The Amateur is a new film due to release this upcoming weekend from 20th Century Studios. Directed by James Hawes, the film stars Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stulhbarg, Holt McCallany, Juliette Nicholson, and Laurence Fishburne. After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder, Charles Heller (Malek), takes matters into his own hands when supervisors refuse to take action.

Right from the start, the film immediately has this 1990’s/2000’s espionage tone that’s been lost in time. I can even sense where it feels like a novel adaptation. The film establishes a relationship between Rami Malek & Rachel Brosnahan as a married couple. They do a good job with what they are given, but the dialogue can be a bit too hammy, making the relationship feel less believable. Nonetheless, when the inciting incident occurs, Malek is all in emotionally, especially for someone who is presented as introverted.

The marketing material makes it quite clear that Malek plays as an introvert, which may be something Malek can be too good at (see Mr. Robot). He certainly has the mannerisms as someone who is introverted, but making him introverted also doesn’t always come across believable based on the people he knows and how far he’s willing to go. Instead, it would make more sense for him to be less introverted and more self- conscious due to the amount of stuff he’s gone through. They could have even shown how his setbacks lead to him having the occupation that he has.

Convincing his superiors to train him, I was surprised they went down this route. For some reason, I thought he’d go AWOL and take down his wife’s killers immediately

When he trains under Laurence Fishburne, I totally bought the idea that he was someone who could go to extreme lengths to take them down. While there are some far-fetched ideas within the plot here, there’s no denying Malek & Fishburne’s scenes together are terrific. After some training, he finally goes AWOL, cumulating a first act that feels earned and natural.

When the second act kicks in, you get a real sense that this is an antithesis of Jason Bourne. He’s going on a globetrotting adventure, but his inability to follow through makes him feel more human and easier to connect with, especially with how he envisions his wife and how it brings him comfort. It makes sense for him to not immediately hurt these criminals. The sequences that follow with each criminal is unrealistic and could have been more grounded, but they are still entertaining. There is even a cat-and-mouse game that I found to be captivating.

As all of this is going on, the cinematography gives a grand eagle view over each location, making it feel even more exciting when the action kicks in. The score also perfectly matches the tone. Maybe this has all the right components of what I like about espionage, but it masters each component to great effect.

I found Malek’s journey as Heller to be a redeemable one. If you’re going to take away any themes from this, it’s that you don’t mess with introverted individuals. It’s messed up who Heller loses in the process, but the events that unfold give him the hero’s journey, leading to an emotionally satisfying conclusion for both Heller and the people he worked for.

The film gives Malek a great opportunity to properly showcase his talents in a new genre; however, the film boasts an impressive ensemble that either doesn’t get enough runtime like Jon Bernthal or proper closure like Laurence Fishburne. The pacing can also be a bit sluggish at times.

Overall, The Amateur is a pleasant surprise and a throwback to the spy thrillers I loved. It can be a bit over the top at times and it’s star-studded cast may not get the runtime they deserve, but this is certainly new territory for Malek that I’d love to see more from.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)