Charles Heller (Rami Malek) is a data analyst and cryptographer working in the deepest darkest 5th story basement of CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. But as dark and uneventful his professional life may be, he has everything a man would want in his personal life; a beautiful home and loving wife Sarah (Rachel Brosnahan), who despite Charles’ insecurities, pushes him to step out of his bubble.
But tragedy strikes and Heller‘s entire world is shattered when Sarah is killed in a seemingly random terrorist attack in London. Yet, as a man with an IQ of 170, in the position he is in and with the knowledge he has, Heller knows something is fishy about the whole affair. Particularly when CIA deputy director Alex Moore (Holt McCallany) tells him not to worry and to “let them handle it”. Doing what he does best, Heller tracks who was responsible for this evil. But if top brass refuses to act due to conflicts of interest, then Heller will just have to take matters into his own hands.
He “insists” on being given a crash course in black ops and field work. His instructor Robert Henderson (Laurence Fishburne) knows that he is out of his depth but goes along anyway. At best, Heller has a 50/50 chance or maybe everyone is underestimating just how resourceful a man can be when pushed. He can’t shoot, he can’t fight and as smart as he is, he’s destined to make many, many mistakes. But most importantly, when it comes down to it, will this pencil pusher be able to kill?
Veteran British television director James Hawes follows up his incredible film debut One Life (2023) with a very different type of movie. The Amateur is the long gestating film adaptation of Robert Littell‘s 1981 spy thriller novel. Technology has advanced exponentially, actors have come and gone from the project, but finally this tale of revenge for novices explodes onto the big screen.
The tale of a man losing it all and seeking vengeance is as old as time. The Amateur shakes things up however in being a tightly round story of, well, an amateur. He doesn’t know what he’s doing; he’s not a killer, he’s not a hero, he’s not brave or even decisive. He just feels that he sees something which needs to be done and pushes himself to do the seemingly impossible.
The clandestine world of red tape and secret operations is a murky one. As Heller delves into this twisted universe, he changes, learning as he goes and trying to stay one step ahead of his enemy. Not just his targets, but those from Langley who have been tasked with taking him in or taking him out! The noose tightens and the film builds to its nail-biting showdowns. Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli do an incredible job modernising Robert Littell‘s novel. The spy world has changed a lot since the early 80s, and this film is much more “eye in the sky” as a result.
The Amateur lives and breathes on the shoulders of its incredible cast. Jon Berenthal as the prototypical badass American spy that’s hard to identify with, but impossible not to look up to and admire. Holt McCallany as Moore, a hardened veteran of the CIA whose love for his country has clouded his judgement on what is right and wrong. Julianne Nicholson as Samantha O’ Brien, the new director of the CIA, someone whose ideology is pure, yet whose hands are tied just like her predecessors, from reliance on a corrupt system of grey operations and those willing to carry them out.
But Rami Malek as Charles Heller shows just why he is a best leading actor Oscar winner. We watch Heller undergo a subtle yet considerable change over the course of the film. From someone who lacks any degree of confidence whatsoever, to a man who is becoming more and more cold blooded as his path continues. By the time his task is complete, would his wife even recognise him as the man she loved in the first place?
The Amateur does feature believably intense and realistic action sequences (Lawence Fishbourne can still kick ass 20 years after his first turn as Morpheus in the Matrix), but it is this very human element which director James Hawes is a master of. A veteran of storytelling, working exclusively in the medium of television until his heartbreaking film debut One Life, Hawes doesn’t let us forget just how broken Charles Heller is by the loss of his wife. With flashbacks and visions of Brosnahan‘s Sarah, Hawes ensures that we never forget Sarah‘s importance to Heller.
It’s still early in the year and along with Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag, I have already seen two excellent spy thrillers that I’ve loved. The Amateur has all the thrills and technophobia which made the Jason Bourne franchise such a hit. But it is also built up around a refreshingly sensitive lead performance from Rami Malek, something you don’t often see in revenge actioners such as this, making The Amateur a uniquely enjoyable globe-trotting spy adventure.