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Rating of
3.5/4
The hated masterpiece.
memento_mori - wrote on 05/02/2013
The American is something special to me. It's a movie I watched at a time where I would never watch a film like this, and it still captivated me for some reason. With two more repeat viewings, I realized why that was.
A lot of people will laugh when I type this, but I consider this his best performance to date. It is quiet, dark and problematic, almost reflecting the type of mood and tone the film was setting. You don't need to be able to shout and cry to be considered a good actor in my book. It's about making a connection to the audience, and Clooney definitely was something different entirely. Taste varies, I suppose.
The landscapes and cinematography are stunning. Especially the first twenty minutes were just a masterpiece of direction, in my humble opinion.
There are entire …
Rating of
3/4
The American review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 07/02/2012
Jack (George Clooney) is a skilled gunsmith who was given a task to create a gun for Mathilde (Thekla Reuten). He becomes close with a prostitute named Clara (Violante Placido). The spectacular cinematography is probably from the experience of the director in photography and creating music videos (for U2, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, etc.). It felt like watching an action silent film with less fight scenes with meticulous direction. It was very rare to see Clooney in a straightforward and reserved character much like Leon. He did a decent job with the character. Score was applicable with the pictures pace and mystery of the lead. If only it had more story, action and an upbeat conclusion. The American is a well-crafted flick of transformation, love, trust and cautiousness.
Rating of
3/4
"The American" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/25/2012
A weapon smith specializing in custom rifles for assassination purposes falls for a beautiful Italian prostitute despite his extreme trust issues. The American is very much a thriller from the old school; it has a very 70s, continental vibe that reminded me a little of The Day Of The Jackal as the low key, almost laid back approach is a million miles away from the wobbly-cam and SFX orientated efforts of the ADHD generation. It is far more reliant on mood and characterisation and as such finds a perfect central performance from the ever reliable Clooney who can always be trusted to invest his time in projects of quality. His tentative relationship with Violante Placido side steps the usual saccharine of contrived cinematic romances and the story feels measured and honest without ever …
Rating of
3.5/4
The American, a modern classic
frank kemble - wrote on 02/15/2011
Slight spoilers - The film was marketed as a Bourne/Bond style action film, which, in reality is not the case. It is however, a very well acted and intelligent throwback to 70's assassin drama's. It does maintain a slow pace for most of the film, but that is apart of what makes it a nostalgic, modern masterpiece. Society today is so used to movies being so fast pace, with less story, that when something this well structured comes along, they don't know how to view it. This film has beautiful cinematography, brilliant shots of the landscape, and a darkness to it, where all the characters fall into an old style world of intrigue. It's essentially about an American assassin, who is pursued by other assassins, who hides out in Italy, awaiting to perform one last job. If you have seen some of …
