Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Dispatched to a small Italian town to await further orders, assassin Jack embarks on a double life that may be more relaxing than is good for him.
The American is a deliberately slow, contemplative thriller that leans heavily on mood and atmosphere rather than conventional narrative momentum. The plot is thin and sparse — a brooding assassin awaits orders, has a romance, builds a weapon — but that minimalism is both a stylistic choice and a genuine weakness in dramatic engagement. George Clooney delivers a restrained, physically committed performance that holds the film together, but the supporting cast has little to work with. Where the film genuinely excels is cinematography: Martin Ruhe's visuals of the Abruzzo landscape are stunning, with a European art-house precision that elevates the material considerably. The film has a distinctive Anton Corbijn visual signature that gives it a somber, melancholic identity, though it's not wholly original in its quiet-assassin-wanting-out premise. The ending is bleak and consistent with the tone but feels somewhat unsatisfying dramatically.