Review by Jon Donnis
The Amateur opens with the kind of clean, deliberate setup that promises something more personal than the average revenge thriller. It gives us Charlie Heller, played by Rami Malek, a quiet, awkward CIA cryptographer whose world is shattered when his wife Sarah is killed in a terrorist attack. From the start, Malek plays Charlie like a man out of place, someone used to hiding behind code and routine rather than dealing with grief or violence. But that's what makes the early part of the film interesting. The guy who works in the basement is suddenly the one digging through classified files, finding patterns no one else has seen, and going head-to-head with his own agency.
The first act pulls you in quickly. Charlie's discovery that the CIA covered up drone strikes, and that his own boss might be responsible, adds a weight that feels different to the usual lone-agent storyline. When he demands to be trained so he can go after the killers himself, you feel like you're watching something slightly unhinged but believable. He's not slick or confident, and he's definitely not ready for the field, but that's the point. It's uncomfortable watching him learn how to make bombs or try to pull a gun on someone. His grief turns him into someone you're not sure can actually do what he's set out to do, which keeps you curious for a while.
The tension builds nicely as he travels through Europe, tracking down the people involved. The allergy clinic scene in Paris, where he traps one of the suspects in a hypobaric chamber, is the kind of low-tech, strange set piece that sticks with you. Same with the rooftop pool in Madrid, where he uses pressure to send a target plummeting through glass. There's creativity in how Charlie operates. He's not fighting like a field agent. He's thinking like someone who sees the world through equations and loopholes. It makes these encounters feel less about brute force and more about smarts, which suits the character.
But somewhere in the second half, the film starts to lose its grip. At two hours, it feels stretched well past its limit. Pacing becomes a problem. The urgency dips. Scenes linger longer than they need to, and what once felt tightly wound starts to unravel. There's too much time spent watching Charlie stew or wander. Instead of the tension rising, it starts to flatline.
The ending also doesn't deliver the punch it needs. Charlie finally confronts Schiller, the man responsible for Sarah's death, and what should be a cathartic, explosive moment plays out with a kind of cold detachment. Maybe the film wants to say something about restraint or control. But after two hours of build-up, it just doesn't land, the emotional release the film's been hinting at never really comes.
Malek is believable as someone who would rather talk to a machine than a person, but that also becomes a limitation. His version of Charlie is so inward that it's hard to stay fully connected. He grieves silently, acts alone, and rarely lets anything break the surface. You want more emotion from him, especially by the end. The people around him, including Caitríona Balfe as the mysterious Inquiline and Laurence Fishburne as his reluctant mentor, bring some spark to the film, but it's not quite enough.
There's a lot to like in the concept. Watching a non-combatant turn himself into a threat through sheer willpower has its appeal. The idea that intelligence can be more dangerous than violence is a good one. And the personal stakes are clear. But The Amateur doesn't quite know when to cut, when to push harder, or when to let go.
It starts strong, then drifts. What could have been something memorable settles into something forgettable. A tighter runtime and a more honest final act would have made all the difference.
As it stands, it's a decent thriller that plays things a little too safe. A 6 out of 10 feels fair.
Apple TV - https://apple.co/3HRQT2T