The Kidd Vs. The American
CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD
THE AMERICAN is hardly the movie you think it is. It isn’t a spy movie by any means. It isn’t an action film either. Therefore, if you’re looking for something along the lines, you might want to check your expectations at the door. Instead, THE AMERICAN is a film that serves as a quiet deconstruction of an assassin constantly avoiding death while searching for something meaningful in his isolated existence. In fact, some of the best moments of THE AMERICAN happen when nothing’s happening, and that’s really something you should be prepared for. Throughout a good portion of THE AMERICAN, there’s not a lot happening, and, as a result, we’re immersed in this constantly building tension that there’s more at stake here, that there’s something greater in the works. And it’s going to take a long, slow burn for all of that to be revealed. It requires a great deal of patience to navigate through all the red herrings and the false starts and the true potential threats throws at you, but, along the way, that long, slow burn turns out a pretty good film.
THE ASSASSIN opens in the snowy woods of Sweden, where we find a bearded George Clooney spending time in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere with a woman who is all too happy to be lying around naked. Ah… what a life. In the morning, as they go out for a stroll, Clooney’s lady friend discovers footprints on the ground, and then the bullets start flying. Clooney and his companion take cover, out comes his firearm, and, in no time, Clooney has taken out the enemy with a few well-placed shots to the chest. Unfortunately, that also means Clooney has to take out his woman, too, because of the old adage “leave no witnesses,” before he proceeds to eliminate the assassin’s partner as he sneaks up on him roadside. And just like that, THE AMERICAN is off to a pretty no-nonsense start with 3 dead people left behind, and George Clooney narrowly escaping with his life.
George Clooney plays Jack, a lone assassin who has been located by some pissed-off Swedes who clearly don’t want him around anymore. As a result, he heads to Italy and contacts a colleague of sorts to find out who’s behind the attempted whacking. He receives directions to travel to a small town in the Italian countryside and await further instructions. Knowing that it’s impossible to trust anyone completely in his line of work, he ditches that plan and heads to a different town altogether, where he can isolate himself and make contact on his own. There, he’s set up with a job offer from a oman named Mathilde who needs a weapon with the capacity of a sub-machine gun and the range of a rifle. And, after establishing his cover that he’s no good with machines, Jack gets to work on building the gun… and, for much of THE AMERICAN, that’s what we get to witness – Jack constructing this weapon.
We see him gathering the various parts, assembling it, testing it… and that makes up for a good portion of Jack’s actions, so, if you thought I was kidding when I said not a lot happens at times, you might want to rethink your position. As a result of his profession, there is this constant paranoia of being followed, which incidentally is the only way for Jack to stay alive. He has no choice but to be on high alert at all times, and we get sucked into those nervous feelings. There could be someone dangerous lurking behind any or every corner, and director Anton Corbijn does a brilliant job of using the tight quarters of this small Italian town to his advantage to create tension. It’s impossible to navigate through the town’s system of stairways and tunnels without being on edge, because, by the time Jack makes it to a spot he couldn’t see moments earlier, that could be it. He could be dead. So, there is always this sense of foreboding that accompanies Jack any time he sets foot outside of his weapon workshop, and, as a result, THE AMERICAN constantly feels like one long chase scene. Oh, sure… it’s not as action-packed as one might be in its condensed form, but THE AMERICAN is all about creating the questions as to who is who, who is who they say they are, and who is going to catch up to who first.
The weapon building feels secondary throughout much of the film, as THE AMERICAN puts a major focus on Jack’s relationships with a couple of townspeople – a priest,Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli), whose friendship with Jack seems to stem from his position of faith to watch over the sheep of God’s flock who have lost their way, and a prostitute, Clara (Violante Placido), who represents Jack’s only feelings of an intimate connection with anyone. He has trained himself to be so emotionally detached from anyone, because the job calls for him to not make any friends… it could be the difference between life and death. As a result, this one-stop shopping for a woman that he can connect with for a short bit of time on any visit is all that he has. As we get further into THE AMERICAN, the film becomes more about this man’s attempt to find happiness or love or something in this existence of loneliness and isolation he’s chosen for himself, namely because it’s what he’s good at.
Clooney is excellent as always, as he takes us along on this journey with such a sad individual. We know he longs for more, and, despite the fact that he’s a cold-blooded killer, we can’t help but want him to be able to find it. Of course, THE AMERICAN sets up the premise of the weapon construction as Jack’s last job before he gets out, so there’s a bit of been there, done that to THE AMERICAN, but, because of Clooney, it’s rendered a minute complaint. THE AMERICAN isn’t about the mission… it’s about the American. The mostly Italian cast does a fine job in their supporting roles, especially Placido, who is able to produce that light at the end of the tunnel for Jack, but THE AMERICAN rests solely on the shoulders of Clooney, who is able to convey so much about his character when he’s not speaking or not doing anything, but through his silent expressions. Once again, you’ll see proof of why George Clooney is such a damn fine actor on display.
THE AMERICAN may not be what you’re expecting, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good film. If you’re looking for an action-packed stunt spectacular, you probably should see something else, and save yourself the inevitable disappointment you’re going to experience when you realize THE AMERICAN is something totally different. However, if you enjoy Clooney, and you love watching him work, then I recommend THE AMERICAN for you. This is a movie about the actual assassin and not necessarily his work. Therefore, if you’ve ever wondered what it is that goes through these characters’ minds when they’re not strategizing or killing people, then THE AMERICAN will go a long way towards answering those questions for you. Quite simply, THE AMERICAN is a very good character film.
