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Rating: What happens when a quiet CIA cryptographer witnesses his wife dying in a terrorist attack in London? Apparently, he drops codes and computers, picks up a gun, and decides to take justice into his own hands. That's the starting point of The Amateur, a movie that features a nerd in "revenge" mode. In fact, the Italian title is "Operazione vendetta", and as usual, it colors the film with melodrama, shifting the focus from the protagonist (the amateur) to the action.
Charles Heller, our grieving analyst, quickly manages to identify those responsible - thanks to a mix of databases and very casual use of the CIA's internal network. He then requests that they be eliminated immediately. But his superiors - Horowitz and Moore, two textbook bureaucrats - oppose, preferring "not to interfere in order to capture the entire network" or one of those vague expressions the CIA uses when it doesn't feel like acting.
Too bad for them that Heller has a secret weapon, enough to shake the entire chain of command, and in a short time, he gets himself trained to hunt down the terrorists himself. And it's here that the film takes an interesting turn: instead of the usual invincible, charismatic secret agent who is always impeccable, we have a protagonist who is bewildered, unprepared, who makes mistakes, is scared, and tries to survive as best as he can. And strangely, it works.
Sure, the classic European tour isn't missing, but forget about postcard locations: here we go from Paris to a decidedly non-touristy Marseille, then to a wintry Istanbul and other gray, bleak, and unsavory places.
Fun fact: the main role was supposed to go to Hugh Jackman, but he was ultimately replaced by Rami Malek - who is also the executive producer. A more than fitting choice. Jackman would have played it all as if it were Wolverine goes to the CIA, with tense jaws and grim looks. Malek, on the other hand, gives the character a fragile and credible humanity: he really seems like someone who could collapse at any moment. And this, in the context, is a strength.
In summary, it's not a masterpiece but it has enough tension, atmosphere, and moral ambiguity to distinguish itself from the usual patriotic action movie. And besides, it's nice to see a protagonist who really seems like someone who works in an office... and perhaps goes home to a cat in the evening.
It is a remake of a Canadian film from 1981, while this remake is directed by James Hawes in his second film endeavor after "One Life".
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