NINETOES VS. THE AMATEUR (FILM)

Ninetoes loves his literary espionage stories, but is The Amateur a good adaption of the Robert Littell novel?

When his supervisors at the CIA refuse to take action after his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a decoder takes matters into his own hands.

Directed by James Hawes

Written by Ken Nolan & Gary Spinelli based on the novel by Robert Littell

Starring Rami Malek (Heller), Rachel Brosnahan (Sarah), Jon Bernthal (The Bear), Laurence Fishburne (Henderson)

Hey there, movie lovers! It’s your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes Headquarters. Today, I take a look at The Amateur starring Rami Malek and Laurence Fishburne. I have popcorn in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

I love a good spy thriller. The darker the better. In a way, a good spy thriller is an addiction for me, right up there with noir, science fiction, history, and horror. When I saw the previews for the movie, I got all kinds of excited! So, was my excitement justified?

Charlie Heller is an analyst for the CIA. He reads codes and numbers the way we read the news in the morning. He is married to a wonderful woman who is his world, and one day, that world is shattered in a terrorist incident. Charlie is devastated, but a fire burns in him to get those responsible for Sarah’s death. He gets all the information he needs, right down to names, places, aliases, EVERYTHING the CIA needs to hunt down these terrorists and get Sarah justice. But they will not. Now, it is up to Charlie. The problem is, he is not a field agent; he is a numbers guy. But even numbers guys have their strengths, and Charlie intends to use his strengths, even if it kills him.

Rami Malek was the perfect choice for the role of Charlie Heller, a quiet, unassuming nerd. He checks all of the boxes. For me, Rachel Brosnahan might have been a little bit out of his league, but hey, I swung for the fences and won; he can, too. Fishburne was perfect as Charlie’s instructor. I could pull apart the cast, but why? They all worked well together. Everything clicked across the board, from the hard ass boss to the hard ass terrorist. The one to watch for is Michael Stuhlbarg as Schiller. The way Malek and Stuhlbarg play off of each other at the climax of the movie is pure magic!

The pacing of the movie is a slow-burning revenge thriller. If you are expecting “CIA means guns blazing non-stop action”, you are wrong. This is more of a slow-burning cerebral exercise, and that is fine by me. The older I get, the more I am impressed by movies that give me food for thought. This movie engaged me from the beginning. I was immediately drawn to the character of Charlie Heller and his thirst for vengeance. This one is like an old-time spy movie, and I hung on every minute.

This movie is perfect for fans of a cerebral slow burn, fans of Robert Littell’s books, fans of good acting, and movie buffs in general.

I give this 4.5 popcorn buckets out of 5!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite… much.