Why was there such backlash at ‘The American‘ when it was in theaters? Were people expecting something along the lines of ‘Shooter‘? Don’t get me wrong, ‘Shooter’ has some good moments, but ‘The American’ is a much more mature version of a similar premise.
The film carefully navigates us through the life of Jack, who seems peaceful enough, but unwilling to compromise his privacy, which we see quickly. It is a bold move to open a film with a scene like this, but director Anton Corbijn and writer Rowan Joffe know what they are doing. Daily life seems interesting for Jack because George Clooney doesn’t oversell it and leaves us guessing. Then when we hit peaks in the story, like little bursts of action or little quips in dialog, it keeps us hooked.
I want to say that to watch this film you will need patience, but what kind of warning is that? This is not a Jason Statham movie, but the plot revolves around a man whose job is to make special weapons for special murders. How good of a tease s that? So sit down, pay attention, and enjoy the ride. It’s a good one.
