George Clooney has done some fine work. He's a riot in the Coen Brothers' O Brother Where Art Thou. He's gripping in the romantic romp, Up in the Air. He's a hard hitter in action films such as Syriana, Ocean's Eleven, and most of all, The Peacemaker.
We need to keep this in mind as we view, or, I should say, suffer through, The American.
You could watch snails crawl on your driveway....or ants meander to a nest...or flowers grow... OR: You could watch The American. Few movies in this reviewer's memory have moved so slowly, been so insipid and shallow, and offered so little in the way of meaningful messages.
No spoiler, as usual. The film is vaguely about an assassin who must counter those who would end his sad career. There's a bit of gunfire here and there. Or better, misfire here and there. The whole film, I would suggest, is one big misfire.
Now add to this disaster a few scenes about guns, which, to most gun experts, are woefully erroneous. Also add shots of Italy's ugliest territory, the barren plains of the south. And throw in some stupid stares and even stupider lines. Now you've got The American.
Some contrarians might argue that the film strives to create a certain tone, a melancholy mood with stylistic moments. BUT: There is something wrong with a film that has no character development, no depth, no plot twists...in fact, no reason for existing on the screen.
One positive: The relatively unknown Violante Placido plays the assassin's love interest. Her pretty smiles sometimes brighten this dour landscape.
Grade of D- for a poorly constructed, mindless, boring, meaningless flick. However: Lots of fun viewing the film with my esteemed colleague, Valerie. With spouses, we enjoyed chewing this film up and spitting it out.
While I agree with everything you wrote, for fun I'll surprise you by playing the contrarian just a little, precisely where you mentioned tone. This film is excrutiatingly quiet, which challenged some more ruder members of our audience! As I sat there trying to see the value in this, I felt it did give me a sense of being inside this cold-blooded loner's head. From the opening scenes of the insulation of snowy landscape in Switzerland, to longggg stretches with no dialogue, I think it was director's way of conveying the isolation. Although I did feel this sense, film does NOT lend itself well to this experience.
ReplyDeleteI suspect the literary piece this movie was based on had real depth to it. But it cannot possibly translate well on screen when the protagonist has fewer words than all of Eastwood's spaghetti westerns rolled into one! It could have made a better effort, however, through tighter, deeper, more revelatory dialogue. There is only so much Clooney can do with his usual GOOD job of facial acting.
You know and I know, David, that it was not Violante's "pretty smile" that filled the screen and captured our attention, male and female. I am comfortable enough to say that woman has the most amazing body. Whew!
This was, regrettably, a very forgettable movie.
But the evening out with friends redeemed it all.
Nice contrarian observations, film buddy! You're absolutely right that if there is redeeming value in the film, it's in the mood/tone/silence that might be there to capture the protagonist's extreme emotional and physical isolation. Given only facial expressions to express angst, I suppose Clooney did okay...another concession. Yet as you noted, this movie was generally very forgettable...except of course for Violante, who, admittedly, is endowed with BOTH body and face! Thank you for your kind words on our friendship...always fun to see films with my colleague and her spouse.
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