The American (2010)
Certified: 16
Duration: 103 minutes
Directed by: Anton Corbijn
Starring: George Clooney, Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten, Paolo Bonacelli, Irina Björklund, Johan Leysen
KRS release
George Clooney plays a contract assassin by the name of Jack who feels that the time to retire is near. He soon realises that the time is just right when the tables are turned and he becomes the target.
His boss, Pavel (Johan Leysen) arranges to have him hide out in a town in the Italian countryside. However, Jack does not like the town and so opts to go to another nearby locality – Castel del Monte.
The town is simply perfect and here two people enter into Jack’s life. These are prostitute Clara (Violante Placido) and Fr Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) who is a very curious kind of person.
Before letting go of his past, Jack has to perform one last job and that is build a specific rifle for Mathilde (Thekla Reuten), a female assassin. Meanwhile he is increasingly suspicious about some of the people around him.
The American is a beautiful and gripping film. Dutch director Anton Corbijn who has worked as a music photographer for the likes of Metallica, Nirvana and Depeche Mode among others, eschews the use of MTV-style editing to favour a 1970s languid realistic touch. Thus, The American comes packed with a rich and tangible atmosphere that seems to have been lost in modern films in their endless rush of special effects and headlong action.
Mr Clooney delivers a very strong performance. He is impeccable as an assassin who sees that the end of the game is nigh.
He shows the signs of all the wear and tear that the chosen profession has left on him but he also comes with a sense of detachment that is chilling. We feel his suspicions, his paranoia and also enjoy the way some of the people he meets get under his skin. He seems to be playing a character straight out of a Sergio Leone movie.
Mr Clooney’s performance is balanced out by a perfect supporting cast. Violante Placido is simply beautiful and the camera seems to love her.
The 1970s element is very much tangible, and the film seems to pay homage to the works of Akira Kurosawa, Bernardo Bertolucci or Jean Pierre Melville.
The American is also about the environment as the place seems to come alive around the characters. The plot may read like it was an extract out of a James Bond film complete with a super hot Bond girl but mark my word this is serious business indeed. Mark The American down as a must-see.