Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
You're going to hear a lot of people (critics, in particular) agree that THE AMERICAN feels retro or has a certain European wire running through its core, and I can see that and maybe even agree with the latter assessment. But what the only 2010 offering from actor George Clooney (after three films out last year) really has is a level of sophistication and understated menace that sets it apart from perhaps every other films about a professional assassin ever made. With guidance from the great photographer/music video maker, CONTROL director Anton Corbijn, THE AMERICAN takes us inside the mind of a man who can kill for a living and lets us examine not only what makes him good at his job, but also how those very elements are the ones eating away at his soul and slowly consuming any remaining thing about him that is good.
With sparse dialogue and a camera that moves slow and steady, the film begins in a snow-swept, faraway woodland in Sweden. A slender handsome man with a salt-and-pepper beard is enjoying the company of a lovely woman in a cabin. The two go for a walk in the drifts when she spots another set of footprints in the snow. The man reacts instantaneously by running for cover just as bullets whiz by his head and explode the bark inches from his face. With defense and survival mechanism all activated, the man deals with the situation in a matter of minutes, and when he's finished, his peaceful life is shattered.
The wonderful thing about THE AMERICAN (one of many, actually) is that screenwriter Rowan Joffe (adapting the book "A Very Private Gentleman" by Martin Booth) doesn't bog us down with background. Do we really need to know how long this killer who sometimes calls himself Jack, sometimes Edward has been at the game? Can't we look at his tired face that almost never cracks a smile to be fairly certain that the answer is "Too long"? Clooney knows he has a gift for delivering crack dialogue with more charm and poise than any other human being on the planet, so it stands to reason that the gifted actor in him would want to see if he can be as convincing playing someone who rarely speaks. And he handles the task so well that you find yourself analyzing every word out of his mouth for deeper meaning. By getting so little information about this man, director Corbijn forces us to pay attention, look for signs and clues, watch his reactions. When Jack tells a prostitute that she doesn't have to pretend to enjoy sex with him because "I'm here to get pleasure, not give it," it's a startling moment of coldness and forces us to wonder just a little bit more than we already did, Who is this guy?
While Jack's handler (Bruce Altman) look into who is trying to kill him, Jack is relocated to a small Italian town where he is asked to assemble a special weapon for another killer, a Belgian woman named Mathilde (Thekla Reuten, who, in a nice touch, has a different hairstyle and color each time we see her). And as he did in Sweden, Jack meets the stunning Clara (the aforementioned prostitute) and tries unsuccessfully not to have feelings for her. His other challenge is to not be paranoid that she or anyone else he comes into contact with in this place is part of the conspiracy to take him out. Another member of the cast is Paolo Bonacelli as Father Benedetto, who takes Jack under his wing. The idea of a killer and a priest matching wits and philosophies on life, sin, and redemption might be a touch on the obvious side, but Italian acting legend Bonacelli is so enjoyable in this role, we can't help but forgive. The two test out their powers of observation on each other in unexpected ways, and their scenes together are some of my favorite.
For Jack, falling in love for Jack is an act of desperation, a last-ditch effort to hold onto what remains of his shriveling heart. And I can see what he chose Mathilde to be his savior. She's almost too good to be true (if you ignore that whole prostitute gig), and Corbijn relishes in showing off every inch of her natural, curvy frame. Considering Clooney has, for the most part, shied away from more explicit sexual exploits on screen, it's strange to see him so free with his and others' bodies in something like UP IN THE AIR or THE AMERICAN. I'll admit, it's good to know the old guy's still got it.
You may be confused with my review because the trailers and commercials you've seen for THE AMERICAN have centered on gunplay and what appear to be action scenes, and those things do exist in this movie, but to such a small degree, you almost get angry when they arrive and interrupt the far more interesting things going on during the quieter moments. I think it's safe to say that Clooney has worked his way into yet another high point in his career (that I'd say started with 2007's MICHAEL CLAYTON) in the last couple of years, and THE AMERICAN might be the best of the bunch since that film. At the very least, this character represents a path that Clooney has never really gone down before. His performance demands a level and type of attention that I'm not used to extended to an actor who is usually pretty easy to read and relies on a familiar library of expressions and other acting tools to make his point. But here, he's making us do much of the work while his character goes out of his way to hide his feelings from those in his life and us. It's a role I want to revisit soon, to look for more signs in the lines in his face. It's a strange game I'm not used to playing with Clooney, but I dig it--and this film--tremendously.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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