Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

SincereFinest disgusting, overrated, pointless

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

charlesadamek How do you take a movie that has gorgeous scenery, explicit erotica, many murders, chases and betrayals, and STILL end up with 2 hours of boredom? Takes a master film maker to pull that off. First, the plot, such as it is, is inferential and inconsistent, and depends on ridiculous coincidences. But if you like excruciatingly long scenes of people brooding for no apparent reason, this is the movie for you. The hero just happens to be given all the parts and equipment he needs to construct a specific type of assassin rife. Now isn't that convenient? And how did all the heavy machinery equipment get moved to his apartment, or we to believe that all those long manufacturing sequences took place in an auto mechanic's garage? And no one came in to see what he was up to? And where did he acquire the ammunition? The closer you look at this movie, the more unbelievable it becomes. Three stars mostly because of the amazing Italian scenery and for Clooney trying to make something out of nothing. Nice try, but fail

proudtobeabrit I found it as interesting as watching paint dry. I kept watching the clock to see when it would be over. I finally gave up after an hour. Cooney is usually terrific no matter what the part, or movie, but he could not save this movie for me. It had no story, very little dialogue, and it was impossible to even tell what was even really what was going on. No background on clooneys character even , so the viewer was just thrown into the deep end wondering, and waiting, but to no avail. I obviously would suggest passing on this movie for something much better.

Mark T. The American is a taut, minimalist thriller reminiscent of Le Samourai (1967). The life of an assassin is a lonely one, filled with personal rules to survive through the line of work. Much like the technical thought in building his customized weapon, the film itself is stripped down to a stark realism, and the soundtrack is mostly filled with a large void of ambient noise and silence.This might be surprising to some, but The American's plot structure and themes are extremely similar to the much more popular Drive. Released almost exactly a year before Drive (both had a September opening), The American follows a similar lonesome working professional who finds love. Note how both Clooney's "Jack" and Gosling's "Driver" rely on the bare minimum to live. A table, his tools and craft are all he needs to get him through the day. Both movies contain minimal dialogue, and what is spoken is pretty much straight to the point.There are some differences in the main characters. Jack is more about constant suspicion to survive the risks in his profession, whereas the Driver has more loyalty to those around him despite their untrustworthy character. Both main characters commit acts of violence, but the Driver's are more grisly and one of Jack's isn't justifiable. Drive is treated with a romantic glossiness, blaring catchy 80s inspired music and staging beautiful dramatic slow motion set pieces. The American has a colder approach, with realistic short action sequences, more brooding and visualized nuance. Most would prefer Drive, which in its own respect is a solid film, but watching The American is at the very least a comparable piece that differs in presentation and approach.

Ian Hannah For the longest time, The American collected dust on the tail end of my Netflix queue. The film was marketed as an action thriller of the James Bond variety. It looked to be fun, mindless excitement, full of sex and violence. It wasn't anything of the sort.What I got was a slow-burning character study wrapped in the guise of a spy movie. The film is a far cry from the loud, balls-to-the-wall action that we have become accustomed to expect from the genre. Instead, it is quiet and introspective, beautiful and touching, with an almost hypnotic pace that transfixes the viewer from the first frame until the credits roll.The action scenes that we do see are not loud, expensive set pieces, but quiet, tense affairs. They are masterfully executed, and despite their understated nature, they will leave you with your heart racing.The entire film is undercut by a deep, desperate loneliness. We see a man dwarfed by the landscape around him, isolated and alone. The plot is nothing new: the classic "last job" storyline. The magic of this film comes in its execution. Clooney's performance, like the film itself, is transfixing; he is restrained yet powerful, exploring the depths of love and loneliness with a subtlety and sophistication that I did not know he was capable of. His turn as this film's hero, a laconic hit-man who has tired of his life of danger and intrigue, is one of if not the best performance of his career.In the end, although this film was widely panned as 'boring' or 'too slow,' that was mostly a product of expectation rather than any flaws in the film itself. The American is breathtaking visually, musically, and emotionally, and overall it is a brilliant piece of cinema. Time will be kind to it, and I like to think it will one day get the attention it deserves.