The American

If one is to believe the trailers for this movie, this film is George Clooney’s best attempt at a Jason Bourne impersonation. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything The American is the anti-Bourne. Enthralling car crashes are traded in for well-crafted dialogue; hand to hand combat is exchanged with planning, strategy and mediation.

The American is a test of sorts for the American movie going public. The movie’s title is ironic in a sense, because this is perhaps one of the least American movies in sometime. The film is a methodical if not downright slow at times, mediation on the solitary desolate life of a man of violence. As the film’s main antagonist puts it; “You got close, you used to know better than that.”

Despite the slow pace the move begins quickly, with Clooney’s character held up in a cabin with a beautiful woman. The romantic rendezvous is violently interrupted. Interestingly enough the gun fight is shot in the snow in almost most total silence, which is definitely a harbinger of things to come. Clooney easily dispatches of the Swedish (yes you read that correctly, trust me it works though)assassins, and the girl. Which raises a small point of contention, If Jack is so ruthless that he would kill his girlfriend simply for witnessing him in action. How is the audience ever supposed to root for him?

Soon thereafter Jack is told by his Boss that he must lay low until the trouble with the Swedes is over, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside.The movies second act is definitely the hardest on audience attention spans. It is in Italy where Jack slowly (and I mean slowly) begins to find himself and a semblance of happiness. Jack goes through the monotony of each day, however the film slowly and often silently began to peel back the layers of Clooney’s character. Essential in this task are the movie's supporting players. A priest, a hooker with a heart of gold and a fem fatale.(stop me if you’ve heard this one before) Despite being complete stock characters in their genesis, all three of these characters work, mostly on the back of superb performances from the actors.

Paolo Bonacelli plays a priest in the film but it is probably more accurate to say that he plays Jack’s conscience. Paolo takes what could easily be trite and cheesy and delivers a weighty performance filled with gravitas. Watching him perform you are mesmerized by his face, it’s as if each wrinkle is telling a story. The movie’s best moments are often when he is occupying the screen.

The film's other supporting cogwheel is Violante Placido as Clara. Violante’s portrayal serves as an oasis in a desert of silence and brooding. She is the film's solitary ray of light. The film probably would be better served if she was not playing a hooker; this would have given the script and actress the ability to fully explore the character's joy and optimism. In contrast the movie wouldn’t have had an excuse to constantly show her naked, so I guess that won out at the end of the day.

Predictably Clooney’s character must complete one last job before leaving “the life”. He must build a very specific kind of weapon for a beautiful Fem Fatale,(played by Thekla Reuten).
What the weapon will be used for is unknown to both Jack and the viewer until later in the film.Jack’s meticulous labor building the weapon gives us insight into what kind of man he is.Intentional, methodical, solitary, paranoid. It’s a tribute to Clooney’s skills as an actor that he is able to maintain the audience’s attention while essential building a gun.

The American is an existential window into the lifestyle of a hit man, or whatever job Jack has in the movie. (The movie never explicitly says) If you’re looking for a popcorn flick that beats you over the head with action and dialogue, this is not the movie for you. The American is a serious oft times deliberate picture that actively engages the mind. Somehow I don’t see that as a bad thing.

GRADE: B