At first glance, The Amateur walks and talks like every other spy thriller on the market.
It eagerly kills off Rachel Brosnahan’s sweet, unassuming wife in the film’s opening moments to establish emotional stakes. It forces Rami Malek into the role of doting, tie-wearing husband. Like all action-thrillers, it paints a picture of a perfect marriage while doing little to hide that the wife is only present as a means to an end. Malek’s trademark intensity shifts uncomfortably under the surface, eager for the romantic ruse to shatter so the fun can begin.
Once it does, The Amateur impressively bypases the implications of using Brosnahan as collateral damage with little blowback. It captivatingly throws the straight-walking CIA decoder into the centre of a government conspiracy and releases Malek’s darker side on a bunch of unassuming con men.
The Amateur recognizes that its lead isn’t a conventional action hero and adjusts accordingly.
The film embraces the technological warfare Malek wielded so well during his time on Mr. Robot. It explores a rogue assassin who uses his brilliant brain to kill his marks. Instead of forcing the Oscar winner into the typical action hero role, the film caters entirely to his strengths as a performer. As a result, you cannot help but cheer for a Malek who is entirely in his element, playing a squimish civilian who uses his weaknesses as an engaging bait and switch.
Charlie Heller is a slippery criminal coder with a sly smile and a terrifying IQ who never quite lets the audience guess his next move. The film is exhilarating and fun to watch, transcending the typical tropes of the genre into something entertaining, even unique.
This adrenaline-filled action romp cleverly rehashes Mr. Robot’s glory days. Yet, it has a valuable secret weapon in the form of another TV franchise icon.
Fans will buy the ticket for Rami Malek, but they will be seated for Caitriona Balfe.
The Outlander star has long proven herself a versatile actor with a range like you would not believe. Yet, the film keeps her appearance mostly under wraps and her name off the official cast list. When Charlie learns the Russian contact he has been speaking to for years is not a middle-aged man but his widowed wife, the film’s premise kicks into another gear.
From the start of their first meeting, it’s clear that the momentum has been building towards this allyship between Charlie and Inquiline. And it is magic.
There’s no witty banter or romantic heart eyes necessary. Their ease around each other and ability to transform dialogue into its own dance is exciting.
The Amateur doesn’t have many flashy hand-to-hand combat scenes to throw around. Yet, it gets very close with the heart-pounding intimacy of this partnership. Their communication is a comforting back-and-forth, covering dead time between kills with interesting dialogue-led conflict.
The clear connection they share as widows by circumstance drives this dynamic.
And that emotional tether pays off when Inquiline lets her guard down and orchestrates a vulnerable moment with Charlie before her demise. The earlier comment she makes about not being able to sleep through the night due to her paranoia sets up the small physical scene beautifully as she asks Charlie to hold her in his arms just so she can bask in that intimacy and safety one more time.
It’s a bittersweet goodbye for a relationship that drives the best parts of this film.
Ultimately, two of the three supporting female characters die to further the plot. Nonetheless, the film gives them captivating and noble deaths.
Whether Sarah sacrifices herself for a coworker or Inquiline takes in a stray criminal despite the risks, the film finds ways to champion its women as more than just pieces on a chessboard for Charlie to lose. In the end, the girl-boss CIA director is the one who brings down corruption within the company, so a win is a win.
It is a step in the right direction for the action genre to acknowledge that none of these women characters are a substantial part of the plot, but their arcs still matter. This small but tasteful choice elevates a faceless ensemble of characters to a film with a tapestry of stand-out performances.
Performances from Laurence Fishburne, Jon Bernthal, and Adrian Martinez get lost in the chaos of the larger players. But they are a tremendous part of what makes this ensemble’s smaller parts so compelling. When these three actors are onscreen, they make their time count, coming to Charlie’s aid in unexpected ways.
The Amateur is a delightful foray into action for Malek. Even better, it’s an unexpectedly tender thriller with sharp action that uses psychological warfare to transcend mediocrity.
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The Amateur is now playing exclusively in theatres.
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