Review: The American

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Opening with a silent panoramic shot of winter twilight in remote Sweden, The American quickly separates itself from typical international thrillers. Unfortunately, it also means that it won't find the audience normally drawn to such films.

Based on the Martin Booth novel A Very Private Gentleman and adapted by Rowan Joffe (28 Weeks Later), The American is the tale of Jack, an assassin (George Clooney) at the end of his career, paranoid and tense, and reluctant to take one last assignment. After Jack is targeted by a hit squad, he runs to Italy only to have his handler set up a place to lay low in a remote town.

Director Anton Corbijn leans heavily on moody imagery and panoramic shots to set the mood. Corbijn, whose background is in music videos and documentaries, relies more on imagery than dialogue to drive the story. The frequent wide shots set a tone of increasing isolation and sense of entanglement in Jack/Edward's life, whether he's talking to his handler, a client, or the people who insist on getting involved with him.

With little music and dialogue, The American may seem glacially slow at times, but watching as a character study, the increasing tension is palpable. Clooney eschews his typical charm and often smoldering confidence for the tense insecurity of a man no longer suited for a career without conscience. At times it seems that Clooney is too charismatic for the role, but he manages to pull it off. Clooney has a penchant for starring in provocative international drama with films like Syriana, Michael Clayton and The Good German and while The American doesn't have the global implications of those films, they're united by with strong performances and storylines.

Supporting Clooney are Paolo Bonacelli (Mission: Impossible III Johnny Stecchino) and Violante Placido as locals whom "Edward" can't seem to shake. Bonacelli plays a priest who can't resist a sinner, or the chance to wax poetically about local living. Placido is the quintessential hooker with a heart of gold. Add Johan Leysen (Brotherhood of the Wolf) as his handler Pavel, and Thekla Reuten (In Bruges) as his client, Mathilde, and all four seem to have walked off the set of a late 60s or early 70s flick.

From a clip of Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West playing in a deserted coffee bar to a lack of pyrotechnics and extravagant symbolism, The American has an old-school cinematic feel. Scene composition is clearly deliberate, from winding-road aerials to a picnic at an idyllic riverbank to test a weapon. The juxtaposition of bucolic paradise and the grim reality that Jack may not have much time left isn't being underscored with excessive music or explosive action. Even the most dramatic scenes are low energy compared to other contemporary thrillers.

The American is best viewed as a meditation on the struggle against the inevitability of consequences catching up with you. If you prefer cerebral to explosive, The American is a thoughtful retro-thriller rarely seen on the big screen these days.