Charlie Heller (played by Rami Malek) serves as the central character in "The Amateur" — a disgruntled undercover agent with exceptional technical skills working deep beneath Langley headquarters for the CIA within their Decryption and Analysis division. His expertise lies in decoding information and mastering digital domains, making him highly proficient in electronic espionage. Outside work, Charlie lives harmoniously with his supportive career-driven spouse, Sarah (portrayed by Rachel Brosnahan). They inhabit a refurbished farmstead where they seem to lead idyllic lives together. However, this serene picture shatters during one of her overseas trips; Sarah becomes a victim of terrorism in London and dies instantly. This catastrophic event feels like erasing everything meaningful from Charlie’s world. Despite assurances from agency superiors about pursuing justice through official channels, such promises fail to quench Charlie’s burning anger and thirst for personal revenge. Determinedly asserting his resolve, Charlie declares, “I intend to exact my own form of retribution.”
He’ll need to operate outside the system to achieve his goals. After all, how impactful would a revenge story be if justice came through official channels? It’s precisely because these acts break the law that they carry such an intense edge. To me, the modern revenge thriller begins with “Joe” from 1970, where Peter Boyle portrays a blue-collar builder who takes violent action against a group of hippies. However, foundational examples include "Walking Tall" (1973) and "Death Wish" (1974)—both featuring protagonists resorting to weapons like handguns or clubs to seek vengeance. The revenge genre played a significant role in shaping the landscape for the rise of conservatism—before networks like Fox News popularized this mindset, countless right-leaning radio shows promoted narratives advocating harsh retaliation without leniency. This ideological thread arguably culminated under former U.S. President Donald Trump, whose policies often seemed driven more by personal vendettas than statecraft. At times, one could almost see him embodying not just leadership but also the spirit of the vigilante hero known as the Punisher.
In earlier times, one of the appealing aspects of revenge films lay in their rebellious and antisocial edge. For instance, Charles Bronson portrayed a meekly mannered architect in "Death Wish" who transformed into an avenger once his wife met her demise. These cinematic portrayals often provide viewers with a sense of righteousness coupled with impunity – essentially delivering a 'rush' from acting outside societal norms. However, "The Amateur," which arrives several decades later than those classic tales, adopts a polished, high-tech aesthetic along with efficient execution that lends itself well to its genre. It presents this narrative with such stoic absurdity that watching feels as seamless and straightforward as playing a video game.
In his CIA hideout, Charlie isn’t inherently aggressive. The film’s premise revolves around him remaining emotionally distant during his outburst. Despite being nearly blind and thus inept with firearms, and failing to transform into your typical rough-and-tumble action star, he excels instead through strategic thinking rather than physical prowess. As he moves from one city to another—Paris, then Marseille, followed by Istanbul, and finally reaching the Baltic coast—he pursues criminals involved in illegal arms trading for rogue nations. Yet, throughout these pursuits, he remains more of a mastermind working remotely via hacks and manipulations, setting up carefully crafted schemes himself. This mainly conveys an impression that he has drawn heavily from various cinematic experiences.
Perhaps this explains why "The Amateur" lacks significant impact. Directed with unremarkable competence by James Hawes—a British TV director known for his work on "Doctor Who"—and written by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli (adapting Robert Littell’s book), the film frequently throws plot elements our way without fully integrating them. There's a distinction between introducing surprises and ensuring they feel earned. While it might be considered petty to criticize an espionage drama as unrealistic, many events in "The Amateur" come across as... arbitrary. Charlie arrives at various locations around the world, locates one of the criminals involved, and challenges him about their boss' whereabouts. When these individuals refuse to cooperate, rest assured that luxurious amenities like mid-night swimming pools filled with water will somehow become explosive traps. In some instances, “The Amateur” feels more aptly titled as “The Explosive.”
Initially, Charlie attempts to extort his CIA supervisors when he uncovers evidence of an agency cover-up involving a targeted drone strike that resulted in the deaths of 1,000 civilians. However, taking such actions against the CIA isn’t wise. In response, the manipulative Deputy Director Alex Moore (played by Holt McCallany) feigns cooperation with Charlie’s plan for personal revenge. He even arranges specialized “training” sessions for Charlie supervised by seasoned agent Robert Henderson (portrayed by Laurence Fishburne). During one session, Henderson assesses Charlie by stating bluntly, "You’re not a natural at this sort of thing.” This rapid training seems almost comical because, despite all efforts, navigating through these familiar tropes proves challenging for Charlie throughout.
However, as soon as he manages to outsmart Moore, who continually sends guards to apprehend him, “The Amateur” transforms into a “Bourne” movie without all the fistfights and high-speed car chases, blending elements of “Death Wish,” “Munich,” and “The Killer,” along with a typical espionage thriller suited for our tech-savvy era. is The film isn’t poorly executed (it remains consistently viewable), yet it crams a significant amount of pulpy content into its narrative mix.
A humorous instance occurs when Charlie uses an instructional video to pick an apartment lock. This scene suggests a quite distinct type of film “The Amateur” might have turned into, one more aligned with its title. However, this element doesn’t appear as frequently as it should. It seems almost disconnected, like leftover material from previous versions. Eventually, Charlie joins forces with his correspondent—a spy known as Inquiline—only to discover that they're unexpectedly mild-mannered rather than formidable.
This marks the third thriller starring Rami Malek since his breakthrough role in "Bohemian Rhapsody." It further cements his intense, jittery persona at the core of his image. As an actor, he perfectly embodies the transformation from tech-savvy loner to criminal profiler; his piercing gaze could cut through steel. One standout scene occurs early where he traps an asthma-afflicted murderer inside a plastic enclosure and releases pollen within. Generally, however, he carries out his calculated quest for revenge with an air of detachment. The premise of "The Amateur"—that Charlie needs to handle everything alone—remains fundamentally just that: a concept. This is why the film is decent but fails to reach truly thrilling heights.
- Laurence Fishburne didn’t watch Will Smith’s ‘Matrix’ music video and had offered to play Morpheus in ‘Matrix 4,’ but reportedly received no positive response.
- Rachel Brosnahan when seeing David Corenswet wearing the 'Superman' suit for the first time: "At that moment, I knew he was perfect for the role."