The Amateur, directed James (One Life) Hawes and adapted by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli, from Richard Littell's popular novel (previously filmed in 1981 with John Savage and Christopher Plummer), is a spy-revenge thriller, where an unlikely, C.I.A. cryptographer becomes the catalyst for explosive action.
In this case, it's Rami Malek's Charlie Heller who seeks vengeance after his wife (Rachel Brosnahan) dies in a London, terrorist attack, conducted by bureaucratic mercenaries. Heller want to eradicate those responsible, but his "superiors" refuse to assist him, thinking he lacks the mettle to follow through on any ruthless, matter-of-principle pursuit.
Despite his reservations, Laurence Fishburne's no-nonsense operative, Colonel Robert "Hendo" Henderson, gets Heller into mental shape, and bit by bit, the crackerjack geek begins to break down barriers, proving to those who doubted him that he can rise to the occasion. Their disgruntled respect, however, is only a means to an end, for Heller's mission is personal. In fact, Heller even goes so far as to blackmail his bosses, Holt McCallany's Alex Moore and Danny Sapani's Caleb Horowitz, to greenlight his arduous mission, even as Julianne Nicholson's pure-in-heart Director Samantha O'Brien shoehorns in to investigate.
Along the way, Heller encounters a number of friends and foes. These crisscrossing entities guide the suspense, even if few ever stay the long haul. This includes Jon Bernthal's Jackson O'Brien, aka the Bear, a CIA toughie who knows the dangerous ins and outs, but is he on hand to propel Heller or derail him?
Even though the come-and-go, character dynamic might feel superfluous, it's also beneficial, allowing Heller to become the story's prime sigma-male-by-default, which for the sake of this type of adventure, is always welcome.
Some will dismiss The Amateur as the sort of male-driven espionage better left to the entertainment annals of the past, but like The Beekeeper and A Working Man, it advocates what a brave soul can (and should) do to serve wrongdoers their comeuppance. Yes, it's bordered by the fantastic, but its heart is in the right place. For those who understand the significance of this allegorical genre (i.e. the upright message it carries), The Amateur will tip the scales of justice where and when it counts most.
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