Shadows on the Wall | The Amateur

The Amateur

dir James Hawes
scr Ken Nolan, Gary Spinelli
prd Rami Malek, Joel B Michaels, Hutch Parker, Dan Wilson
with Rami Malek, Laurence Fishburne, Caitriona Balfe, Julianne Nicholson, Rachel Brosnahan, Holt McCallany, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Adrian Martinez, Danny Sapani, Marc Rissmann, Joseph Millson
release UK/US 11.Apr.25
25/UK 20th Century 2h03

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While this action movie feels light on visceral thrills, it's at least original: propelling the story with brainy mayhem rather than the usual muscly masculinity. This makes it engaging on a different level than expected, as the script deploys red herrings and shadowy characters. Director James Hawes keeps things moving as the story leaps around Europe, almost making us forget that it's yet another simple revenge saga.

CIA decryption analyst Charlie (Malek) is horrified when his wife Sarah (Brosnahan) is killed by terrorists in London. So he blackmails his boss Moore (McCallany) into training him to take down the killers. Trainer Henderson (Fishburne) quickly realises that Charlie isn't great with guns, so he focusses on his mind. Soon Charlie heads to Europe on a mission, connecting with a helpful hacker (Balfe). But Moore sends Henderson to stop Charlie, and Moore's boss (Nicholson) sends her own goons to chase Charlie as he darts from Britain to France, Turkey, Spain, Romania and Russia.

Much of this was shot in London, with obvious digital intervention. But each change in scenery offers fresh visual flourishes that distract from the usual questions, such as how Charlie funds this after going rogue. There are a couple of enjoyable smaller figures, including Bernthal as a spy colleague tho pops up a couple of times, and the always welcome Stuhlbarg is terrific in a key moment. Meanwhile, Brosnahan's screen time is augmented by flashbacks and visions as Charlie imagines her accompanying him.

For his part, Malek adeptly plays the nerdy Charlie as a guy who would rather think than shoot his way through a problem, so it's fun to watch him come up with fiendishly clever solutions, kill the baddies and manipulate various situations. Although it isn't very easy to connect with him emotionally. His offbeat camaraderie with Fishburne's sneaky Henderson is nicely played, as are his scenes with Balfe. She brings both heart and intelligence to her role, which almost makes us wish she was playing Charlie instead.

Best of all is the fact that this isn't a sequel or remake (it's based on Robert Littell's novel), so there's a fresh sense of intrigue that holds the interest. It never really gets the pulse racing, because the chases and fights are fairly brisk and perfunctory. And the plot isn't exactly groundbreaking. But the story is constantly in motion thanks to a more thoughtful intentionality that creates genuinely outrageous moments without the usual over-reliance on gunfire.

themes, language, violence 31.Mar.25

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