The Amateur
2025
**½
Director: James Hawes
Cast: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julianne Nicholson, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Bernthal, Adrian Martinez, Danny Sapani
When his wife is killed by terrorists, Charlie Heller, a brilliant but nerdy CIA analyst, blackmails his superiors into giving him field training so he can exact revenge on the bad guys. The main selling point of this action thriller is that the protagonist is an everyman, armed only with his intelligence and determination. Does he have what it takes to kill a man? Ironically, his only hand to hand combat is against a woman. Despite this tweak to the formula, the end result is an uninspired spy story, The Bourne Identity-lite, if you like. I kept waiting for some big twists in the second half, but they never materialised. Rami Malek gives an oddly overdramatic lead performance. Based on Robert Littell's novel, which was previously adapted in 1981.
