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If it hasn’t already, “The American” is going to dupe a whole lot of American viewers. It may have the allure of your standard, red-blooded thriller and the Hollywood star power of George Clooney, but this snail’s-pace curio is probably the least American-American movie of the year. Directed by Dutchman Anton Corbijn and written by Britain’s Rowan Joffe, it’s an uneventful, Euro-centric, espionage-tinged production that brings to mind Antonioni channeling John Frankenheimer. It’s a drastically painstaking character study and a very demanding sit, but that’s not to say it’s by any means a bad film.
In it, Clooney plays yet another character whose occupation is eating at him from the inside out, though it’s never explicitly said what that occupation is. We gather Jack (or is it Edward?) is some sort of assassin; however, he spends the bulk of the movie not using a weapon, but making one for another contract killer (Thekla Reuten). Holed up in Castel del Monte in Abruzzo, Italy, for what he hopes is his One Last Job, the closed-off, enigmatic antihero punctuates his business with visits to a priest (Paolo Bonacelli) and a prostitute (Violante Placido), who help him inch closer to redemption.
If “The American” fails to pound the pulse or comfortably flesh out its story, it finds its own redemption in the oddly enticing minimalism of its script (dialogue is sparse) and the suave, precise beauty of its presentation. In terms of form, it’s about perfect. There’s true thought and art behind every shot by cinematographer Martin Ruhe, and the seductively lit, medieval-microcosm setting is superbly utilized.
Ever-capable of holding billows of pain in his face, Clooney is at his most reserved and sphinxlike, yet he lets slip powerful hints of vulnerability. Perhaps it’s good the superstar, increasingly interested in more artistic projects, will draw in unsuspecting mainstream audiences, as they could use the exposure to something with such an outré, offshore feel.
“The American” is a crafty wrench in the works of cinema-as-usual, whose ultimate effect is haunting.
The American
R
Three reels out of four
Now playing at area theaters
Recommended Rental
Casino Jack and the United States of Money
R
Available Tuesday
Before you see “Bagman,” October’s Jack Abramoff biopic starring Kevin Spacey, catch this intensely researched documentary on the infamous, super-lobbyist, which combines an overwhelming abundance of data with flabbergasting humor. Directed by the great Alex Gibney, it’s a fascinating look into a web of corruption, and it’s catnip for political junkies. SPR
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