Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Movie Review: The American

I liked it.  Sort of "The Bourne Identity" crossed with Fred Thompson's 2008 presidential campaign.  You know, a film that not so much runs as moseys to its breathless, logical ending.
Without giving anything away, it's about a hit man who looks at leaving the profession after a shocking (but brutally necessary, given his field) incident that unfolds in the first ten minutes of the movie.  After conferring with his boss, he has one last job to do for his old organization/agency/whatever – and this one doesn't even involve actually killing anyone.  In the meantime, he just has to lay low, not talk too much, and quietly Do The Job.  So of course he winds up in a microscopic Italian town full of sinners trying to not be quite so sinful while all confiding in and supporting one another.
Come to think of it, Peter Sellers could've made a wonderful comedy with that set-up.  But that's not this movie.
Heavy themes of sin and redemption.  Plenty of eye candy, for both the ladies and the gentlemen.  Recommended, but likely anyone under 25 won't sit still through the whole thing.  Three out of four stars.


Other folks' opinions on the matter:
James Berardinelli liked it.  Maryann Johnson (aka flickfilosopher) didn't.  And something like 64% on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a thumbs-up.

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