, is extremely ... Familiar.
In talking with my fellow critic friend after the film, I was struggling to remember the film with a character that I felt George Clooney's character had a slight connection to in terms of their take on their job, desire to transcend it and a woman's affect on it, then I remember hours later: Heat and on a remotely similar level, The Professional.
OK - let me stop you right now. Heat, The Professional and The American are three completely different films, but the archetype of the main character in both is one we have seen countless times before, just tweaked and adjusted ever-so-slightly for each film. And in The American, the archetype is compelling enough to keep you watching, but the familiarity of his world fails to deliver a completely satisfying experience by the film's end.
While the film is essentially a throwback to film day's of yore (if the film's theatrical movie poster isn't a tip off, well, it should have been!), it ends up having a old vibe for the wrong reason: A story that no matter how well told, is one we've seen before. While many others may (and likely justifiably so) praise the cast and crew's work, the actual story itself is ultimately a facsimile of a work of art no matter how you cut it.
PARTING SHOT: While the film will definitely interest many in vacationing in Italy and having a torrid romance, The American is not in the same class as the foreign films it seeks to imitate.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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