THE AMERICAN
A; DRAMA
Dir: Anton Corbijn
Cast: George Clooney, Violante Placido, Paolo Bonacelli, Thekla Reuten
Rating: ***1/2



What's it about: A hitman decides to bid his killing career goodbye. Based on a novel titled A Very Private Gentleman, the film sees Jack (Clooney), veteran assassin-for-hire as a loner. He's almost boring as far as his attention to detail and his single-minded dedication to work goes. After a job goes bad in Sweden, he hides away in a small Italian town until things cool down.
While he's an assassin, he's also a craftsman. He works on building a compact weapon for the sexy Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). He befriends a priest (Bonacelli), and finds himself besotted by a young prostitute named Clara (Placido).
Jack keeps these two at arm's length. Understandably so, but not for long. Love triumphs and he tells his boss (Johan Leysen) that he wants out. Easier said than done, one might add. Jack completely forgot about the Swedes, didn't he?
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What's hot: Clooney is easily the film's biggest asset. He plays the tormented loner Jack to perfection. Not his best film but an effective one nevertheless. We rarely (if ever) get to see the man like this. Then there's the excellent camerawork which has to be seen to be believed. Corbijn uses the element of surprise to highlight a few scenes in the film. Also the ladies are lovely, and that's never a bad thing.

What's not: This indie film isn't for those expecting a Bourne-style flick or an Ethan Hunt outing. The treatment is very arthouse and those who have gotten used to the summer blockbuster spy flicks that have become a Hollywood staple this year, will be sorely disappointed. The film's pace is undeniably slow and the limited action comes after long intervals. Also a few subplots are done to death. The characters spark off a sense of d ufffdj vu. Also, the film is being sold as an action flick. For the most part, it isn't.